With a population just under one hundred thousand, San Mateo is one of the larger cities on the Peninsula. Its largest employers are the local community-college district and school districts.
Like its southern neighbor, Redwood City, San Mateo runs from the Bay shoreline up into the neighboring hills, affording opportunity to purchase homes on the flats or in the hills. San Mateo has a charming downtown centered around Third Street and parking is not as difficult as in neighboring downtown Burlingame.
At one point in time San Mateo had quite a large Italian population and the culture is reflected in older family style homes with many fruit trees and even, on occasion, a small barn!