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belmont neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Central Belmont, Belmont Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The hills north of Ralston Avenue between the Alameda and Old County Road: 1920s country-club lots, postwar streets, condos near El Camino Real and the Belmont Caltrain station.
Central Belmont by the numbers
central belmont by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Central Belmont (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in central belmont · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Central Belmont
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Central Belmont from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Central Belmont (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Central Belmont came to be
Central Belmont is where the town's 1920s plans show through. In 1925 the Belle Monti Country Club opened with a nine-hole golf course as the centerpiece of Country Club Estates, a subdivision meant to sell hillside lots along the Alameda (a local history column). Belmont itself incorporated the next year, in 1926. The clubhouse building still stands on the Alameda as a private building with no public access; during World War II it served as an officers' club. A small kiosk on the Alameda handed out brochures for the estates; the city's facilities map still lists a kiosk across the street at 790 Alameda de las Pulgas.
The golf course did not last, and the hills filled in slowly. County assessor records count about 160 houses here from the 1920s and 1930s, many on Notre Dame Avenue, Mezes Avenue, Oak Knoll Drive and Belle Monti Avenue. Then came the postwar run: roughly 1,060 of the area's single-family houses were built in the 1940s and 1950s, including a tight cluster near the Alameda where nearly every house on Robin Whipple Way dates from 1946 to 1948. A couple of blocks from the old clubhouse there is, fittingly, a Fairway Drive.
The south side holds a state landmark. Ralston Hall stands on the Notre Dame de Namur University campus. The state lists it as California Historical Landmark No. 856, and the house has been on the National Register since 1966. The campus is its own area on the city's map and is private property, so it is not part of this guide. The railroad is older than most of the houses, too: Belmont's first train station opened in 1867, and today's Caltrain station sits inside the area's east edge.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
West of El Camino Real the streets climb and curl. Notre Dame Avenue and Hillman Avenue run across the slope, North Road, Middle Road and South Road step up from El Camino, and Oak Knoll Drive coils around its own hilltop like a snail shell. Near the Alameda the blocks tighten into a short grid: Academy Avenue, Alden Street, Villa Avenue, Robin Whipple Way and Belburn Drive. Several short streets are private by the city's street data, including Edgewood Place, Loma Vista Lane, Ross Woods, Willow Lane, Notre Dame Place, Folger Court, North Court, Barbara Lane and a piece of Kingston Road.
Most houses are modest in footprint: the assessor's median is about 1,760 sq ft, and about 70 percent of single-family parcels are one story. Older streets mix mid-1920s houses with 1950s ranches and recent rebuilds; College View Way (1968-1991), Cobblestone Lane and Antique Forest Lane (both 1979) and Edgewood Place (2003-2004) are later infill. Toward El Camino the mix changes: Davey Glen Road has a large condominium community (about 240 condo parcels built from 1965 to 1980), Irene Court, Hill Street and Gordon Avenue have apartments and duplexes, and a 2019 building on El Camino Real added about 110 condominium units.
It is hillier than it looks from El Camino. The city's parcel-slope estimates put the median R-1B lot here at about a 22 percent average slope, and a bit more than a quarter of those lots average 30 percent or more; the R-1C blocks near the Alameda are gentler, at about 11 percent. Along El Camino Real and around the station the city's zoning switches to mixed-use districts named Village Core, Village Corridor Mixed Use and Corridor Mixed Use, so expect taller buildings there over time than on the hill streets.
streets in central belmont
- Notre Dame Avenue
- Hillman Avenue
- North Road
- Middle Road
- South Road
- Oak Knoll Drive
- Pine Knoll Drive
- Mezes Avenue
- Belle Monti Avenue
- Winding Way
- Terrace Drive
- Valley View Drive
- Arbor Avenue
- Fairway Drive
- Lyon Avenue
- Monroe Avenue
- Bayview Avenue
- Academy Avenue
- Alden Street
- Robin Whipple Way
- Belburn Drive
- Holly Road
- Miramar Terrace
- Davey Glen Road
- El Camino Real
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Central Belmont
- park
Barrett Park and the Barrett center
City-owned classrooms at 1835 Belburn Drive sit beside Barrett Park, which has a playground, and the Belmont Community Garden is next door (city facilities data, public maps).
- park
Davey Glen Park
A small park with a playground off Davey Glen Road near the condominium blocks (public maps).
- park
Patricia Wharton Park and College View Mini Park
Two small City of Belmont parks on the hill streets: Patricia Wharton on Notre Dame Avenue, College View off College View Way (public maps).
