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san carlos neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Howard Park, San Carlos Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The northern flats of San Carlos, from Brittan Avenue up to San Carlos Avenue between the Alameda and El Camino Real, taking in Burton Park, City Hall and the downtown blocks of Laurel Street.
Howard Park by the numbers
howard park by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Howard Park (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in howard park · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Howard Park
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Howard Park 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 (Howard Park (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Howard Park came to be
Howard Park covers ground the city's history places inside the old Brittan estate, which ran from Cordilleras Creek north to Pulgas Creek; the history puts Pulgas Creek between Arroyo Avenue and Olive Street, right through these blocks. In the 1890s, the history says, a cornerstone was laid on 'Druid's Hill,' near today's Orange and Elizabeth streets, for a country club retreat that was never built. The rise is still there: USGS elevation data puts the Knoll Drive and Elizabeth Street area at about 160 feet, against about 20 to 30 feet along El Camino.
The town grew south from the depot. The city's history says the Spanish-style cottages in the flats south of San Carlos Avenue, on the tree-named streets, reflect the architecture popular in the 1920s, when Arroyo Avenue marked the southern edge of development. Frederick Drake, who took over the San Carlos Park Syndicate in 1917, advertised 'garden homes' in these years, and a 1920s news photo shows one of thirty-six bungalows just finished on Elm Street. In the 1930s a news report announced the sale of a 95-acre tract from the old Brittan estate, lying between Cedar Street, the Alameda, San Carlos Avenue and Brittan Avenue, with surveying for a new subdivision to start that week.
Civic San Carlos landed here too. Voters in the 1930s approved bonds for culverts carrying Elm, Arroyo, Cedar and Chestnut streets over Pulgas Creek, needed to reach the site of the town's new school. Land for Burton Park, the city's first public recreational facility, was bought in 1936; a bond passed in March 1938, the WPA built the amphitheater and adobe brick building that year, and the park was dedicated in 1940 and renamed in 1960 for Edward R. Burton Sr. City Hall is at 600 Elm Street, and the post office has settled at 809 Laurel Street.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The grid tilts with El Camino Real. Laurel, Elm, Walnut, Chestnut and Cedar streets run southeast from San Carlos Avenue to Brittan Avenue, crossed near downtown by Cherry, Olive and School streets and farther south by Arroyo Avenue. West of Cedar the streets bend with the rise toward the Alameda: Knoll Drive, Elizabeth Street, Hemlock Street, Belle Avenue, Tamarack Avenue, Lupin Avenue and Rutherdale Avenue curve over the slope, while Orange and Cordilleras avenues cut across on the diagonal. The Alameda itself sits at roughly 105 to 136 feet.
The east side is the older part. The city's history credits the Spanish-style cottages on the tree-named streets to the 1920s, and period ads sold bungalows on garden lots. The western blocks between Cedar Street and the Alameda were part of the Brittan tract sold for subdivision in the 1930s, so they were built up later. Ages and styles still vary house to house, so check the county's year-built record and the city's permit history rather than going by the street name alone.
The northeast corner is the civic and shopping core of town: Laurel Street's storefronts, City Hall on Elm Street, and the 1888 depot just across El Camino. The city is rebuilding Harrington Park on Laurel Street as a plaza with a restroom building, seating, a rain garden and a grove of trees, the first phase of work under its Downtown Specific Plan and Streetscape Master Plan, with completion expected in early 2027. Pulgas Creek's channel crosses the downtown end of the grid, and FEMA maps a narrow Zone AE strip along it near Elm and Chestnut streets.
streets in howard park
- San Carlos Avenue
- Brittan Avenue
- El Camino Real
- Alameda de las Pulgas
- Laurel Street
- Elm Street
- Walnut Street
- Chestnut Street
- Cedar Street
- Cherry Street
- Olive Street
- School Street
- Arroyo Avenue
- Orange Avenue
- Cordilleras Avenue
- Eucalyptus Avenue
- Birch Avenue
- Hemlock Street
- Elizabeth Street
- Knoll Drive
- Belle Avenue
- Tamarack Avenue
- Lupin Avenue
- Rutherdale Avenue
- Woodland Avenue
- Morse Boulevard
- Baytree Road
- Aster Road
- Mirabel Place
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Howard Park
- park
Burton Park
At 900 Chestnut Street. The city lists it at 10 acres with picnic areas, fields, two playgrounds and sports fields and courts; the WPA-built amphitheater and adobe brick building date from 1938.
