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san carlos neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
North San Carlos Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Everything north of San Carlos Avenue up to the Belmont line, from the first Laurel Street blocks by El Camino up through the Hillcrest Road hills, with Arguello Park, Arundel Elementary and Tierra Linda.
North San Carlos by the numbers
north san carlos by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for North San Carlos (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in north san carlos · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in North San Carlos
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in North San Carlos 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 San Carlos (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How North San Carlos came to be
North San Carlos holds the town's early sales pitch. The city's history says the San Carlos Park Syndicate launched an elaborate campaign in 1907 to sell San Carlos as a second Hillsborough. A 1910s news report on the Syndicate's San Carlos Park describes the first finished house on a hillside lot laid out for views across the Peninsula, a 'manorial gateway' leading to the upper park, and a planned half mile of parkway, with triple drives between rows of trees, from the station to the main entrance. Cypress Avenue, as the city says San Carlos Avenue was then called, ran up from the depot. Listing records still file the hillside grid around Hillcrest Road, Palm Avenue, Spring Valley Way and Highland Avenue under 'San Carlos Park Syndicate.'
Frederick Drake took over the Syndicate in 1917. The city's history says he improved the water supply and piped water to the lots, installed gas and electricity and paved the streets. Town life gathered on the first blocks of Laurel Street: volunteer firemen built a firehouse at 533 Laurel in 1923, which later served as City Hall and now houses the Museum of San Carlos History, and the phone company put up a building in the 500 block in 1926.
The parks came after World War II. A 1940s news report describes the mayor's plan to develop Arguello Park in a wooded ravine the city had acquired for a nominal sum, then put at 12 to 15 acres, and mentions a newly dedicated small circle on the hill at Hillcrest. The city now lists Arguello Park at 21 acres and Hillcrest Circle Park at 0.2 acre. A 1950s report says Tierra Linda School, on Dartmouth Avenue near the Belmont line, was built in 1951.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
The area has two halves. The east half is flat: Laurel, Elm, Chestnut and Cedar streets continue north from San Carlos Avenue toward the Belmont line, crossed by Holly Street, Magnolia Avenue and short streets such as Fir, Oak, Bush, Glenwood, Vine and Spring. USGS elevation data puts El Camino at San Carlos Avenue at about 30 feet. Laurel Street's 100 to 500 blocks are here, including the museum block just north of San Carlos Avenue.
The west half climbs. Hillcrest Road loops through the hills off Arundel Road, with Phelps Road, Palm Avenue, Spring Valley Way, Highland Avenue, Madrona Street, Manzanita Avenue, Sycamore Street, Vista Avenue and Valley Road around it; Hillcrest Circle sits at about 220 feet and the western end of Hillcrest Road near 370 feet. Hull Drive climbs from El Camino, and above it Ensenada Road, Garden Lane, Dartmouth Avenue and Buckland Avenue reach roughly 430 to 550 feet. Wellington Drive, Wessex Way, Clifton Avenue, Northam Avenue, Exbourne Avenue and Shelford Avenue fill the northwest corner by the Belmont line. Regional geologic maps show bedrock under the hills and alluvial fan under the flats.
House ages run from the Syndicate and Drake years to much later hillside building, so era is an address-by-address question; the county's year-built record and the city's permit history are the facts to pull. Listing records add their own names: 'Garden Terraces' for the Hull, Buckland, Ensenada and Dartmouth streets, 'San Carlos Park Syndicate' for the Hillcrest grid, and 'Devonshire' for some northwest streets such as Wellington Drive and Northam Avenue.
streets in north san carlos
- San Carlos Avenue
- El Camino Real
- Laurel Street
- Elm Street
- Chestnut Street
- Cedar Street
- Holly Street
- Magnolia Avenue
- Hillcrest Road
- Arundel Road
- Phelps Road
- Palm Avenue
- Spring Valley Way
- Highland Avenue
- Madrona Street
- Manzanita Avenue
- Sycamore Street
- Vista Avenue
- Upland Avenue
- Valley Road
- Hull Drive
- Buckland Avenue
- Ensenada Road
- Garden Lane
- Dartmouth Avenue
- Wellington Drive
- Wessex Way
- Clifton Avenue
- Kenton Avenue
- Sheldon Avenue
- Northam Avenue
- Exbourne Avenue
- Shelford Avenue
- Barford Avenue
- Lyndhurst Avenue
- Acacia Court
- Vine Street
- Fir Street
- Oak Street
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near North San Carlos
- park
Arguello Park
The city lists it at 21 acres with open space, picnic areas, a playground, a baseball diamond and walking paths, in the wooded ravine the city acquired in the 1940s.
- park
Cedar Street Neighborhood Park
A 0.66-acre park near the Belmont line with a playground, grass and turf areas and shaded benches, per the city.
- park
Hillcrest Circle Park
A 0.2-acre circle on Hillcrest Road with a playground, a basketball court and picnic tables; a 1940s news report already mentions the small circle on the hill at Hillcrest.
