City, San Mateo County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 94030
Hills to
Bay town. Pretty. Well-cared-for.
Middle to upper middle class. Great views from hills. Located immediately west
and above San Francisco International Airport. Millbrae has 21,387 inhabitants,
about the same number the town had 20 years ago but new projects — 37
single homes, 109 condos — are expected to add a few hundred. www.mccormacks.com
Millbrae
has built a multi-storied transit hub for Caltrain, BART and SamTrans. In 2003,
BART extended its line from Colma to Millbrae to San Francisco International
Airport.
The
arrival of BART is encouraging development near the station and along El Camino
Real, the main road (besides Highway 101). The new buildings tend to be larger
and denser (more units) than the ones they replace and the buildings retained
are moving to modern designs and giving El Camino Real a livelier look.
Click for regional or detailed map
In 2004,
Caltrain began bullet-train service to downtown San Francisco. From Millbrae to
the downtown it's straight-through; no stops
Darius
Mills, rich landowner who built mansion, guided early development. Not much
happened during most of its pioneer days. High prices discouraged modest
housing. After World War I, homes started to cluster about the roadhouse
stations.
Small
subdivision in 1921. Big subdivision in 1927, called Highlands, aimed at upper
end of market. After struggling with poor services for years and fighting
annexation attempts, Millbrae incorporated as a city in 1948 and built its
parks and municipal structure. www.mccormacks.com
A lot of
home building came after World War II, when the market favored two- and three-bedroom
homes. By 1954, Millbrae had 10,000 residents, by 1970 about 21,000. Population
dipped in the 1970s, rose slightly in the 1980 and a little more in the
1990s. Like the rest of the
county, Millbrae is becoming more diverse.
Of
Millbrae’s 8,230 residential units, single homes account for 5,327,
single-family attached 269, multiples 2,623, mobile homes 11 (2008 state
figures). Higher the elevation, higher the price.
Many two-story homes in the hills.
Millbrae has “terraced” its streets up the hills, creating view sites. Many
residents have built rear decks or balconies to take in the views. Much
landscaping and care. Occasional arguments about views cut off by second-story
additions. Near Highway 101 the homes are smaller, more modest but still
well-kept. Apartments also near the freeway.
In 2000,
slides damaged several homes in the hills and woke residents to the need for putting
money into hillside stabilization and keeping culverts and drains unclogged to
carry away water that triggered some of those slides.
Median age
of residents is 42. Children and teens under 18 make up 21 percent of town;
people over 55 years, 31 percent. A retiring place, many empty nesters. www.mccormacks.com
Hills keep
fog away, a point of pride in Millbrae.
Eleven
parks, exercise course. Green Hills Country Club-golf course, private. Many
activities for seniors, teenagers and kids. Annual arts and wine festival draws
about 100,000. Western side borders Crystal Springs Reservoir, pretty.
Skateboard park. Popular and scenic trail-park through middle of town. Also
shore trail.
Downtown
along Broadway has been fixed up with planters and brick crosswalks. Coffee
houses, restaurants, shops, Trader Joe's. More stores along El Camino Real.
Big hotels
on waterfront, if you want to try their cuisine. New library opened in 2004.
Crime rate
low. One homicide in each 2005, 2004, 2003 and 2002, zero from 1994-2001. In
1998, Millbrae officer Dave Chetcuti was shot to death on Highway 101 while
coming to the assistance of another officer. Suspect, with a history of mental
illness, was captured. In 2006, elderly couple murdered at home; acquaintance
arrested on suspicion. See Crime. www.mccormacks.com
Compared
to other schools in the state, Millbrae elementary scores land in the 70th to
90th percentile. Taylor Middle School was renovated and opened a technology
center. Day care at many of the public schools. See Schools.
Many teens
attend Mills High School, which frequently scores in the top 10 percent among
state high schools.
In 2000,
voters passed a bond to renovate all schools, including Mills, in the San Mateo
Union High School District, and in 2006 passed a $298 million bond to continue
the renovations and modernize facilities.
In 2007,
voters were being asked to approve a parcel tax to pay elementary teachers more
and retain programs. Needing two thirds, about 67 percent, the measure went
down with 64 percent. In these situations, parents are often asked to put up
money for programs.
Sitting
next to the airport, served by two freeways, and with buses, Caltrain and BART,
Millbrae has to be considered an excellent commute. Underpass near BART station allows motorists to avoid delays
caused by trains. www.mccormacks.com
More
freeway improvements are planned but motorists will sometimes find the traffic
irritating. Millbrae and many Peninsula towns were built when trains were kings
and life revolved around the train station. The design of these old downtowns,
even with improvements, clogs traffic and hangs it up at the signals.
Noise
complaints near airport. Many homeowners have received money to buffer homes
against plane noise. SFO cites reports that it is in compliance with federal
noise standards but what a government agency deems acceptable might be
otherwise to a person who has to put up with the noise.
Chamber of
commerce (650) 697-7324.
•Transit
hub. BART and Caltrain run parallel and don't come together except at Millbrae
station. BART goes all the way to downtown San Francisco. Caltrain stops at the
edge of the downtown San Francisco, next to Giant Stadium and light-rail line.
Transferring at Millbrae will ease the commute of some San Francisco travelers.
•
Underway: $150 million worth of improvements to Highway 101 between Millbrae
and San Mateo — extra lanes near ramps, overpass rebuilt, bike lanes
added to local streets.
• Cameras
to nail red-light runners are popular in Millbrae. City council think the
cameras reduce accidents. Also bump Millbrae revenues. Fine is $271, of which
Millbrae gets $147. www.mccormacks.com
• Good
town for watching planes land and take off. The hill homes look right down on
the airport.
City web
site: www.ci.millbrae.ca.us
