Shoreview

Shoreview is the neighborhood just to the north of Foster City, right by the bay. Just to throw another “bay” in there, the western border of Shoreview is the Bayshore Freeway. This is basically a long strip of a neighborhood.

At the farthest northern point there are the Coyote Point County Park and the Poplar Creek Golf Course. Coyote Point is a great place to take the kids or to go for outdoor activities. They have lots of bay side trails, playgrounds, and beaches where you can do everything from kayaking to swimming. There is also a shooting range on the western end, a marina and a natural museum, the CuriOdyssey which has exhibitions and animals on display. Also great for watching jets take off from SFO. Great weekend spot.

I couldn’t really say whether the Poplar Creek Golf Course is any good, not being a golfer myself.

Much of Shoreview is residential with homes dating mostly from the 1940’s and 50’s. This entire area has been slammed by the foreclosure crisis with 5 or 6 homes here being on the market due to foreclosure. The median home here goes for $450K, making it one of the least expensive places on the Peninsula to buy a home.

Before you go jumping in however you should consider the following:

1. The quality of schools if you have or intend to have children. One of the local elementary schools, Horral, is pretty terrible with a significantly below-average API rating. The middle school, Borel, and high school, San Mateo are far better, however.

2. Crime—especially violent crime—should also be a consideration. This area is unfortunately not completely free of crime problems, with more than half a dozen assaults in the last six months.

You can also rent a 2-bedroom here for around $2000.

In the area you will also find fast food places and motels—nothing amazing.

Overall, I would say this is an okay neighborhood in which to live—though I don’t know if I would really want to live here.

Shoreview is a lower middle-class bayside community with a cheap price tag. It is situated within San Mateo and the greater San Francisco peninsula. The district is For perspective residents, the area is overrun with small, cookie cutter developments. However, it is well-connected to its surrounding parts. It’s convenient access to the San Francisco Airport and its proximity to the popular job hubs of San Francisco and San Jose make it somewhat appealing.

Shoreview is an unremarkable neighborhood for those looking to live along the San Francisco bayside. Geographically speaking, it is a flat and skinny land area following the eastern side of US Route 101. The area is saturated with older residences, most of which were built between the 1940’s and 1960’s. Homes are typically one-story in size, plotted on petite, squarish properties with thin driveways. There are a couple gritty house fronts here and there and homes are mostly clumped together in an orderly, but unpolished fashion. For nicer homes, head towards the southern half of the community. But as a whole, the neighborhood is a bit unappealing, with old cars lining the street. For those looking into moving here, the bulk of homes are priced between $500,000 to $750,000 while rents will cost you around $1,400/month. According to the 2010 US Census, the median household income is around $76,000/year.

Demographically speaking, the district hosts a total of 10,000 residents within its quarters. Its racial makeup is an even mix between hispanic and white residents. The area is almost exclusively residential, except for encompassing Poplar Creek Golf Course. The self-proclaimed championship course offers 18 beautiful holes of outdoor bayside fun, but comes with a rather expensive tee fee.