- shopping
El Camino Real and Ralston Avenue
Belmont Plaza near the San Mateo line and Ralston Plaza at Ralston and El Camino hold groceries and services, with a hardware store at 940 El Camino Real. More shops and a bank line Ralston Avenue just east of the Alameda, across from the Carlmont Village center.
- landmark
Belmont Caltrain station
Zone 2 station at 995 El Camino Real with about 375 parking spaces, 18 bike racks, on-demand BikeLink lockers and an elevator (Caltrain).
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Central Belmont is in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District for TK-8 and the Sequoia Union High School District for high school. Central Elementary School is inside the area at 525 Middle Road. The elementary district does not draw neighborhood attendance zones; it assigns students by walking distance to the closest school that has room, so the nearest campus is not guaranteed. Attendance rules and boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
Belmont-Redwood Shores guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Belmont Caltrain (995 El Camino Real, Zone 2) is inside the area, about 0.7 mile straight-line from the middle; Hillsdale station in San Mateo is about 1.5 miles straight-line.
- SamTrans ECR runs on El Camino Real; SamTrans also lists routes 260 (San Carlos Caltrain to Carlmont Village) and 295 (Hillsdale to Redwood City) as serving Belmont, so check stops near your street.
- US 101 is reached by Ralston Avenue, about 1 mile straight-line from the middle of the area.
- Highway 92 and I-280 are west via Ralston Avenue; Highway 92 is about 2.2 miles straight-line from the middle.
- Ralston Avenue carries a city-mapped bike route along the south edge (city trail data); the hill streets are steep, so plan for climbs.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Central Belmont: what we check
Buying here
- Check the slope and what holds it: the city publishes an estimated average slope for each parcel, and more than half of the R-1B lots here average 18 percent or steeper. Ask about drainage, retaining walls and foundation work, and ask the planning division what design and geotechnical review an addition would need.
- USGS landslide mapping in the city's hazard viewer marks landslide deposits under a few pockets, including parts of Middle Road and Winding Way. Ask the seller for any geotechnical or soils reports.
- Several short streets are private (Edgewood Place, Loma Vista Lane, Ross Woods, Willow Lane, Notre Dame Place, Folger Court, North Court, Barbara Lane, part of Kingston Road). Ask who maintains the road and whether there is a recorded agreement or HOA.
- For condos on Davey Glen Road or El Camino Real, read the HOA documents, reserve study and rules, and check current dues and any special assessments.
- Many houses date from the 1940s and 1950s: check the electrical panel, original plumbing, the sewer lateral (the city maps lateral connections) and permits for past additions. The state's 2025 fire map leaves Central unzoned, but the natural hazard disclosure report still matters.
Selling here
- Pull permit records for additions and second stories before listing; buyers on hill streets will ask.
- Have drainage, retaining-wall and any geotechnical reports ready, especially on the steeper R-1B and R-1A lots.
- If the house dates from the 1920s or 1930s, document original features and later updates; the Country Club Estates story is part of the appeal.
- Condo sellers should order HOA documents early so buyers can review budgets and rules within the contract period.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Central Belmont questions, answered
Where are the edges of Central Belmont?
The city's neighborhood map puts it north of Ralston Avenue between Alameda de las Pulgas and Old County Road, up to the San Mateo city line. The Notre Dame de Namur campus on its south side is a separate area on the map.
How old are the houses?
County assessor records give a median year built of about 1954. About 160 houses date from the 1920s and 1930s, roughly 1,060 from the 1940s and 1950s, and about 70 have been built since 2000.
What was the Belle Monti Country Club?
A 1925 country club with a nine-hole golf course, built as the centerpiece of the Country Club Estates subdivision. The course is gone, but the clubhouse still stands on the Alameda as a private building.
Which schools serve Central Belmont?
Belmont-Redwood Shores School District for TK-8 and Sequoia Union High School District. Central Elementary is inside the area at 525 Middle Road, but the district assigns students to the closest school with room, so check the address with the district.
Is Central Belmont in a fire hazard zone?
The state's February 2025 local fire hazard map leaves this part of Belmont unzoned, and the city's own hazard layer does not shade it either. Check the natural hazard disclosure for the specific property.
How far is Caltrain?
The Belmont station is inside the neighborhood at 995 El Camino Real, about 0.7 mile straight-line from the middle of the area. Expect hills on the walk back up.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Central Belmont? Let's run your numbers.
Eric, Janelle and the Boyenga Team have sold more than 2,520 Silicon Valley homes, $2.6+ billion in all, since 1996. Get a value, a plan, or a straight answer about a street.
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