Farm Hills
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Great for
- Clean & Green
- Neighborly Spirit
- Peace & Quiet
- Parks & Recreation
- Safe & Sound
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Farm Hills
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
- Schools
- Childcare
"Sterling Heights Neighborhood - Redwood City's Best Kept Little Secret?"
This review covers the Sterling Heights neighborhood (between Farm Hills Blvd and Alameda de Las Pulgas), not necessarily Emerald Lake Hills or Farm Hills proper.
Close in proximity to Stanford (15 min drive along Alameda), this neighborhood boasts wide, walkable tree-lined streets, minimal traffic on most streets, and an active and supportive neighborhood community. This neighborhood was originally a tract of ranch-style homes built in the 1950's - most homes have a similar layout with 3 bed, 2 bath configurations. Some remain in original condition complete with green or pink bathrooms, while a growing number have been completely updated or remodeled with additions. Home values and conditions decrease as you head east towards El Camino Real, but closer to Alameda and Fernside Ave (i.e. closer to the border with Woodside) the homes tend to be well kept, with larger, setback lots. Therefore in general the development does not suffer from the more cramped and crowded layouts of comparably priced neighborhoods in RWC, San Carlos and Menlo Park.
Home values have been somewhat protected from the inflated San Carlos and Emerald Lake Hills prices of previous years, but in the last year this neighborhood (2013) have seen a substantial rise from <$600sqft to >$800sqft. In the past, mediocre schools had contributed to preserving the affordability of the area, but with the anticipated overhaul of the Great Schools rankings and a planned Chinese/Mandarin immersion School in the works, the market is expected to continue a substantial rate of growth in the coming year and beyond.
Pro's include several nearby parks (such as the multi-acre Stulstaft park, and several smaller children's parks), walkable grocery stores and restaurants (including Woodside Plaza at one end and Roosevelt and Jefferson Plazas), and several options for day care (multiple Montessori schools and Beth Jacob to name a few). With nearby access to both the north-south 280 corridor and the east-west Woodside Blvd corridor, the neighborhood is centralized between Stanford, RWC, San Carlos and Belmont. Sequoia hospital is nearby and boasts a nationally recognized cardiac surgery program; a new Kaiser Permanente Hospital in downtown RWC is currently under construction. The neighborhood is borders the Peninsula Community Center which boasts two swimming pools, a fairly modernized gym and workout classes for all ages (and offers daycare!)
Cons include commuter traffic along Alameda during morning and afternoon rush hour, schools with mediocre ratings, and a recent rise in the number of speed bumps.
Close in proximity to Stanford (15 min drive along Alameda), this neighborhood boasts wide, walkable tree-lined streets, minimal traffic on most streets, and an active and supportive neighborhood community. This neighborhood was originally a tract of ranch-style homes built in the 1950's - most homes have a similar layout with 3 bed, 2 bath configurations. Some remain in original condition complete with green or pink bathrooms, while a growing number have been completely updated or remodeled with additions. Home values and conditions decrease as you head east towards El Camino Real, but closer to Alameda and Fernside Ave (i.e. closer to the border with Woodside) the homes tend to be well kept, with larger, setback lots. Therefore in general the development does not suffer from the more cramped and crowded layouts of comparably priced neighborhoods in RWC, San Carlos and Menlo Park.
Home values have been somewhat protected from the inflated San Carlos and Emerald Lake Hills prices of previous years, but in the last year this neighborhood (2013) have seen a substantial rise from <$600sqft to >$800sqft. In the past, mediocre schools had contributed to preserving the affordability of the area, but with the anticipated overhaul of the Great Schools rankings and a planned Chinese/Mandarin immersion School in the works, the market is expected to continue a substantial rate of growth in the coming year and beyond.
Pro's include several nearby parks (such as the multi-acre Stulstaft park, and several smaller children's parks), walkable grocery stores and restaurants (including Woodside Plaza at one end and Roosevelt and Jefferson Plazas), and several options for day care (multiple Montessori schools and Beth Jacob to name a few). With nearby access to both the north-south 280 corridor and the east-west Woodside Blvd corridor, the neighborhood is centralized between Stanford, RWC, San Carlos and Belmont. Sequoia hospital is nearby and boasts a nationally recognized cardiac surgery program; a new Kaiser Permanente Hospital in downtown RWC is currently under construction. The neighborhood is borders the Peninsula Community Center which boasts two swimming pools, a fairly modernized gym and workout classes for all ages (and offers daycare!)
Cons include commuter traffic along Alameda during morning and afternoon rush hour, schools with mediocre ratings, and a recent rise in the number of speed bumps.
Pros
- Wide, walkable streets
- Great daycare options
- Multiple parks
- Great Homes
- Great Views
Recommended for
- Professionals
- Families with kids
- LGBT+
- Trendy & Stylish
Farm Hills
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
- Schools
- Childcare
"The Best Family Neighborhood in Redwood City"
Like neighboring Canyon, Farm Hills is another hillside neighborhood with median home prices floating around $850K, though almost half are significantly over $1 million.
Some of the most expensive homes in all of Redwood City, however are up on the far western end of the oddly shaped neighborhood. It is up in these hills that you will find some of the newest constructions dating from the 90’s.
We drove up here and looked around. It is really beautiful and leafy--the kind of place that just exudes wealth without seeming pretentious or off-putting. You can tell that it costs a pretty nickel (there is a 6000 ft. home up here that is going for $2.6 million). But it is not gaudy.
(There is one home up here that has a miniature train track circling it—clearly made for the kids but looking to be for one of those toy trains on which you can actually ride—like the kind you might see at a fair. Pretty amazing.)
You will definitely get some pretty good views from here though you will also pay for them.
