KEY TO THE CITY - USA City Directory Top USA City Resource Guide

Home
US Facts
Footsteps of
History
It Happened Here
Mottos, Slogans
and Nicknames
Noted Notables


San Mateo County

California

Index
Communities
Search
Facts & Information

The Cities and communities of San Mateo County, California *

Atherton

Belmont, Brisbane, Broadmoor, Burlingame

Colma

Daly City, Davenport

East Palo Alto, El Granada

Foster City

Half Moon Bay, Harrison, Hillsborough

La Honda, Loma Mar

Menlo Park, Millbrae, Montara, Moss Beach

Pacifica, Pescadero, Portola Valley, Purissama

Redwood City (County Seat)

San Bruno, San Carlos, San Gregorio, San Mateo, South San Francisco

West Menlo Park, Woodside

*This list of cities may not be complete

If you have information about any of these unlinked communities or have a community not listed at all, please send it to us and we will add a page for that community.

Return to top


Information & Facts about San Mateo County, California

Government

San Mateo County Official Site

The county seat is Redwood City

San Mateo County Clerk
555 County Center, First Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063-1665
Phone: (650) 363-4712
Fax: (650) 363-4843

Links to many county departments and groups

San Mateo County Economic Development Association


Population

1856 - 3,214
1970 - 556,164
1980 - 588,164
1990 - 691,500
1999 - 722,762
2005 - 757,100 (estimate)

Size and Location

San Mateo County is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, the City and County of San Francisco is to the north, San Francisco Bay on the east and Santa Clara County on the South. The Pacific Ocean is on the west.

552 square miles

45 miles of scenic coastline and beaches along Highway 1.

Library

Peninsula Library System

History

The first settlers in the area were the Ohline Indians who lived under the large Oaks of this area. The Spanish came next - explorers, ranchers and padres. There were few or no white settlers until the time of the Gold Rush era. Though no gold was found in the general area, the Gold Rush of the mid 1800's brought new people to the area.

When the city and county of San Francisco was incorporated in 1856, the rest of the land down the peninsula was included in San Mateo County. The county's beginnings were rough due to corrupt politicians who weaseled their way into power through voter fraud. Lucky for the fledgling county, not all of the officials were corrupt. The offenders were tracked down and most left the area suddenly and quietly. A few were caught and tried. One was even hung. Eventually, the entire election results were thrown out in October of 1856. A new, and much more legal, election was held in 1857. Redwood City was named as the "capitol" of San Mateo County that same year.

Many of the rich residents of the San Francisco area built summer homes in the county. As roads and railroads improved, the trips were made much shorter than the full day they originally took to arrive. Some even moved to the county permanently once better roads were established. Others moved "temporarily" after the great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and then decided to just stay put. After World War I had ended, more businesses moved into the peninsula area, bringing with them more jobs and an improved economy.

Schools

San Mateo County Office of Education
101 Twin Dolphin Drive
Redwood City, California 94065
Phone: 650-802-5300

San Mateo County boasts of having the second highest educated population in the nation and has many colleges and universities.

Organizations & Groups

San Mateo Convention & Visitors Bureau

San Mateo County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 5083
San Mateo, California 94402

Better Business Bureau
510 Broadway, Suite 200
Millbrae, CA 94030-1966
Phone: (650) 552-9222
Fax: (650) 652-1748


San Mateo County / Redwood City Chamber of Commerce
1675 Broadway
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: (650) 364-1722
Fax (650) 364-1729


Climate & Weather

The area has what is known as a Mediterranean climate which means it is similar to the climates of Italy and Spain.

A weather page from the Mercury News. This weather page is generated by the University of California.

Attractions, Links and Information

median family income: $55,875
median priced home: $326,500.
Rents for a two bedroom apartment average $994.00 /mo.

State Historical Landmarks

Cemeteries of San Mateo County

Beach list for San Mateo County

San Mateo County Fair and Floral Festival
held each year in August
For event information, call 650-574-3247
For ticket information, call 650-574-0271

CA GenWeb Project page for San Mateo County

Return to top


Search Key to the City
Custom Search
or Search anywhere on the Web
Custom Search

Return to the California Counties page

Return to the California Page

Return to the Key to the City home page

Thanks for visiting Key to the City. We hope you will visit again soon. We'll leave the light on for you!!

This page was last updated on 16 April 2009 at 8:32 pm

This page was created on 1 November 2001