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san mateo neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
North Central & San Mateo Heights, San Mateo Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The grid between El Camino Real and US 101 from Tilton Avenue north to Burlingame: 1890s San Mateo Heights by El Camino, the 1888 Western Addition, Woodlake, San Mateo High and MLK Park.
North Central & San Mateo Heights by the numbers
north central & san mateo heights by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for North Central & San Mateo Heights (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in north central & san mateo heights · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in North Central & San Mateo Heights
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in North Central & San Mateo Heights 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 (North Central & San Mateo Heights (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How North Central & San Mateo Heights came to be
The grid north of downtown dates to the 1880s. The city's 2026 historic context statement says that in 1888 land north of San Mateo Creek, from the railroad tracks east to Delaware Street and north to Poplar Avenue, was subdivided as the Western Addition, and that another subdivision covered the blocks south of Monte Diablo Avenue east of Eldorado Street. Lots sold slowly at first, and early houses were one- and two-story wood-frame buildings on blocks of Claremont and Delaware Streets; a handful of that era's houses still stand.
San Mateo Heights came next. In 1895 about 62 acres of a former estate east of El Camino Real were subdivided, reaching north of Bellevue Avenue toward State Street and east to North Delaware Street. A First Bay Tradition house on East Santa Inez Avenue, designed by architect Ernest Coxhead around 1893, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it is a private home with no public access. Fire-insurance maps from 1897 and 1901 show houses spreading north along North Ellsworth, Catalpa and Tilton Avenues and San Mateo Drive, and after the 1906 earthquake more modest bungalows and shingled cottages filled in.
The next big change came in 1966, when Woodlake opened just north of San Mateo High School: nearly 1,000 apartments around courtyards and a lake, designed by Wurster Bernardi & Emmons for developer Gerson Bakar. In 1979 tenants were offered the chance to buy their units; 400 of the 990 did, which started the conversion to condominiums. The flood story is newer still: after levee and pump-station work, a FEMA map revision effective October 11, 2024 took about 1,600 addresses in North Central and North Shoreview out of the high-risk flood zone.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
East of the tracks the streets form a tight grid. Avenues such as Tilton, Monte Diablo, Santa Inez, Poplar, Bellevue, Indian and College cross streets that run in alphabetical order: Claremont, Delaware, Eldorado, Fremont, Grant, Humboldt and Idaho, with North Amphlett Boulevard along the freeway. West of the tracks, San Mateo Heights is a slight rise; the city's slope layer even marks moderate slope-failure potential on Turner Terrace, Wisnom Avenue, Highland Avenue and Williams Place. Its streets include North San Mateo Drive, North Ellsworth Avenue, Catalpa Avenue, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, Grand Boulevard, Villa Terrace and State Street.
Single-family houses are a minority of parcels. County assessor fields count about 1,050 houses, about four in five of them one story, with a median build year of 1938 on lots near 5,500 sq ft. Around them are about 450 duplex-to-fourplex buildings and 220 apartment buildings, on streets like Claremont, Idaho, Delaware, Highland and Grant. The city's historic-resources layer flags dozens of individual buildings in San Mateo Heights as listed or eligible locally, plus a 1891 house on North Claremont Street that is on the National Register (private home).
Condominiums account for about 1,700 parcels. Woodlake, on Peninsula Avenue, North Humboldt Street and North Delaware Street, has about 990 of them; the rest are smaller buildings from the 1960s through the 1990s, many on Peninsula Avenue, North Delaware Street, Elm Street and El Camino Real. Zoning is mostly R3 to R5 multifamily, with R2 and R1-C single-family blocks and office and commercial districts along El Camino.
streets in north central & san mateo heights
- North San Mateo Drive
- North Ellsworth Avenue
- Catalpa Avenue
- Elm Street
- Highland Avenue
- Grand Boulevard
- Villa Terrace
- State Street
- Turner Terrace
- Tilton Avenue
- Monte Diablo Avenue
- East Santa Inez Avenue
- East Poplar Avenue
- East Bellevue Avenue
- Indian Avenue
- College Avenue
- North Claremont Street
- North Delaware Street
- North Eldorado Street
- North Fremont Street
- North Grant Street
- North Humboldt Street
- North Idaho Street
- North Amphlett Boulevard
- Peninsula Avenue
- Woodside Way
- El Camino Real
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near North Central & San Mateo Heights
- park
Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Community Center
A 6.1-acre city park and center at 725 Monte Diablo Avenue with a baseball diamond, basketball court, soccer field, playground, picnic areas and two swimming pools; the community center building dates to about 1965.
