ZIP Code 94401

San Mateo ((listen) SAN m-TAY-oh; Spanish for 'Saint Matthew') is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster City to the east and Belmont to the south. The population was 105,661 at the 2020 census. The city has a Mediterranean climate and is known for its rich history. Some of the biggest economic drivers for the city include technology, health care and education. The Ramaytush people lived in the land, prior to its becoming the city of San Matea. In 1789, the Spanish missionaries had named a Native American village along Laurel Creek as Los Laureles or the Laurels (Mission Dolores, 1789). At the time of Mexican Independence, 30 native Californians were at San Matee, most likely from the Salson tribelet. In the early 20th century, Japanese immigrants came to San Matei to work in the salt ponds and flower industry. The Japanese continue to be a major cultural influence for the region and a draw for the rest of the population today, though they only account for 2.2% of the city's population. In 1858, Sun Water Station, a stage station of the Butterfield Overland Mail route, was established. It was located 9 miles (14 km), south of Clarks Station in what is now San Bruno and 9 miles north of the next station at Redwood City.

History

The Ramaytush people lived in the land, prior to its becoming the city of San Mateo. In 1789, the Spanish missionaries had named a Native American village along Laurel Creek as Los Laureles or the Laurels (Mission Dolores, 1789). At the time of Mexican Independence, 30 native Californians were at San Mateos. The city was documented by Spanish colonists as part of the Rancho de las Pulgas (literally "Ranch of the Fleas") in 1856. Around the 1850s, some San Franciscans began building summer homes in the mid-Peninsula, because of the milder climate. The Howard Estate was built in 1859 on the hill accessed by Crystal Springs Road. The Parrott Estate was erected in 1860 in the same area, giving rise to two conflicting names for the hill, Howard Hill and Parrot Hill. After use of the automobile changed traffic patterns, neither historic name was commonly applied to that hill. The Borel Estate was developed near Borel Creek in 1874. It has been redeveloped since the late 20th century for use as modern offices and shops. The Eugene J. Deahouse and Japanese Teahouse was established in 1894 at 70 Sabla Road, designed by Makoto Hagiwara, designer of the Japanese garden in Golden Gate Park. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. In December 1967, Sgt. Joe Sgt. 1st Battalion, Alpha Regiment, 327th Infantry Company, served in Vietnam with the Alpha Battalion.

Geography

The best-known natural area is Coyote Point Park, a rock outcropped peninsula that juts out into the San Francisco Bay. Sugarloaf Mountain, whose name has been documented in 1870, is a prominent landform between the forks of Laurel Creek. One endangered species, the California clapper rail, was sighted feeding on mudflats by the Third Avenue bridge in San Mateo. The marsh areas are also likely habitat for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, which inhabits the middle and high zones of salt and brackish marshes. The animal care facility for the Peninsula Humane Society is also situated at Coyote point, where the adoption facility is located in Burlingame, CA. In the late 20th century, this mixed oak woodland and chaparral habitat was a site of controversy related to proposals to develop a portion of the mountain for residential use. It has been preserved for use as park and open space area, and is home to the endangered mission blue butterfly. The Crystal Springs Reservoir Trail is another popular destination for joggers, pedestrians, and bikers. This roughly 6-mile (9.7 km) trail stretches north toward Hillsborough and San Bruno, parallel to the 280 freeway. The city is located at 37°3315N 122°1847W (37.554286, 122.313044). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.9 square miles (41 km²).

Climate

San Mateo has a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild, damp winters. The city is generally shielded from the Pacific Ocean by the Montara Mountain block of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Two gaps in the mountains can channel ocean weather, resulting in gusty afternoon winds that bring fog toward San Mateo in the late afternoon through early morning in the summer. Annual precipitation averaged 18.77 inches (477 mm) of rainfall, falling on an average of 60 days each year. The record maximum temperature was 109 °F (43 °C) on June 14, 1961, and the record minimum temperature was 25 °F on January 5, 1949, and December 9, 1972. The most precipitation in one month was 12.59 inches (320 mm) in December 1955 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.72 inches (94 mm) on December 23, 1955. In recent years, daily temperature reports have been published in the San Matea Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. The wettest year was 29.7 inches (756 mm) in 1973 and the driest year in 1953 was 11.16 inches (283 mm) . The average temperature for September is 78.0°F (25.6°C) and the average minimum is 54.2°F  (12.3 °C). The average annual precipitation is almost the same at the airport and in San Matei as it is at San Francisco International Airport. It is generally a few degrees warmer in summer than the airport, and a few°F cooler in winter.