- landmark
Museum of San Carlos History
At 533 Laurel Street in the firehouse volunteer firemen built in 1923, which later served as City Hall. The museum lists Saturday hours of 1 to 4 p.m. and closes in December.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
North San Carlos is in the San Carlos School District for elementary and middle grades and the Sequoia Union High School District for high school. The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District line runs close to the Belmont city line, and county GIS shows parts of Hartford Avenue, Shelford Avenue and the El Camino Real blocks at the city line on the Belmont-Redwood Shores side, so addresses at the north edge need a check. Public schools inside: Arundel Elementary at 200 Arundel Road and Tierra Linda Middle School at 750 Dartmouth Avenue, an address the county school list also gives for San Carlos Charter Learning Center. Carlmont High School (Sequoia Union HSD) is just across the Belmont line at 1400 Alameda de las Pulgas. Attendance boundaries change, so check the exact address with the district.
San Carlos School District guide · Belmont-Redwood Shores guide · Sequoia Union guide · Silicon Valley school districts
Getting around
- Caltrain: San Carlos station is at El Camino Real and San Carlos Avenue, the area's southeast corner, and up to about 1.5 miles straight-line from the western hills; Belmont station is about 0.6 to 1.4 miles straight-line.
- SamTrans route ECR serves El Camino Real, and routes 61 (San Carlos Caltrain to Alameda/Ralston) and 260 (San Carlos Caltrain to Carlmont Village) start at the San Carlos station.
- US-101: the Holly Street interchange is about 0.5 to 1.7 miles straight-line; Holly Street runs from Elm Street across El Camino to the freeway.
- I-280: the Edgewood Road interchange is about 2.5 to 3.4 miles straight-line to the south.
- San Carlos Avenue is the main climb from El Camino to the Alameda, rising from about 30 feet to over 100 feet at the Alameda bend.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in North San Carlos: what we check
Buying here
- Hillside lots: the ground rises from about 30 feet at El Camino to roughly 550 feet along Buckland Avenue (USGS point elevations). Ask for geotechnical and drainage reports, look at retaining walls and driveway grades, and check permits for any grading.
- School district edge: county GIS puts parts of Hartford Avenue, Shelford Avenue and the El Camino blocks at the Belmont line in the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District. Confirm the district for any address near the city line.
- City edge: the lowest street numbers on Laurel, Chestnut and Cedar streets and on El Camino Real are Belmont addresses in county street records. Check that a listing is actually in San Carlos before relying on San Carlos rules or services.
- Fire and flood: the state's 2025 local-area fire hazard map (county GIS copy) shows these blocks as non-wildland, and FEMA shows Zone X at the points checked (panel 06081C0169G, 2019). Still read the natural hazard disclosure for the specific parcel.
- Adding space: SB 9 'urban infill units' apply only in the city's RS-3 and RS-6 single-family districts, and the city has adopted single-family objective design standards; on a slope, setbacks, height and grading can shape what fits. Check zoning on the city's interactive zoning map.
Selling here
- Give buyers measured facts instead of adjectives: approximate elevation, straight-line distance to the depot, Belmont station and Arguello Park.
- On a hillside lot, have the geotechnical, drainage and retaining-wall paperwork ready; it answers the first questions buyers' inspectors ask.
- If the house is near the Belmont line, state the city and school district in the listing after checking county records.
- For the flat blocks by Laurel Street, note the walk to the museum, downtown and the station as approximate distances.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
North San Carlos questions, answered
Where does North San Carlos begin and end?
This guide covers everything north of San Carlos Avenue up to the Belmont city line, from El Camino Real on the east to the point where San Carlos Avenue meets Alameda de las Pulgas on the west. Listing records split it into areas such as 'San Carlos Park Syndicate', 'Garden Terraces' and part of 'Devonshire'.
Why is it sometimes called Cordes?
The name is used locally for this side of town, but we did not find a source explaining where it comes from, so this guide uses North San Carlos.
Which school district serves North San Carlos?
San Carlos School District for elementary and middle grades and Sequoia Union High School District for high school, with the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District line running near the Belmont border. Arundel Elementary and Tierra Linda Middle School are inside the area. Confirm the exact address with the district.
Is North San Carlos in a fire hazard or flood zone?
The 2025 local-area fire hazard map shows these blocks as non-wildland, and FEMA shows Zone X at the points checked. Hazard disclosures are parcel-specific, so read the report for the house you are buying.
How far is Caltrain?
San Carlos station sits at the area's southeast corner, at El Camino Real and San Carlos Avenue, and is up to about 1.5 miles straight-line from the western hills. Belmont station is about 0.6 to 1.4 miles straight-line.
How old are the houses?
The Syndicate's first houses went up in the 1910s and the flatter blocks filled in under Frederick Drake from 1917, while the upper hills built out later. Use the county's year-built record for each house.
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