Foster City, California

When you ask locals to describe the best things about living in Foster City lots of different positives come up but location is on everyone’s list.

Foster City is just above the midway mark between San Francisco and San Jose, and for many being a bit more north is a plus because many go to San Francisco more frequently than San Jose for social occasions, events, and weekend tours. Foster City is right along the 101 Freeway, the primary thoroughfare for the west side of the Bay Area. Even cooler is that it is at the western end of the San Mateo Bridge. This means you can get to the East Bay very fast and remove the Bay Bridge headaches that cities north of Foster City face. Finally, Foster City sits right on the bay so you get immediate access to the wonderful waterworld of the bay area without having to drive anywhere and it never gets hot as the water keeps the area cool in the summer.

Foster City is one of the suburban cities lining 101 that has no downtown. It has shopping/malls and big box stores nearby but no fun, walkable downtown to build a commercial culture around. The city is close to other cities with downtowns; San Mateo, Palo Alto, etc., but a missing center is a sore spot for those who want a walkable chance for drinks and eats.

The city has done a nice job of creating an outdoor culture in a suburban city. The streets of Foster City surround waterways on a peninsula that juts into the bay. That means water-based outdoor activities are always at your doorstep here. Additionally, the city is lined with wonderful bike and walking infrastructure. Families truly can spend a lot of their time on the water or the paths, enjoying the A+ year-round pleasant climate. An additional bonus is that many of the parks in Foster City are built on the waterfront so locals enjoy both park and water play from the same spot. Boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, AND then tennis, basketball, pickleball, playgrounds, and open greenspaces are available throughout the city.
Outside of that, you can expect a healthy family-focused suburban culture here. Tons of families, playing in little leagues and soccer leagues, enjoying an excellent school system, and growing up in a highly educated population. The city is extremely safe, and plenty of kids bike around to friends and school without fear.

Community events are aplenty in Foster City, despite the absence of a downtown. Much of the action happens in the parks, community center, and Amphitheater. This includes a year-round farmer’s market, summer concert series, constant family movie and meal events, and great big family-centric holiday events like a big 4th of July festivity, Summer Day event, community bike rides, Halloween Festival, and Holiday Tree Lighting festivities. Check it all out via the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Redwood City and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Foster City elementary schools are part of the San Mateo-Foster City School District and it’s one of the prime reasons families like to live here. It rates an A on niche.com and every school in Foster City is at the top of the rankings for the area. At the high school level, the city is part of the San Mateo Union High School District that rates an A+ on niche.com so that’s all good. The only downside is there are no high schools in the district in the city proper so you have to head to San Mateo (right next door) for school.