San Mateo

The city of San Mateo has a population of approximately 92,000. It is an affluent community located on the San Francisco Peninsula between San Francisco to the north and San Jose to the south. It was part of two original Spanish land grants, Rancho de las Pulgas and Rancho San Mateo. Changes came about when San Mateo became a stagecoach stop in 1849. There was a regular stagecoach run for many years between San Mateo and the coast. Further changes came with the advent of the railroad in 1861.

Beginning in the 1850s wealthy San Franciscans began seeking a warmer climate for summer retreats or even as a place to permanently relocate. This increased with the presence of the railroad. Neighboring cities like Hillsborough and Burlingame benefited from this exodus as well. One of the most famous former residents of San Mateo was the founder of the Bank of America, Amadeo Pietro Giannini.

Another important event in the City's history was the building of the Crystal Springs Dam in 1889. Not only did it provide employment opportunities, but it also provided a plentiful supply of safe drinking water. In this same year the Howard Estate was subdivided, this brought in the middle class. Two young entrepreneurs, Charles Kirkbride and Richard Jury, started the first successful newspaper "The Leader". With the increase in population the city became incorporated a few years later in 1894.

Demographics for the city, as of the 2000 census, are 66.2% White, 2.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 15.1% Asian, 1.6% Pacific Islander, 20.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. There are programs and signage in Spanish, so the SMPL seems to do a decent job of serving this ethnic group. The annual household income is approximately $80,000 per year.