- landmark
Woodlake
The 1966 courtyard complex on Peninsula Avenue, built around a lake and designed by Wurster Bernardi & Emmons; now about 990 condominium units.
- landmark
San Mateo High School
The public high school at 506 North Delaware Street, next to the San Mateo Union High School District office at 650 North Delaware.
- park
Coyote Point Recreation Area
The county park east of US 101 at 1701 Coyote Point Drive, with a beach promenade, marina views and the Magic Mountain Playground, is about 1.2 miles straight-line from the middle of North Central; there is a vehicle entry fee.
- shopping
Downtown San Mateo
The B Street and 3rd and 4th Avenue blocks start just south of Tilton Avenue, about 0.8 mile straight-line from the middle of the area.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
Census school-district maps put every address in this area in the San Mateo-Foster City School District and the San Mateo Union High School District. Two public schools sit inside it: San Mateo High School at 506 North Delaware Street and Fiesta Gardens International School at 715 Indian Avenue, a district school whose campus is here even though its name points south. North Shoreview Montessori is just across US 101 on Cypress Avenue. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with each district.
San Mateo Union High guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- San Mateo Caltrain station (385 First Avenue, Zone 2) is about 0.6 mile straight-line from the middle of the area; Burlingame station (290 California Drive, Zone 2) is about 0.9 mile.
- SamTrans ECR (Daly City BART to Palo Alto Transit Center) and Routes 250 and 292 connect at San Mateo station.
- US 101 runs along the east edge, with ramps at Poplar Avenue about half a mile from the middle.
- El Camino Real is the west edge; Peninsula Avenue and Poplar Avenue are the main east-west streets.
- Downtown, Central Park and the San Mateo station are all within roughly a mile straight-line of the middle of the area.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in North Central & San Mateo Heights: what we check
Buying here
- Flood status changed recently. FEMA's map revision effective October 11, 2024 (case 23-09-1024P) moved about 1,600 North Central and North Shoreview addresses out of the high-risk zone. Today FEMA's map shows the city addresses here in Zone X: some in the 0.2-percent-annual-chance zone (shaded X), and a strip near US 101 on Idaho, Humboldt and Amphlett marked 'reduced flood risk due to levee.' Outside the high-risk zone the federal insurance requirement does not apply, but a flood policy is still available and worth pricing.
- The city's GIS maps liquefaction potential across much of North Central, and San Mateo Heights has some moderate slope-failure mapping; ask about soils before foundation work or a basement.
- Many buildings predate 1940: check for original wiring, older foundations and the sewer lateral, and ask for permits on converted units.
- Two-to-four-unit buildings are common here. Confirm the legal unit count with the city, and check rent and tenant rules with the city before buying a building with tenants.
- The city adopted a new historic preservation ordinance in May 2026, and its historic-resources layer flags dozens of buildings in San Mateo Heights; ask planning whether a property is listed or eligible before planning exterior changes.
Selling here
- Show the post-2024 FEMA zone for the address and any elevation certificate or insurance history; buyers remember the old map.
- For duplexes and small apartment buildings, have rent rolls, permits for every unit and any city inspection records ready.
- Woodlake and other condominiums: pull HOA documents, reserve study and any assessments early, and check current dues.
- Older San Mateo Heights houses: document original features and any listing or eligibility status from the city.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
North Central & San Mateo Heights questions, answered
Is North Central still in a flood zone?
Mostly not in the high-risk zone. FEMA's October 11, 2024 map revision took about 1,600 North Central and North Shoreview addresses out of the special flood hazard area after levee and pump-station work. Check the current FEMA map for the specific address.
Where is San Mateo Heights?
The strip between El Camino Real and the Caltrain tracks north of Tilton Avenue, on a slight rise. It was subdivided in 1895, and many of its houses date from the 1890s to the 1920s.
What is Woodlake?
A 1966 complex of about 990 units around courtyards and a lake on Peninsula Avenue, designed by Wurster Bernardi & Emmons. Units were offered for sale to tenants in 1979, and it is now condominiums.
Which schools are in North Central?
San Mateo High School (San Mateo Union High School District) and Fiesta Gardens International School (San Mateo-Foster City School District) are inside the area. Check attendance for the exact address with the districts.
How far is the train?
San Mateo Caltrain station is about 0.6 mile straight-line from the middle of the area, and Burlingame station is about 0.9 mile.
next door
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