City, San Mateo County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 94002
A city
built for the most part on hills overlooking the Bay. Many homes have views.
Name translates into “Beautiful Mountain.” Population 26,078. www.mccormacks.com
Located in
the back yard of one of the powerhouses of Silicon Valley, Oracle. Its
green-glass, round towers rise on the shore flats just south of Belmont, along
with other office-research complexes.
Belmont is
home to Notre Dame de Namur University, an independent Catholic
institution.
Click for regional or detailed map
Median age
of Belmont residents is 39. Kids under 18 account for 19 percent of
inhabitants; over 55 years, 23 percent. Mature town, many singles, empty
nesters.
Built out.
Much of Belmont's energies go into polishing and improving its landscaping,
roads, utilities and services. To save money, Belmont and San Carlos have
partially merged their fire departments.
School
rankings generally in the 80th and 90th percentile, the top 20 percent. In 1997
residents passed $12 million bond to upgrade schools and to open another
elementary school in Redwood Shores, in Redwood City, where Oracle is located. In
2005, another elementary bond was passed, $25 million, to upgrade labs,
libraries and classrooms and make other improvements. See Schools. www.mccormacks.com
In 2001
and 2002, the elementary district lost a vote on a tax to raise money for
programs and teacher salaries but in 2004 the third try was successful. These
program taxes are hard to win because they require two-thirds approval. Day
care at public schools.
Teens move
up to schools in Sequoia High School District, where much more demographic
mixing takes place. Most students attend Carlmont High in Belmont, academic
rankings about the 90th percentile. In 2001 and 2004, the Sequoia district
passed bonds to renovate its schools.
Six
private schools in town, enrolling in some years about 1,750 students.
Crime rate
very low. Zero homicides in 2005, 2004, one in 2003, zero between 2002 and
1999. In previous years one, zero, zero, three, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero,
one, one, zero, one. See Crime.
Over the
1990s, Belmont increased its housing stock by about 550 units (census) but in
some years this amounted to fewer than two dozen homes. Meanwhile, the number
of high-tech jobs exploded. High demand, low supply, high prices. The dot-com
crash mauled the job market but, thanks to low-interest rates, home prices
increased and are still up there. The high prices encouraged many residents to
remodel or tear down the old, the small and the plain and replace it with the
large, the modern and the stylish. www.mccormacks.com
This said,
Belmont has many modest homes that were built in the 1950s and 1960s following
the tract designs of those decades. But they get a lot of tender care. Many
trees and shrubs.
Decks
plentiful to catch the views. Evening barbecues popular.
Belmont
rises from flats to steep hills, many of which have been left in open space,
giving the town plenty of greenery. Town picky about building in the hills.
Stores,
coffee shops, restaurants in a small downtown, which the city is constantly
sprucing up. Large supermarket.
New city hall, converted from an office building. A swanky deli, Safeway and
both a Peet's and a Starbucks meet commuters by the Caltrain station.
Residents
shop at small plaza in hills — the upscale Lunardi's market (baker, butcher,
fishmonger), restaurants, Starbucks, etc. www.mccormacks.com
New
library opened in 2006, about four times the size of its predecessor. Includes
children’s story section, café and community room that opens to courtyard.
Energy efficient.
In 1864,
William Chapman Ralston, one of the Silver kings and a founder of the Bank of
California, purchased a large ranch at Belmont and using the palatial ranch
house as a core, built an opulent mansion. The rooms numbered over 80, the
banquet hall was mirrored, the gym had a Turkish bath, the stable was paneled
with mahogany inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Among visitors to the mansion were
Ulysses Grant, Admiral David Farragut, Bret Harte and Mark Twain.
Ralston
built housing for servants and other workers, and all this, plus the arrival of
the railroad, got Belmont started residentially. A speculator, Ralston made
some bad bets. In 1875, his body was found in the Bay, a suspected suicide.
The
mansion passed through several owners and, restored, it graces Notre Dame
University.
Over the
next 75 years the town grew slowly, adding residents to cultivate fields of
chrysanthemums and during World War II to work in electronic industries. By
1950, Belmont had about 5,500 people living in 1,700 homes and apartments. Then
the postwar boom began. www.mccormacks.com
In the
1950s, Belmont built about 2,800 residential units, in the 1960s, about 3,200,
and the following decade, 2,200. The population soared to 16,000 by 1960, then
to 23,500 by 1970 and to 24,500 by 1980. Then Belmont ran out of land. The 1990
census actually showed a decrease in population, to about 24,127. Since then,
Belmont has added about 1,800 people.
The state
in 2008 counted 10,822 residential units, of which 6,302 were single detached
homes, 649 single attached homes, and 3,871 multiples. Between 2000 and 2007,
Belmont erected about 240 units.
Good
commute. Ralston Avenue on one end connects to Highway 101 and on other, with a
short dogleg, to I-280. Ralston also ties into Highway 92, which runs to Half
Moon Bay and San Mateo Bridge. Caltrain station near Highway 101. City in 1999
built two underpasses to take traffic under railroad and to freeway and in 2005
opened an overpass — all time savers but because of narrow streets and
stop signs delays still occur.
Sixteen
parks-playgrounds, including one around lake, another, near the Bay, a sports
park, (baseball and soccer fields, rec. building with meeting hall). Five tot
lots around town. Ice skating rink. On Sunday summer afternoons, free concerts
delight visitors at Twin Pines Park.
Notre Dame
University stages plays and presents lectures and events open to public. www.mccormacks.com
If buying
near the shore, check out the noise from San Carlos airport and from the
trains.
Chamber of
commerce (650) 595-8696.
• Tough town for smokers.
In 2007, the city council prohibited smoking in public places, effectively
restricting the weed to homes.
City web site: www.belmont.gov