- shopping
Laurel Street and Harrington Park
Downtown's storefront street. The city's 0.3-acre Harrington Park on Laurel is under construction as a plaza with completion expected in early 2027, and storefronts stay open during the work.
- park
City Hall Dog Park
A 1.3-acre, fully fenced off-leash area by City Hall with benches, shade and dog agility features, per the city.
- landmark
San Carlos depot
The 1888 Caltrain depot across El Camino at San Carlos Avenue, which the city's history calls a rare example of the Richardson Romanesque style in California railroad station architecture.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Howard Park is in the San Carlos School District for elementary and middle grades and the Sequoia Union High School District for high school; county GIS district layers put every block inside these boundary streets in both. Two public schools are inside the neighborhood: Central Middle School at 828 Chestnut Street and Brittan Acres Elementary at 2000 Belle Avenue. White Oaks Elementary is just south across Brittan Avenue. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
San Carlos School District guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Caltrain: San Carlos station is across El Camino Real from the San Carlos Avenue corner and up to about 1.1 miles straight-line from the far southwest corner; Belmont station is about 1.3 to 2.1 miles straight-line.
- SamTrans route ECR serves San Carlos along El Camino Real, and routes 61 (San Carlos Caltrain to Alameda/Ralston) and 260 (San Carlos Caltrain to Carlmont Village) start at the station.
- US-101: the Holly Street interchange is about 0.5 to 1.6 miles straight-line, and Brittan Avenue also has freeway ramps.
- I-280: the Edgewood Road interchange is about 2.2 to 3.2 miles straight-line to the southwest.
- Downtown Laurel Street, City Hall and Burton Park are all inside the neighborhood, within about half a mile of one another (straight-line).
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Howard Park: what we check
Buying here
- Downtown change: the Downtown Specific Plan and Streetscape Master Plan guide the Laurel Street blocks, and Harrington Park is under construction into early 2027, with construction vehicles using the alley behind Laurel Street from Cherry and Olive streets. If you are buying near Laurel or Elm, read the plan and ask what is proposed nearby.
- Pulgas Creek: FEMA maps a narrow Zone AE strip along the creek channel near Elm and Chestnut streets (panel 06081C0169G, effective April 5, 2019); the blocks checked elsewhere are Zone X. Check the parcel, not just the street.
- 1920s houses: original cottages can carry older wiring, foundations and sewer laterals. Get the inspections and line them up with the city's permit history.
- West-side slope: lots on Knoll Drive, Elizabeth Street, Tamarack and Lupin avenues sit on the rise below the Alameda (roughly 100 to 160 feet). Look at drainage, retaining walls and any grading permits.
- Adding space: the city's SB 9 'urban infill unit' rules apply only in its RS-3 and RS-6 single-family districts, and the city has adopted single-family and mixed-use objective design standards. Check the parcel's zoning on the city's interactive zoning map first, since downtown parcels zone differently.
Selling here
- Lead with measured facts: approximate straight-line distance to the depot, Laurel Street and Burton Park, which is what buyers here compare.
- For a 1920s house, assemble the records: foundation work, electrical upgrades, sewer lateral and any permits for additions.
- Have the FEMA zone ready, especially within a block of Pulgas Creek's channel near Elm and Chestnut streets.
- Near Laurel Street, plan showings around the Harrington Park construction hours (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., per the city) and tell buyers when it is expected to finish.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Howard Park questions, answered
Is downtown San Carlos part of Howard Park?
The Laurel Street blocks south of San Carlos Avenue are inside this guide's lines, along with City Hall on Elm Street. The 500 block of Laurel, with the Museum of San Carlos History, is just north of San Carlos Avenue in North San Carlos.
Which school district serves Howard Park?
San Carlos School District for elementary and middle grades and Sequoia Union High School District for high school, per county and Census district maps. Central Middle School and Brittan Acres Elementary are inside the neighborhood. Confirm the exact address with the district, since attendance boundaries change.
How old are the homes?
The oldest blocks near downtown date to the 1920s, when the city says Spanish-style cottages went up on the tree-named streets. The blocks between Cedar Street and the Alameda were subdivided after a 1930s sale of Brittan estate land. Check the county's year-built record for each house.
Is Howard Park in a flood zone?
Most of it is FEMA Zone X. A narrow Zone AE strip follows Pulgas Creek's channel near Elm and Chestnut streets. Check the FIRM panel for the specific parcel.
How far is Caltrain?
The San Carlos depot is across El Camino Real from the San Carlos Avenue corner; the farthest blocks, by the Alameda and Brittan Avenue, are about 1.1 miles straight-line away.
talk to a property nerd
Thinking about Howard Park? 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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