San Mateo County Zip Codes

     Foster City is a hidden gem in the Bay Area. If you’re looking for a bit more space for your family, Foster City is a great place to live. This easy-going, family-friendly city offers residents an urban-suburban feel. Residents praise Foster City for being a safe and family-friendly city with beautiful parks and plenty of community activities.

     Being situated on the Bay and being rated one of the safest cities in California aren't the only pros about Foster City. It's location is perfect for those who want to be close to San Francisco, but prefer a suburban feel. Foster City is also home to many well paying companies and has a great school system.

     Foster City is a planned community created from what was once tidal salt marshes. By 1898 levees turned these salt marshes into Brewers Island, used for cattle grazing and salt ponds. Then in 1958 a developer named Jack Foster had a bright idea — to create a beautiful city out of this barren, marshy island.

     Over a period of 6 years during the early 1960s, Foster had 14 million cubic yards of material pumped in from the bottom of San Francisco Bay to raise the elevation of Brewers Island up from sea level to an average of 4-7 feet. To solve flooding problems on this low-lying land a central lagoon-like drainage basin was placed in the middle of the City. Now, if ever needed for flood protection, lagoon water can be pumped back into the Bay at a rate of up to 250,000 gallons/minute. As a bonus the lagoon greatly enhanced the attractiveness of Foster’s new city.

     Unlike most cities, Foster City is a master planned community. Therefore, provisions were made from the start for plenty of parks with a focus on the maintenance and appearance of both private and public property. The end result is today’s beautiful and liveable city.