Demographics

The 2010 United States Census reported that San Mateo had a population of 97,207. The racial makeup of the city was 56,214 (46.8%) White, 2,296 (2.4%) African American, 505 (0.5%) Native American, 18,384 (18.9%) Asian (7.9% Chinese), 12,264 (12.6%) from other races, and 5,546 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 25,815 persons (26.6%); 14.4% of the population is Mexican, 2.8% Guatemalan, 2.6% Salvadoran, 1.2% Peruvian, 0.5% Puerto Rican, 0.3% Colombian, 0.,2% Honduran, and 0.2%, Cuban. The median income for a household in the city is $86,772, and the median income. for a family is $107,023. The per capita income for the city in 2010 was $25,248. About 6.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9%. of those over age 65 or over were below the poverty line, including 6.9 per cent of those age 18 or over. The city has a population density of 8,013.8 inhabitants per square mile (3,094.1/km²) There were 40,014 housing units at an average density of 3,298.8 per squaremile (1,273.7/ km²), of which 19,969 (52.2%) were owner-occupied, and 18,264(47.8) were occupied by renters.

Government

San Mateo is structured as a councilmanager form of government. The City Council has five members elected every two years to staggered four-year terms. In 2022, the city began the process of switching from at-large elections to district elections. San Mateo has 54,946 registered voters. Of those, 27,502 are registered Democrats, 8,504 are registered Republicans, and 16,772 have declined to state a political party. The city is in California's 14th congressional district, represented by Democrat Jackie Speier. In the California State Legislature, San Matea is in the 13th Senate District, and in the 22nd Assembly District, representedby Democrats Josh Becker and Kevin Mullin. It is also in the U.S. House of Representatives's 14th district, which is represented by Democrats Jackie Speier and Tom McClintock. It has a population of 54,000, according to the California Secretary of State, and is located in the Central Coast region of the San Francisco Bay Area, near San Francisco and the San Diego area of California. It was founded as a city in 1836. It became a county town in 1838. It received its first city charter in 1849. In 1851, it was incorporated as a separate city. The current city council is made up of five members, with five members serving staggered four year terms. It also has a mayor and a city manager. The mayor and city manager are elected for a four year term, and the city manager serves a two-year term.

Cityscape

San Mateo has one of the larger, better-developed suburban downtowns in the San Francisco Bay Area. The downtown core contains over 800 shops and restaurants, many located in historic buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Central Park is considered to be San Mateo's signature park with a baseball field, tennis courts, sculptures, picnic areas, playground, Japanese tea garden, recreation center, miniature train and rose garden. Hillsdale Shopping Center is a mall with over 120 stores in the mall itself and surrounded by many big box stores. The Bay Meadows neighborhood is an 83-acre (34 ha) mixed-use transit-oriented development on the site of the former Bay Meadows Racetrack, a horse racing venue that closed in 2008. The construction of a new food court and the outdoor North Block Plaza expanded the mall in 2019. The city aims to conduct the project in two phases: First, by installing retractable bollards and updating traffic signals and signage, then by raising the level of the street to be flush with sidewalk and reimagining its landscaping. New entertainment additions include luxury movie theater Cinépolis and a Pinstripes bowling alley off El Camino Real. The Hillsdale Caltrain station is located across the street from the city's Central Park. The area includes hundreds of new residential units, office space, retail space and parks and a town square. Ground broke in 2012 and construction on various projects continues as of 2021.

