Bayside Manor

This neighborhood just to the south of SFO is a major Peninsula transportation hub. It is home to Millbrae BART and Millbrae CalTrain stations (located at the same spot), so this is where those commuting to and from the Silicon Valley can transfer from one means of transportation to the other. This is also the strongest argument against building further transportation systems in the Bay Area. Many NIMBY’s use this as evidence for their arguments for not having high speed rail beyond San Jose.

I don’t have a particular side in that argument, except to say that I think the fact that you have both here makes Millbrae a great place for SF/Peninsula split couples to settle down—basically people like me and my bf. Millbrae Avenue is the major entryway into Millbrae and is always packed due to airport traffic. There is a well placed In-N-Out Burger joint right by the freeway entrance here.

There is also a residential area here on the northwestern end of the neighborhood. This is an older neighborhood made up of small homes dating from the 1940’s for the most part. The typical home here offers only 1000 sq. ft. and has the run down look of a home that is almost three quarters of a century old at this point. And, of course, you are right in the flight path of the SFO runways here, so you need to expect noise. Despite this, homes in this neighborhood have been going for around $500K—which given the drawbacks I have mentioned here just seems nuts to me—way overpriced.

Three quarters of homes here are also on sale due to foreclosure, so this, like a lot of spots on the northern end of the Peninsula, has been hit pretty hard by our current financial crisis.

To the east of Highway 101, there are two big multi story hotels: a Clarion and a Westin.

If you are a pilot or flight attendant or had you flight canceled, this might be a good spot, but otherwise I would not really recommend this area for anything other than airport related activities.

Nestled at the southern edge of the San Francisco Airport, Bayside Manor is a small, bayside community consisting of about a half dozen neighborhood streets. The district is split between residential quarters, which are located on the northern corner and a couple mid-rise hotel buildings popping up in the southern. It encompasses a small area of land about .5 square miles (and incorporates Bayside Park) with a population of about 650, according to the 2010 US Census. Demographically speaking, the neighborhood is a mostly white community with asian and hispanic residents rounding out the rest.

Bayside Manor’s residential quarters are nothing impressive. In fact, its the model of transparency along the San Francisco peninsula. The neighborhood is flat and is made up of small, boxy cottages with petite, square and grassy yards. There is really little room for families to play. Most homes are one-story in size and lay ground to skinny driveways. In fact, most residents have to park on the streets. For perspective residents, median home prices are estimated between $500,000 to $750,000, while the average household income is around $85,000/year. If you’re driving through the community, you’ll be met with neat/clean neighborhood aesthetics, including tree lined streets.

For commuters, US Route 101 cuts through the neighborhood, as does the Millbrae Bart Station and Millbrae Caltrain. Both rails transport passengers towards San Francisco while Bart also connects residents to the greater Bay Area. Both locations share an enormous parking garage (like a small airport) with buses stopping in to serve the Millbrae community. Many travelers come through here from the San Francisco International Airport. The semi-luxurious hotels of Westin and Clarion serve the incoming clientele.