Foster City: high-tech hub built on the San Francisco Bay
Foster City is all about water. The area was originally a salt marsh on the San Francisco Bay, but levees built in the late 1800s created an island used for cattle-grazing. In the 1960s, a developer, T. Jack Foster, looked on these mudflats and saw a bayfront residential community. Using an oyster shell infill, he made the land buildable and developed roads, parks and a system of canals and lagoons. The area is still 80% water, but Foster City is now home to 34,000 people, many with a spot on the water. Ten bridges ease travel over lagoons and canals and lead across the bay to the Central Valley. “Foster City is one of the most beautiful, serene and safest places to live,” says Phoebe Shin Venkat, Foster City Planning Commissioner. “I have a big obsession with water and have traveled to 83 countries and lived in Pacifica. Foster City wins with me.”
High-tech and biopharma companies have made Foster City home. VISA was once headquartered there and is still a top employer in the city. “A lot of people here work for Gilead and Genentech,” says Evan Adams, president of the Foster City Historical Society. “We have some self-driving cars driving around made by Zoox, which is an Amazon company now and headquartered here.” Sony, PlayStation and Qualis are also located in Foster City.
The San Mateo Bridge connects Foster City to the East Bay.
Biopharma giant Gilead has a large campus in Foster City.
Oyster Point is home to Genentech's enormous campus.
Foster City's essence is proximity to water.
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Bay Area home values well above national average
Many Foster City homes have small docks and patios overlooking the channels. Homes include ranch-style and split-levels popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s, with some contemporary homes built more recently. There are also townhomes and condos available. New condo developments are in central Foster City near Leo J. Ryan Park and to the north in the Pilgrim-Triton area. The first home was built in 1964, and the oldest developments, like the Islands and Treasure Island neighborhoods, are off Foster City Boulevard where homeowners can hear noise from the San Francisco Airport 10 miles to the north. Off Edgewater Boulevard neighborhoods like Harbor Side are quieter, and the homes are newer, but there is less water access. Neighborhoods along Beach Park Boulevard, including Carmel Village, Sea Colony, Marina Point and Bay Vista, have easy access to the Foster City levee and its 12-mile paved trail. The average home value in Foster City is $1.9 million, which is higher than the national average of $555,000. Homes range from about $1 million to $4 million, with the largest waterfront homes at the upper end of that range.
Small docks and patios overlook the channels in Foster City.
Foster City homes have easy access to the water.
Condos with a view of the serene lake in the Foster City neighborhood.
Modern apartments are available towards the center of Foster City.
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Water, water everywhere in Foster City
The Bay Trail follows the Foster City levee along the city’s outer rim, separating the untamed bay shores from the serene, cultivated neighborhoods, gardens and waterfront spaces in the interior. While the levee obscures the bay from some vantage points, the trail provides views and access points to several waterfront parks and beach areas.
In the many lagoons in Foster City, swimmers are encouraged to wear high-visibility caps. Gas-powered boats are prohibited, but sailing is allowed, and small crafts travel the canals that wind through the neighborhoods, with homeowners looking on from their backyards. “To watch kayakers, canoers, paddle boarders, Duffy boats–and even a guy who must be at least 70 on an electric surfboard–is a great way to get through a day when you work from home,” says Venkat.
The San Francisco Bay Trail runs through Foster City and is popular with bicyclists.
Catch a tan on the beach at Marlin Park in Foster City.
A family enjoys the afternoon paddling through the channels of Foster City.
Many Foster City locals have various watercraft and boats for traversing the numerous waterways.
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Foster City's environment attracts humans and wildlife alike
With warm summers and cool winters, outdoor recreation is popular year-round and city parks dot the neighborhoods, bringing people out for tennis, softball and soccer, and for picnics and playtime. There is a 9-hole golf course on the northern tip of town. Leo J. Ryan Memorial Park is on the Central Lagoon and is the primary community gathering place. It has a skate park and pickleball courts. The city is building a new two-story recreation center there, which will have space for classes and events. Neighbors gather to watch the fireworks over the lagoon on the Fourth of July, and summer Friday nights bring the community out for live music in the park's amphitheater.
