Redwood City

Stretching from the San Francisco Bay to the Santa Cruz Mountains, Redwood City is one of the largest cities in San Mateo County and a major tech hub. With 255 days of sunshine per year, the city’s slogan boasts “Climate Best by Government Test.” With an abundance of parks, a bustling downtown, the San Francisco Bay waterfront in Redwood Shores, and trails rising into the surrounding mountains, Redwood City’s 86,685 residents have plenty of places to enjoy the fantastic weather year-round.

Redwood City is comprised of many distinctive neighborhoods, each with their own unique atmosphere and architectural mix. These neighborhoods include:

Mount Carmel is a popular tree-lined neighborhood full of charming homes constructed in the first half of the 20th Century, many of which have undergone extensive modern renovation. Woodside Plaza is another neighborhood in consistent high-demand. The housing mix here include single-storey mid-century ranch homes and contemporary apartments and condominiums. Originally developed as a community of vacation homes surrounding Upper and Lower Emerald Lake in the 1920s, Emerald Hills offers a more bucolic hillside location, with an eclectic mix of spacious homes, some with beautiful vistas. Redwood Shores, home to Oracle, is a unique neighborhood with excellent schools and waterfront properties nestled alongside channels, lagoons, and sloughs.

From classic California ranch homes and townhouses to exquisite contemporary properties and luxurious modern condominiums, Redwood City’s real estate is as diverse as the city itself. Home sales in 2018 ranged from $720,000 to $5,500,000, with a median sale price of $1,697,500.

The headquarters of cloud computing firm Box is located right next to Redwood City’s Caltrain station. Many more large technology companies are based in Redwood Shores, including Electronic Arts, Oracle, and Nintendo. The world-class Kaiser Permanente medical center is another major local employer. Consequently, Redwood City is home to many tech and medical professionals who value the city for its first-class amenities and laid-back lifestyle.

Describing itself as “the anti-mall,” Redwood City’s revitalized downtown is full of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. The eclectic retail mix includes fashion boutiques, quirky interior design stores, family-run grocery stores, and major chains such as Whole Foods. Local restaurants include a wide variety of enticing international cuisine and chic modern eateries. Michelin Guide-recommended highlights are the exquisitely executed Indian dishes at Broadway Masala, creative seafood at La Viga, and delicious wood-fired pizzas at Vesta. Redwood City’s downtown is anchored by a multiplex movie theater and the 1920s-built Fox Theater performance venue.

Events in Redwood City make the most of the glorious weather, with live music performances in the downtown area and Shakespeare in the Park on the Sequoia High School Campus lawn. The expansive waterfront and the many canal-like waterways of Redwood Shores provide opportunities for kayaking and other water-based activities. The Christmas Lighted Boat Contest and Parade is a wonderful seasonal highlight. Edgewood Park covers 467 acres and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year to its colorful blooms of wildflowers. Stulsaft Park is a 42-acre gem of local green space, with wooded trails and picnic areas.

 

Between its unique shopping and annual events, living in Redwood City is an exciting and one-of-a-kind experience.