Burlingame, California

Known as the “City of Trees,” due to the nearly 20,000 trees within it city limits, Burlingame is a beautiful city with an expansive shoreline on San Francisco Bay. Burlingame is one of few cities in the mid-Peninsula that has maintained its old-world charm with its tree-lined streets, warm climate and strict residential ordinances.

Neighbors with San Mateo to the south and Millbrae to the north, Burlingame is known for its residential quality of life and lovely pedestrian downtown district with hundreds of high-end stores and top-rated restaurants.

Home to popular shopping strips Burlingame Avenue and Broadway, both thoroughfares that connect California Drive to El Camino Real, Burlingame boasts a lucrative easternmost section along the Bay known at Hotel Row, which offers residents and visitors fine dining, luxurious hotels and sweeping Bay views, parks and walking trails.

Many who can afford it flock to Burlingame to enjoy its lovely community amenities including its Sunday morning Farmer’s Markets, Art in the Park fair or Washington Park jazz concerts.

Burlingame elementary schools offer top-notch academics, sports and parental involvement. Its high school, Burlingame High School, is also the site for a shared city-district sports facility with an aquatic center, track, tennis courts and numerous sporting fields.

Burlingame Area Schools


Burlingame Real Estate Areas

Burlingame has many neighborhoods, with well-manicured streets and homes owned by residents with big pride of ownership. You’d be hard-pressed to find even a fixer-upper in Burlingame for less than $1 million.

  • Burlingame Park

Burlingame Park, also known as Old Burlingame, is probably the most expensive and desirable neighborhoods in Burlingame. It borders sought after Hillsborough and has some of the largest lots in the city. Burlingame Park is also home to many of the largest homes in all of Burlingame. Its desirability also is factored by its proximity to Burlingame Avenue, which is home to high-end retail stores and restaurants. Burlingame Park is a smaller neighborhood and therefore inventory is usually quite scare for active buyers. The majority of homes in this neighborhood sell for $2 million and above. The elementary school for Burlingame Park is Washington Elementary School.

  • Downtown Burlingame

Downtown Burlingame is known more for its retail shops and restaurants than its homes. The downtown just received a major facelift in 2014 making Burlingame Avenue feel increasingly high-end. A barrage of retailers call Downtown Burlingame home, such as Trina Turk, JCrew, Lululemon and Pottery Barn, just to name a few.
Downtown Burlingame has more condos, townhomes and apartments than it does single family homes therefore driving the average price down compared to other Burlingame neighborhoods. The area is still extremely desirable with walkscores in the 90’s and its access to CalTrain and restaurants.
The elementary school for the Downtown Burlingame is McKinley Elementary School.

  • Lyon Hoag & Burlingables

These two areas are home to more affordable single family homes than their western counterparts. Although they border Hwy 101, they also are within walking distance to downtown (Burlingame Ave) and Washington Park. The streets are tree lined and there is a great sense of neighborhood and community among its residents. It is common live on a street that has a yearly block-party for the neighbors to gather and get to know each other.
The neighborhood is named after the two developers who subdivided the area: Lyon & Hoag.
The elementary school for the Lyon Hoag & Burlingables neighborhood is Washington Elementary School.

  • Burlingame Gardens

Burlingame Gardens is located near Broadway Avenue and Hwy 101. It is likely the most affordable neighborhood in Burlingame right now. Broadway Avenue is the alternative downtown area for those who are looking for retail and restaurants that have a more mom & pop feel.

The elementary school in Burlingame Gardens is McKinley. Burlingame’s only High School Campus, Burlingame High School, is located in Burlingame Gardens, making it a well-traveled region as this is where the shared aquatic and fitness center sits.

The typical home in Burlingame Gardens is an older 2-bedroom, 1-bath home in the $1.5 million price range. These are usually very old homes (pre-1950) of smaller sizes than most of us have become accustomed to, but the schools are great and the location works well for commuters. 

  • Burlingame Terrace

Burlingame Terrace borders two of the main Burlingame downtown areas: Broadway Avenue and Burlingame Avenue. Paloma Playground is a small jungle-gym in the neighborhood, and across California Avenue is Washington Park and the Jules Francard Grove of Heritage Eucalyptus trees. 

