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.

History

Early San Mateo was a place of large estates and boldface names familiar to anyone who’s driven the town’s streets. Parrott, Hayward, Borel—these were the wealthy pioneers who sowed the seeds that eventually grew into today’s modern city of 100,000 residents. San Mateo was borne from their needs and later from their subdivided land, all around a stagecoach stop established in 1849 by Nicolas de Peyster on former Ohlone tribal land.