Instead of a gridded street pattern, San Mateo Park has 69 landscaped traffic circles. Rather than four way intersections, it is one of the few places with islands that were originally developed to easily route horse-drawn carriages around corners without fear of collision, and these islands have become a favorite part of San Mateo Park’s fabled allure. Homes are set back from the street on generous sized lots ranging from 6,000 to easily over 10,000 square feet, often hidden by the dense greenery of native oak and redwood trees, elms, maples and poplars, palms, cedars and olive trees planted under the supervision of famed landscape architect John McLaren, designer of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, before the first San Mateo Park home broke ground. San Mateo Park is quiet, graceful and luxurious. Many home buyers actually prefer it to its more well-known neighbor, Hillsborough.

Convenience is an added perk for San Mateo Park residents. Shopping and dining on Burlingame Avenue is less than one mile away, making it within general walking distance. El Camino Real, the eastern border of San Mateo Park, offers easy access to freeways and surface commute routes. Burlingame’s Caltrain station can be reached by foot in 20 minutes.

San Mateo Park real estate is comparable to anything found in the Peninsula’s high-end neighborhoods, sprawling two-story residences built in the1910s, 1920s and 1930s (with a few post-war houses and new construction mixed in among an inventory of Tudors, Colonials, Craftsmans and Mediterraneans) of impressive size and stature. San Mateo Park homes can have up to 4,000 square feet of living space, five bedrooms, quarter-acre lots (the neighborhood does not share Hillsborough’s half-acre minimum lot size requirement), swimming pools and lavishly landscaped yards. Since so many are closing in on 100 years of age, six-figure remodels are not uncommon. There’s quite a mix of classic architectural styles including Tudor, Craftsman, Colonial, and Spanish, many of which were built in the 1920s and 1930s.

San Mateo Park homes for sale have begun infringing on the rarified air of adjacentHillsborough. Of the most recent 10 single-family homes to sell in San Mateo Park, seven sold for more than $3 million, four for more than $4 million and three for $5 million-plus. Smaller properties – those around 2,000 square feet – can sometimes be had for as “little” as $2.5 million, but current sales point to a neighborhood median of $3.5 million, further blurring the line between this leafy San Mateo district and its famed neighbor.

To view a detailed google map of the San Mateo Park neighborhood, click here. The MLS area is 439.

Favorable

• The most prestigious neighborhood in San Mateo, along with Baywood

• Has a rich and historic feel, with elegant, wooded traffic roundabouts originally create for horses

• Diverse styles of homes with a mix of classical architectural styles, including Tudor, Craftsman, Colonial and Spanish

• For the price, offers excellent value -- 10-20% more square footage and lot size than Burlingame for the same price

Adverse

• Slightly older homes, closing in on 100 years of age. However, many homes have been remodeled

• The elementary school is not as top rated for the price as nearby Burlingame or Baywood in San Mateo, so many buyers at these prices may elect to send their children to private school

San Mateo has it all: a diversity of neighborhoods, great parks, easy access, a plethora of shopping, and home to many businesses and an anchor for employment on the peninsula. With a rich heritage, dating back to the turn of the century with its most famous resident being A.P. Giannini, the founder of the Bank of Italy and later Bank of America, San Mateo offers a delightful spread of activity for all. The downtown area is studded with delicious restaurants and a variety of retail stores, and also boasts a 12 screen movie theatre and one of the largest wine cellars in the country, at Draeger’s Grocery Store. Shopping abounds at Hillsdale and Bridgepointe as well as the many neighborhood shopping centers.

Perhaps the most well known natural area is Coyote Point, a rock outcropped peninsula that juts into San Francisco Bay and home to a natural history museum, the Peninsula Humane Society, windsurfing, a private marina, and large picnic areas with uplifting vistas. Within walking distance of downtown, Central Park has something for everyone: ride the toy train, pick up a game of tennis, take a serene walk through the Japanese Garden, have a picnic while listening to Thursday evening’s Jazz in the Park, or enjoy the playgrounds.

San Mateo attracts a variety of homeowners, from those seeking their first home in the upcoming neighborhoods of the Village, Parkside, or Shoreview, to those looking for more a little more space in Hillsdale or the Meadows, to larger families seeking the spaciousness offered by San Mateo Park, Baywood, and Aragon.