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san mateo neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Laurelwood & Sugarloaf, San Mateo Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
San Mateo's southwest hills between West Hillsdale Boulevard, Highway 92 and the Belmont line, wrapped around the city's 218-acre Sugarloaf Mountain Open Space and 7-acre Laurelwood Park.
Laurelwood & Sugarloaf by the numbers
laurelwood & sugarloaf by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Laurelwood & Sugarloaf (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in laurelwood & sugarloaf · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Laurelwood & Sugarloaf
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Laurelwood & Sugarloaf 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 (Laurelwood & Sugarloaf (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Laurelwood & Sugarloaf came to be
Laurelwood is the city's name for the hills between West Hillsdale Boulevard and the Belmont line, and Sugarloaf is the mountain in the middle of them. The City of San Mateo keeps 218 acres of Sugarloaf Mountain as open space, classed as a regional park in its park records, and the summit sits at roughly 585 feet by USGS elevation data, about 550 feet higher than Hillsdale Shopping Center on El Camino Real.
Two homeowners groups split the area on the city's association list. The Laurelwood association names Glendora, Cherrywood, De Anza, Highway 92 and Palos Verdes, and the Sugarloaf association covers the Highway 92 and De Anza Boulevard area, south of Highway 92. Laurel Creek runs through the neighborhood on the city's creek map, and East Laurel Creek Drive follows the east edge.
The houses here are newer, on average, than those in the Hillsdale flats below. Census estimates for the Laurelwood tract put the median home at about 1972, with the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s each contributing roughly a quarter to a third of units, while the Hillsdale tracts next door have medians in the early-to-mid 1950s.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The street names give the pattern away. Cherrywood, Cedarwood, Oakwood, Parkwood, Crestwood, Woodberry, Pinewood, Leafwood and Westwood run off Glendora Drive and Laurelwood Drive, and Shasta Drive, Denali Drive, Overland Drive, Viewridge Drive and Countryside Drive work across the slopes. De Anza Boulevard enters from Highway 92 and runs to the Sugarloaf side, where Sugarloaf Drive, Toyon Court, Broadview Court, Douglas Court and Amy Drive sit. Parkwood Drive (about 100 lots) and De Anza Boulevard (about 90) are the longest streets in county parcel records.
About 600 lots are zoned R1-B single-family, with a middle half of roughly 7,600 to 11,900 square feet by our measurement of county parcel maps, and about 230 more are R1-C. Multifamily zoning (R2 to R4) covers about 230 parcels, concentrated on De Anza Boulevard, Glendora Drive, Denali Drive, Palos Verdes Drive and Amy Drive. Single-family projects go through the city's design review, guided by single-family design guidelines adopted in 2001 and revised in 2006, which a January 2026 city white paper says the zoning update may change.
The slopes show up in the state's maps. Earthquake-induced landslide zones cover roughly 160 lots, including parts of Countryside Drive, Viewridge Drive, Shasta Drive, Cherrywood Drive and Greenoak Court. The city maps the whole area in its fire-retardant roof zone and sends brush-clearing notices for areas around Shasta Drive, Countryside Drive, Greenoak Court and the Kingridge edge.
streets in laurelwood & sugarloaf
- West Hillsdale Boulevard
- Glendora Drive
- Laurelwood Drive
- Cherrywood Drive
- Cedarwood Drive
- Oakwood Drive
- Parkwood Drive
- Crestwood Drive
- Woodberry Avenue
- Palos Verdes Drive
- Overland Drive
- Viewridge Drive
- Shasta Drive
- Denali Drive
- Countryside Drive
- Greenoak Court
- Mulberry Drive
- De Anza Boulevard
- Sugarloaf Drive
- Toyon Court
- Broadview Court
- Douglas Court
- Amy Drive
- Condon Court
- El Sobrante Street
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Laurelwood & Sugarloaf
- park
Sugarloaf Mountain Open Space
218 acres of city open space (city park records) with trails leading in from Laurelwood Park. The city calls the trails strenuous and notes the views from the summit; its trails page also mentions Belmont's Salson Trail and an East Laurel Creek access on the south side.
