Looking for a change and want to move to a city that has it all? San Mateo may be the place for you! Situated on the San Francisco peninsula, San Mateo features great outdoor access, thriving businesses, and tons of diversity. With a population of over 105,000, San Mateo combines big city amenities with a small town feel. Still need some convincing? Let’s dive into the top 8 reasons why you should move to San Mateo.
Starting off with reason number 1: the beach. While many believe that only in Southern California can you enjoy the beach, the Bay Area is home to some great beaches as well. San Mateo is just a short drive from some of California’s best beaches. If you like to spend time in the water, Moss Beach and San Gregorio State Beach are great spots to enjoy activities like paddle boarding or windsurfing. And even when the weather turns colder you aren’t out of luck, you’re still close enough to head out for a nice afternoon stroll by the ocean.
Reason number 2: proximity. If you’re more of a city fan, San Mateo is the perfect place for you. Being centrally located next to Interstate 280, Highway 101 and Highway 92, you can easily hop on the highway and head north to San Francisco or south to San Jose and be there in around a half hour.
Not only is San Mateo a great spot to be convenient to the larger Bay Area cities, but it’s also got great accessibility for spending time in nature, which brings us to reason number 3: plenty of outdoor space. There are tons of parks littered throughout the city, and plenty of places to hike and enjoy a chance to connect with nature. Coyote Point is a local favorite, with a park located next to the water where you can hike and picnic. For an even greater adventure, head to the Sawyer Camp Trail, which features multiple trails of various difficulties around a gorgeous reservoir.
With its close proximity to the tech giants in Mountain View, we’ve come to reason number 4: a thriving tech industry. San Mateo is part of Silicon Valley, the home to some of technology’s biggest innovators. It’s also revered as the place to be for tech startups. This means lots of job opportunities in one of the U.S.’s most profitable and leading industries. Even if you aren’t part of the tech world, you’ll still get to reap the benefits of being part of the cutting edge area.
Not only is San Mateo cutting edge, but it’s diverse. More than half of the city’s population is made up of a combination of racial backgrounds like Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean and more. This brings us to reason number 5: diversity. San Mateo’s mixed population breakdown encourages a variety of cuisines, businesses, and people to call the city home.
Speaking of food, we’ve arrived at reason number 6: the food. With such a melting pot of cultures present in San Mateo, there is a fantastic variety of food to choose from. Whatever you’re in the mood for, San Mateo and the surrounding cities have a plethora of places to choose from. If you want to hear more about great restaurants in the peninsula, check out our video of the top 5 highest rated restaurants in South San Francisco.
With so much nature around, it’s no surprise that San Mateo residents are environmentally conscious, bringing us to number 7: the environmentally friendly culture. In order to preserve the natural beauty of the area and lessen their carbon footprint, you’ll see a lot of hybrid or electric cars, stores and businesses reducing their use of plastic, and regular environmentally friendly community events, like the Annual Bayfront Cleanup where volunteers gather together to clean up around the bay and creeks.
And finally, if you really needed another reason to move to San Mateo, reason number 8: plenty of family fun! The city is filled with family-centered activities. Head over to Laurelwood Park, which features an incredible playground, for a nice afternoon outdoors. Check out CuriOdyssey, a combination science museum and zoo with over 100 rescued animals and get the chance to view them up-close and enjoy some kid-friendly science exhibits. During the summer, the city even hosts the annual San Mateo County fair where you can enjoy some classic fair food and rides.
If you’re looking to relocate to San Mateo, reach out! Our team of top Bay Area real estate agents are local experts and can help you find your dream San Mateo home.