Economy

The economy of San Mateo is considered very diverse with jobs in the technology, health care, financial services, government, and retail trade fields. Current and former companies based in the city include Sony Interactive Entertainment, NetSuite, Franklin Templeton Investments, Fisher Investments, Solstice, Guidewire Software, Coupa, Snowflake Inc., Roblox Corporation, Marketo, SurveyMonkey, Devsisters USA, and GoPro. In February 2018, the medianSan Mateo home was valued at $1,463,900, and the median rent was ranked ninth in the entire nation, at $2,242 per month. Since 1990, the city has had a voter-approved ordinance limiting the height of new development to 55 feet (17 m). In the mid-2000s, the second stories of downtown San Matea buildings became a hub for startup companies, including Robl Rox, GoPro and YouTube. The city's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in theCity are:According to the city's 2011 Annual Comprehensive financial Report,  the city's top employers are: Fisher Investments, FranklinTempleton Investments and Solstice. The median San Matee home is valued at $1,465,000. The San Matei housing market is one of the most expensive in the country. The average home in the City of San Mateo is worth $1.4 million. The City of San Matao has a population of 1.2 million.

Education

The city is home to the College of San Mateo, a community college. The city is also home to Notre Dame de Namur University, a private Catholic university of 2,000 students. The San Francisco Bay can be seen from the city's western foothills, which offer a panoramic view of the city and the bay. There are three public high schools and three private high schools in the city. There is also a private, PreK-8 school: Saint Matthew's Episcopal Day School. Residents are zoned for schools in San Matei Foster City School District and San Matea Union High School District. The school district also hosts an adult school behind the high school campus. The City of San Francisco is the home of the San Francisco Giants football team, which is based in San Francisco. The Giants are one of the most successful teams in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl in 2010 and the World Series in 2010. The Golden Gate Bridge, which runs through the city, was built in the 1960s and 1970s. It is one of only a handful of cities in the U.S. that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was named after San Francisco's first mayor, George W. Bush, who served as mayor from 1969 to 1974. The current mayor, Ed Lee, was elected in 2008 and served until 2011. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2013, and is now running for re-election in 2014. The mayor is also the mayor of San Jose, California, where the city is located.

Public libraries

The Main Library, the Hillsdale Library, and the Marina Library are all part of the Peninsula Library System. The Main Library located near Central Park in downtown San Mateo opened in 2006 after residents passed a $30 million bond measure. Upon opening, the three-story, 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m2) building earned numerous design awards and was LEED-certified NC Gold. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide abundant natural light. The technologically advanced building is modeled after a retail bookstore. The Hillsdale and Marina libraries are located in the city's downtown area. The Peninsula Library system is part of California's Department of Public Library and is based in San Francisco. It is the largest public library system in the state, with more than 1,000,000 visitors a year, according to the California Department of Library and Information Services (CLIS) The Peninsula library system was established in 1973 and covers the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and Santa Cruz. It was the first public library in the United States to be built in the mid-20th century. The library system has been in operation since the 1950s and is now the second largest in the U.S. after the University of California, San Francisco and the City of Los Angeles. It has three branches: the Main, Hillsdale, and Marina Libraries. It also offers free Wi-Fi access to the public at all of its libraries.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in San Mateo, San Mateo County, California = 81.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 45. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 80. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in San Mateo = 4.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 105,661 individuals with a median age of 41.1 age the population grows by 1.06% in San Mateo, San Mateo County, California population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 8,711 residents per square mile of area (3,363/km²). There are average 2.49 people per household in the 37,037 households with an average household income of $76,670 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.30% of the available work force and has dropped -5.75% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.20%. The number of physicians in San Mateo per 100,000 population = 312.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in San Mateo = 18.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 59. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 265. 77 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 41.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 64, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in San Mateo, San Mateo County, California which are owned by the occupant = 51.52%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 48 years with median home cost = $678,150 and home appreciation of -6.32%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.34 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,542 per student. There are 21 students for each teacher in the school, 2385 students for each Librarian and 865 students for each Counselor. 6.98% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 25.25% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 12.69% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).