Burlingame Terrace is also close to Burlingame High School, the aquatic park and many other sports facilities is has to offer.

Burlingame terrace is home to smaller “bungalow” style homes and many of them were built in the pre-WWII era. These homes do not have much by way of large lots or backyards and homes are quite close in proximity to their neighbors — but it this does give the location a certain cozy feel.  The elementary school for the neighborhood is McKinley Elementary

  • 466 Easton Addition

Burlingame’s Easton Addition is one of the most desirable neighborhoods in all of Burlingame. With its tree-lined streets and stunning homes, what’s not to like? Most of the lots in this area are flat and about 6,000 square-feet making this area the perfect place for homeowners and contractors to build their dream homes. It is not uncommon to find a 3,000-square-foot, newer craftsman style home (worth $2.5m+) next to an original Spanish style 1,400- square-foot home (worth approx. $1.2m+). The wide array of architectural homes adds to the charm of the neighborhood.

Easton Addition has two public elementary schools, Roosevelt Elementary & Lincoln Elementary, within walking distance, as well as one private elementary school, Our Lady of Angels. This neighborhood is also home to the Easton Branch Library, which opened in 1943.

  • Burlingame Grove & Burlingame Village

Burlingame Grove and Burlingame Village neighborhoods are near the edge of Millbrae. They comprise a small neighborhood made up mostly of older (1940’s-1950’s) homes.

Homes in these neighborhoods have quite a bit of character with a variety of different types and styles of homes. Many of the homes are typically one story, on 4,000- 5,000-square-foot lots with attached one-car garages. Many of the homes are 3 bedroom, 1 baths or 2 bedroom 1 baths. Current sales show that homes in these neighborhoods sell for approximately $1.3 million and above.

The elementary school for Burlingame Grove and Village is Lincoln Elementary.

  • Ray Park

The Ray Park neighborhood is located in North Burlingame on the west side of El Camino Real. Ray Park borders the city of Millbrae and offers commuters close proximity to BART, Hwy 280 & 101. It is close to nearby Peninsula Hospital, which has been completely remodeled and rebuilt as well as Burlingame Plaza shopping center.

The area consists of mostly one level ranchers on flat, level lots. Many of the homes in Ray Park were built after WWII and are larger in size (approximately 2,000 sq. ft) with a traditional feel. A typical home is has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2 car attached garage.

The Elementary school for Ray Park is Lincoln Elementary and Franklin Elementary Schools and it is also home to Burlingame’s only public middle school, Burlingame Intermediate School. 

  • Burlingame Hills

Burlingame Hills is a unique neighborhood where one can find scenic views, more privacy from your neighbors and larger lot sizes. Most of the homes are on either a downward or upward slope and built between 1950 and 1970.

The area is made up of rolling hills, curving streets and wooded hillsides. Most of the homes are larger in size and typically 2 stories. The homes are more spread out and many offer stunning views of the Bay Area.

If you live in Burlingame Hills you are likely to drive everywhere you go as the location has lower walkscores than most of the other Burlingame neighborhoods.

Nestled in the Burlingame Hills is Mercy High School, an all-girls Catholic private high school. The school is located adjacent to the Kohl Mansion where many hold special private events and weddings. The elementary school for the neighborhood is Franklin Elementary.

  • Mills Estates

Mills Estates is home to newer homes than the rest of Burlingame. Homes here are about 50-60 years old and consist of ranchers, 2 story homes and a few Eichler-style homes. The main artery at the center of Mills Estates is Trousdale Drive, the only Burlingame exit of HWY 280. Trousdale is a long, slightly curvy street that runs from Interstate Highway 280 to El Camino Real. On the western end of Mills Estates you get some amazing view of the flatlands leading to the Bay.

The area is great for families and professionals who need easy commutes to San Francisco or the Silicon Valley. For the outdoorsy type, the vast San Francisco State Fish and Game Refuge sits directly west of Mills Estate and is a wonderful woodland area that offers miles of rugged terrain for hiking, bike riding and fishing.

The elementary school for the neighborhood is Franklin Elementary.