Foster City’s namesake is due to T. Jack Foster, a real estate magnate who owned much of the land comprising the city and who was instrumental in the intitial design. The land originally was Brewer’s Island and was developed over a twenty year period, and previously was the site of dairy farms and the Leslie Salt Company. Foster City is the proud home of Visa International, The Picture People, and the Dummies book series.

In 2008, Foster City was named by Money Magazine as one of the country’s best places to live.