- park
Laurelwood Park
A 7-acre city park at 3471 Glendora Drive with a playground, restrooms, lawn, and drop-in and reservable picnic areas (city park records); trails start here.
- shopping
West Hillsdale Boulevard shopping center
A neighborhood center with a grocery store sits on the north side of West Hillsdale Boulevard near Campus Drive, just across the boulevard (public maps label it Laurelwood Center); the Crystal Springs center at Polhemus Road and De Anza Boulevard is about 0.8 mile straight-line west.
- landmark
College of San Mateo
The public community college's 153-acre campus with a planetarium sits across Highway 92, about 1 mile straight-line (college history page).
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
The city's Laurelwood area straddles a school-district line. Census maps put about 920 parcels in the San Mateo-Foster City School District and the San Mateo Union High School District, and about 175 parcels on the Sugarloaf side (parts of Parkwood Drive, Toyon Court, Sugarloaf Drive, De Anza Boulevard, Broadview Court and Viewridge Drive) in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District and the Sequoia Union High School District. The closest public schools are just outside: Hillsdale High School and Abbott Middle School to the northeast, and the Belmont-Redwood Shores district's Fox Elementary and Ralston Middle across the Belmont line. Boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
San Mateo Union High guide · Belmont-Redwood Shores guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Highway 92 runs along the west edge, with interchanges at West Hillsdale Boulevard and De Anza Boulevard; the Highway 92/Interstate 280 interchange is about 1.5 miles straight-line.
- Hillsdale Caltrain (50 East 28th Avenue, Zone 2) is about 1.7 miles straight-line; Belmont station is about 2.5 miles.
- West Hillsdale Boulevard runs downhill to El Camino Real and Hillsdale Shopping Center, about 1.5 miles straight-line.
- The College of San Mateo, about 1 mile straight-line across Highway 92, is served by SamTrans Route 250 and the weekday CSM route.
- On the south side the city's trails page notes Belmont's Salson Trail and an East Laurel Creek access toward Belmont's open space.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Laurelwood & Sugarloaf: what we check
Buying here
- Confirm the school districts for the exact address: the Belmont-Redwood Shores / Sequoia Union line runs through the Sugarloaf side on Census maps.
- Ask about slope and soils: CGS earthquake-induced landslide zones cover roughly 160 lots here, so ask for any geotechnical reports and permits for retaining walls and decks.
- Fire: CAL FIRE's 2025 local map shows Moderate zones on about 400 parcels, the city's GIS places the whole area in a fire-retardant (Class A) roof zone, and some blocks get annual brush-clearing notices.
- If the home is in a condominium or townhouse association, read the HOA documents and check current dues.
- FEMA maps the area as Zone X; about 16 lots near Laurel Creek fall in a state liquefaction zone.
Selling here
- State open-space access accurately: which trailhead is closest and how far, straight-line or walking.
- Have permits ready for decks, retaining walls and additions on sloped lots.
- Order the natural hazard disclosure early (fire, landslide, liquefaction).
- Verify the school districts for the address with the districts rather than repeating old listing data.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Laurelwood & Sugarloaf questions, answered
Where is Sugarloaf Mountain?
In the middle of the neighborhood: 218 acres of City of San Mateo open space between Laurelwood Park and the Belmont line, with trails from Laurelwood Park. The summit is roughly 585 feet by USGS elevation data.
Which school districts serve Laurelwood?
Census maps show the San Mateo-Foster City School District and the San Mateo Union High School District for about 920 of its roughly 1,090 parcels, and the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District and the Sequoia Union High School District for about 175 parcels on the Sugarloaf side. Check the exact address with the districts.
Is Laurelwood in the City of San Mateo?
Yes. Unlike the Highlands and Baywood Park across Highway 92, the Laurelwood area is inside the city limits (ZIP 94403), so city planning and permits apply. The Belmont city line is the south edge.
How old are the homes?
Census estimates for the Laurelwood tract put the median year built at about 1972, with sizable shares from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Ask for permit history on any house.
Is Laurelwood in a fire hazard zone?
CAL FIRE's 2025 local map shows Moderate fire hazard zones on about 400 of the area's roughly 1,100 parcels, and the city maps the whole area in a fire-retardant roof zone. Check the disclosure for the exact address.
next door
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