Tobin Clark Estate

Formerly the grounds of the Tobin Clark Family Estate, this district is an affluent, well-connected neighborhood located within the southern reaches of the Hillsborough community. To be blunt, it is close to everything, from Aragon High School, to the College of San Mateo to the Peninsula Golf Course and Country Club. And it also consists of large homes and quaint residential terrain. Geographically speaking, the area stretches about 0.75 square miles of very scare residential terrain. In fact, the total population barely exceeds 1,000 residents (split evenly between white and asian backgrounds).

Although next to nearly everything you need, Tobin Clark Estate is an exclusively residential neighborhood. Homes are pretty enormous, typically offering somewhere around 4,500 square feet of living area which usually includes 10+ rooms. Most of these homes were built after the 1970’s, the approximate time when the Tobin Clark Estate was broken up into segments and sold as separate properties. As a result, the district’s homes are a bit newer than the typically Hillsborough community. Some of these homes were built along the hillside, affording beautiful views of the woodsy canyons down below. Others just have that well-to-do country charm that Hillsborough is candidly known for. As for perspective residents, homes tend to follow one specific rule: if it looks newer, chances are its bigger and more expensive. Median house prices are estimated at around $1.7 million, but its not uncommon for homes to sell for as much as $5 million. Furthermore, the typical household rakes in a wealthy $200,000/year.

Tobin Clark Estate is one of the most well-connected Hillsborough communities. I say this because the US Route 92‘s on-ramp is situated within a block away and runs north and south. The highway connects residents to the more frequented Highway 280 and US Route 101. Also, Downtown San Mateo is also within reach and provides all your shopping and dining needs. For young families, both Aragon High School and College of San Mateo skirt the neighborhood’s borders. The latter of which is a 2-year community college that serves San Mateo County residents. And finally, Peninsula Golf Course and Country Club is within the district’s limits and is a traditional, family-oriented, full-service club with a handful of tennis courts.

Straddling San Mateo College on the northern end, Tobin Clark Estate offers hillside homes with great bay views. This is one of those long east to west neighborhoods that slowly creeps up the hillside the farther that it goes, stretching from Aragon High School to the western end of San Mateo College.

On its eastern end, Tobin Clark is made up largely of long squat homes with perfectly manicured lawns. Though this sounds like your typical Ranch home neighborhood from that description, these are not really Ranch homes. You are aware that you are in an unusual neighborhood throughout this area, partly because the homes are larger than normal, partly because each has its own style, and mostly just because every brick and grass blade seems perfectly placed.

As you get farther up the hill, you get the hillside homes with the best views. This is the area where you get some of the most attractive McMansions in the area, most of them made in imitation of classic styles some actually dating for the 1930’s.
Many sprawl out along the hillside facing out over the Peninsula and Bay.

On the western end of Tobin Clark, you don’t get the spectacular bay views, but you still do get some really attractive—well manicured homes with attractively maintained lawns and just a general feeling of wealth.

Tobin Clark is a mix of contemporary style homes (the squat homes I described earlier) and 1930’s style mansions, with a few English country cottages thrown in for good measure as well.

So what does it cost to live here?

On the low end you can find one of those squat contemporaries for around $2 million. On the high end, one of those giant classic mansions with the views could run you close to $29 million. The median price however is closer to $3.75 million.

The schools here are—as you would expect—pretty outstanding as well. Aragon is a pretty strong high school, maybe just slightly worse than the really outstanding high schools that make up the Penninsula schools.

Overall, I would say that if you are the sort of family for which cost is not much of a consideration (that is, you are filthy rich), that this would definitely be a popular destination for you.

And in case you are wondering where the name Tobin Clark comes from, the area was named after Celia Tobin Clark. The Clarks were a prominent though now pretty much forgotten, Bay Area family. The original estate was designed by famous Chicago architect David Adler.