The bayside environment is attractive to wildlife as well, which can get too close for comfort. Residents have called upon city officials to address certain issues: packs of coyotes have approached people in Shorebird Park, causing safety concerns for pets and small children. Wild geese have doubled in population recently and become a nuisance, leaving droppings that create a health hazard. City officials have a three-year plan underway to mitigate the geese problem through non-lethal methods.
Leo J Ryan Memorial Park is adjacent to a recreation center.
Practice your swing at Mariners Point Golf Center's driving range in Foster City.
Foster City pickleball courts are always full on a sunny day.
Shorebird Park connects to the Bay Trail which is perfect for bicycling.
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Diverse cuisine and San Francisco Bay waterfront restaurants
While Foster City is not known for its nightlife, it does have a community theatre, the Hillbarn Theatre and Conservatory. It also has a diversity of eateries, including Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin cuisine. Some restaurants are reachable by boat. Metro Center is a shopping center near the Central Lagoon. It has a Target, Home Depot, Costco and Safeway, as well as some casual restaurants. Whole Foods is just across Highway 101.
Foster City's MetroCenter shopping mall is full of shops and outdoor dining areas.
Patrons enjoy lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant in Foster City.
Asian cuisine is easy to find in Foster City.
Sama Coffee is a wonderful international cafe in Foster City.
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Highly ranked area schools include Design Tech High
The San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District has a rating of A-minus on Niche. There is no high school in Foster City, but San Mateo High School is under six miles away and has an A-plus rating. Just south in Redwood City, charter public school Design Tech High School is located on the Oracle Corporation campus and is graded A by Niche.
Design Tech High School is an excellent charter school in Foster City.
San Mateo High has a beautiful campus near Foster City.
Beach Park Elementary in Foster City offers a safe and nurturing environment for its students.
Bowditch Middle School is part of the San Mateo-Foster City School District.
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Last stop before San Mateo-Hayward Bridge
Route 101 runs along Foster City, connecting to San Francisco to the north and Palo Alto to the south. As a major regional corridor, it can become quite congested. Route 92 runs through town and over the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge to the East Bay. “The reason we chose to live here is that it is the last entrance onto the San Mateo bridge, and I spend a lot of time in the Central Valley,” says Adams. “This way, I do not have to worry about 101 traffic.” The Foster City Commuter Shuttle provides transportation from residential areas to employers, including Meta, and to the BART station in Millbrae. An express route to downtown San Francisco runs daily, and buses stop on Shell Boulevard and Hillsdale Boulevard. A plan to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety is in its early stages.
Net positives in flood mitigation and crime rates in Foster City
While the entire Bay Area is preparing for a projected sea level rise, Foster City completed a $90 million project to improve its levee in 2023. The reinforced levee protects the city from flooding and reduces the cost of flood insurance. According to FBI data, crime rates in Foster City are well below national averages. The violent crime rate in Foster City is 60% lower than the national rate, while the property crime rate is 59% lower.
Real Estate is a micro business, it is crucial to have connections in your marketplace, and it is about knowing the people in town as well as each home in the neighborhood. Ali Gilmartin Davis has lived in the Mid-Peninsula Bay Area her entire life and comes from an extensive line of realtors as a third generation Gilmartin at The Gilmartin Group. She has connections in the community and has helped over fifty families successfully buy or sell their home. She attended local schools in Burlingame and went to Mercy High School of Burlingame and then the University of San Diego with a major in International Relations.
Buying and Selling Real Estate is one of the largest financial decisions for anyone to make, there are multiple factors in the process, and it can be quite emotional. Ali's patience, expertise and consultative approach minimizes the stress real estate can cause. Ali's goal is to create a plan that makes the most sense for all parties and execute that plan for a win-win outcome.
Ali studied International Relations at the University of San Diego, but shortly after college found a deep passion for Real Estate and working with her family business. She loves the process of home buying and finding the best fit for her client's dreams as well as helping a client prepare, market, and sell their home in the right timeline they need. When she is not selling Real Estate Ali is multi-tasking raising two daughters under three and spending time with her husband in San Mateo. You can find her most days of the week walking up Burlingame Avenue or enjoying a Barry's bootcamp class. The Peninsula is home, and she cannot wait to lend a helping hand and her expertise to help you find your next home. Now more than ever having a home to fit all your needs and to be safe and secure is of the utmost importance.
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