Hillsborough vs. Woodside (San Mateo, Redwood City, Menlo Park: real estate, homes, school)

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Yes, you are correct... my mother's house off Jefferson Ave. cost about $950K 10 years ago, and she sold it for $1.5M last year. It was a 5-bedroom house with a good-sized backyard (just under 1/2 acre, I think), so you can definitely get something for less than $2M. Hillsborough is a little bit cheaper overall, but has plenty of $10-15M houses among the "less expensive" ones.

I thought Jefferson was all Redwood City? Emerald Hills is great, but it isn't Woodside.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

I thought Jefferson was all Redwood City? Emerald Hills is great, but it isn't Woodside.

Nope, it turns into Woodside at California, where the fire dept. is located... and ironically, that's exactly where she lived! It was definitely Woodside when she bought the house, but I think they re-zoned it as Emerald Hills before she left - which technically isn't even a real town, so her zip code still came up as Woodside. Either way, her WOODSIDE neighbor's houses were selling for the same prices.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Nope, it turns into Woodside at California, where the fire dept. is located... and ironically, that's exactly where she lived! It was definitely Woodside when she bought the house, but I think they re-zoned it as Emerald Hills before she left - which technically isn't even a real town, so her zip code still came up as Woodside. Either way, her WOODSIDE neighbor's houses were selling for the same prices.

Oh sure, that area is all the same ZIP code and just as desirable no matter what you call it. But that area may be considered unincorporated Redwood City now. USPS lists the address for the golf course (938 Wilmington Way) as Emerald Hills, CA 94062.

[hotdogbun]

Buck's does rock--I'll third that recommendation.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

Oh sure, that area is all the same ZIP code and just as desirable no matter what you call it. But that area may be considered unincorporated Redwood City now. USPS lists the address for the golf course (938 Wilmington Way) as Emerald Hills, CA 94062.

Yes, that's a relatively new thing... her zip code (which was 94062) showed up as Woodside for about 6-7 years, before they switched it to Emerald Hills. Very confusing, since they haven't deemed EH a "town" yet!

And to confuse us further, this is now what the USPS says about the zip:

Actual City name in 94062
REDWOOD CITY, CA
Acceptable City names in 94062
EMERALD HILLS, CA
PALOMAR PARK, CA
WOODSIDE, CA

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by herazeus

Is there shopping nearby to these cities? Grocery stores like Whole Foods?

Nearby, yes, but not IN... there's a Whole Foods in San Mateo, which is about 5 miles from Hillsborough, and one in Redwood City (right near Woodside). Even though the towns themselves don't have much, you can find anything you'll need within 5-10 miles.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by herazeus

So are you saying that Hillsborough has no downtown area and Woodside does?

Yes... Hillsborough isn't zoned for commercial use, so there are NO business of any kind - just houses. Woodside does allow commercial properties, so there's a very cute little downtown area. It doesn't have much, but there's Buck's (which we've already recommended), another restaurant, a small market, bakery, gas station, and a few other random businesses.

Here's the famous Buck's:


And the little plaza, where Buck's & the Woodside Bakery are located:

If you live in either of the towns do you ever see your neighbors or are you totally isolated?

It's still a major metropolitan area, so you don't have miles between neighbors! The largest lots have a few acres, but most have around 1-2 MAX, so you can easily see & interact with your neighbors... whether they'll interact with you, I can't say, but they feel neighborly for the most part.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Yes, that's a relatively new thing... her zip code (which was 94062) showed up as Woodside for about 6-7 years, before they switched it to Emerald Hills. Very confusing, since they haven't deemed EH a "town" yet!

And to confuse us further, this is now what the USPS says about the zip:

Actual City name in 94062
REDWOOD CITY, CA
Acceptable City names in 94062
EMERALD HILLS, CA
PALOMAR PARK, CA
WOODSIDE, CA

LOL.. as if that place wasn't already confusing enough.. for anyone not familiar with it, the street layout looks like a rat's nest..

[herazeus]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Yes... Hillsborough isn't zoned for commercial use, so there are NO business of any kind - just houses. Woodside does allow commercial properties, so there's a very cute little downtown area. It doesn't have much, but there's Buck's (which we've already recommended), another restaurant, a small market, bakery, gas station, and a few other random businesses.

It's still a major metropolitan area, so you don't have miles between neighbors! The largest lots have a few acres, but most have around 1-2 MAX, so you can easily see & interact with your neighbors... whether they'll interact with you, I can't say, but they feel neighborly for the most part.

Thanks for the great pictures! It looks really cute and not too crowded, exactly what I'm looking for. Are there restaurants with outdoor patios so I can bring my dogs? Is this a dog friendly area?

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by herazeus

Thanks for the great pictures! It looks really cute and not too crowded, exactly what I'm looking for. Are there restaurants with outdoor patios so I can bring my dogs? Is this a dog friendly area?

Nothing better for dogs than the great outdoors.