San Mateo is strategically located at the crossroads of three major freeways which provide a link with San Francisco to the north, San Jose to the south, Half Moon Bay to the west and the East Bay to the east.  San Mateo is home to three CalTrain stations, and its proximity to both the San Francisco and San Jose Airports provides convenient air transportation.

Our City has much to offer our residents, visitors, businesses and everyone just passing through.  We are business friendly and have one of the only Economic Development and Business Assistance departments in the Bay Area.

We have an active and involved business community and our new LEED Gold Certified Main Library is the repository for the Peninsula Library System’s business collection.  Our business community actively supports the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown San Mateo Association.

The array of housing we offer will interest almost anyone.  There are apartments, townhouse and condo communities to fit virtually any taste, and single family residential areas for everyone from the first-time homebuyer to the well to do.  Our residents are actively involved in the civic process and many serve on our City boards and commissions.  Our schools are among the best and highest rated in the area.

Well designed and sustainable development is welcome in San Mateo and strongly supported.  Our City offers areas in which one is able to walk or bike to nearby shopping areas such as the downtown, Hillsdale Mall, Bridgepointe, and many neighborhood commercial districts such as 25th Avenue, 3rd and Norfolk, 19th and Norfolk as well as Laurelwood and Crystal Springs Shopping Centers.  We have a wide variety of restaurants throughout our City with our downtown area alone offering over 130 places to eat.

I hope this publication will help you get to know San Mateo and what we have to offer.  We are proud of our City, and we want to share it with you.

— John Lee, Mayor