On the low end, the only kinds of homes that fall below $500K are condos and townhomes. Most of these are located at most southern end of Farm Hills, where you will find a number of them. The views are pretty good, but condos and townhomes don’t quite work for people with really young children, think because of the noise factor.
Most of the mid-level homes are along the lower end of Farm Hills on the eastern end. These homes mostly run around $800K to just under $1 million and date from the 50’s. They are well-kept and beautiful but way outside of our price range.
You would pay almost $6000/month in mortgage, which is not even remotely doable for one these houses.
This would definitely be a dream area in which to live, however. You have great schools, great views and a really leafy secluded neighborhood that is totally family centered, by all appearances. I would love to live here.
One of the drawbacks of the areas though would be having to drive down to town to get any little thing. You are just too far away from things to actually walk.
Also, I am given to understand by my friends who have lived in hillside homes that the maintenance requirements for living on woody hills are greater than on regular flat neighborhoods: fire clearing, erosion problems, mudslide worries, critters eating plants, skunks, etc.
It would definitely be worth it to live in a place like this, however.
Some of the most expensive homes in all of Redwood City, however are up on the far western end of the oddly shaped neighborhood. It is up in these hills that you will find some of the newest constructions dating from the 90’s.
We drove up here and looked around. It is really beautiful and leafy--the kind of place that just exudes wealth without seeming pretentious or off-putting. You can tell that it costs a pretty nickel (there is a 6000 ft. home up here that is going for $2.6 million). But it is not gaudy.
(There is one home up here that has a miniature train track circling it—clearly made for the kids but looking to be for one of those toy trains on which you can actually ride—like the kind you might see at a fair. Pretty amazing.)
You will definitely get some pretty good views from here though you will also pay for them.
On the low end, the only kinds of homes that fall below $500K are condos and townhomes. Most of these are located at most southern end of Farm Hills, where you will find a number of them. The views are pretty good, but condos and townhomes don’t quite work for people with really young children, think because of the noise factor.
Most of the mid-level homes are along the lower end of Farm Hills on the eastern end. These homes mostly run around $800K to just under $1 million and date from the 50’s. They are well-kept and beautiful but way outside of our price range.
You would pay almost $6000/month in mortgage, which is not even remotely doable for one these houses.
This would definitely be a dream area in which to live, however. You have great schools, great views and a really leafy secluded neighborhood that is totally family centered, by all appearances. I would love to live here.
One of the drawbacks of the areas though would be having to drive down to town to get any little thing. You are just too far away from things to actually walk.
Also, I am given to understand by my friends who have lived in hillside homes that the maintenance requirements for living on woody hills are greater than on regular flat neighborhoods: fire clearing, erosion problems, mudslide worries, critters eating plants, skunks, etc.
It would definitely be worth it to live in a place like this, however.
Pros
- Great Views
- Great Schools
- Great Homes
Cons
- Very Expensive
- Hillside Problems
- Far from Necesitites
Recommended for
- Professionals
- Families with kids
- LGBT+
- Country Lovers
- Trendy & Stylish
Farm Hills
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Peace & Quiet
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Parking
- Cost of Living
"Woodsy residential community with an upper middle-class feel"
Farm Hills is a rarely visited, exclusively residential neighborhood pocketed within the foothills of the San Francisco peninsula woodlands. It is considered a safe, middle to upper middle-class community great for a young family. The district as a whole spans about 1.6 square miles, most of which garner to an elementary school zone setting. Demographically speaking, the community is largely white (over 75%) and is made up of some 6,000 residents.
The Farm Hills community is situated on a rather hilly geography with a woodsy aesthetic. As you might expect, homes sit on a bit of an incline and are shaded by much of the surrounding environment. They are mixed between one and two-stories in size, but don’t seem to be too congested along neighborhood streets (like many Redwood City communities are). The typical home is two-stories and offers an attached two car garage and clean, well maintained yards. They are priced around $1.1 million, while the median household rakes in about $110,000/year (well above Redwood City’s average). These homes lay ground to wide, orderly roads and other charming communal aesthetics.
For recreation, Farm Hills is a short drive to the vast San Francisco peninsula parkland and within the reaches of the beautiful Crystal Springs Reservoir. Elsewhere, Emerald Hills Golf Course is within the neighborhood’s limits and is a fun, quirky, kid-friendly 9-hole golf course. For young families, Roy Cloud Elementary School is situated along Jefferson Avenue while Canada College skirts the southern corner of the neighborhood. Both our convenient options for local students. For the working resident, the neighborhood is nestled close to Interstate 280, making for an easy option for commuters.
The Farm Hills community is situated on a rather hilly geography with a woodsy aesthetic. As you might expect, homes sit on a bit of an incline and are shaded by much of the surrounding environment. They are mixed between one and two-stories in size, but don’t seem to be too congested along neighborhood streets (like many Redwood City communities are). The typical home is two-stories and offers an attached two car garage and clean, well maintained yards. They are priced around $1.1 million, while the median household rakes in about $110,000/year (well above Redwood City’s average). These homes lay ground to wide, orderly roads and other charming communal aesthetics.
For recreation, Farm Hills is a short drive to the vast San Francisco peninsula parkland and within the reaches of the beautiful Crystal Springs Reservoir. Elsewhere, Emerald Hills Golf Course is within the neighborhood’s limits and is a fun, quirky, kid-friendly 9-hole golf course. For young families, Roy Cloud Elementary School is situated along Jefferson Avenue while Canada College skirts the southern corner of the neighborhood. Both our convenient options for local students. For the working resident, the neighborhood is nestled close to Interstate 280, making for an easy option for commuters.
Recommended for
- Professionals
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Students
- Trendy & Stylish
