Hillsborough, CA

[Frances999]

Hi

My DH has been asked if we can relocate to near San Francisco for 10 months in 2007 for his job.

I guess it is unlikely, but does anyone know of this area? I am clueless about the entire W.Coast USA - so would appreciate any advice at all about a possible relocation there by an English family. We have three children, ages 3, 5 and 7. His business will provide a house for the period (and a car). Apparently the house is "most likely" to be in the Hillsborough area......any advice on this area? I have googled it but not much has come up.

We are hoping to visist the West Coast next summer, so will do some research then. However, he needs to give an answer by March, so we probably won't have a chance to check it out in person before agreeing/disgareeing.

Thanks so much for any advice. Even if you have't heard of this area, it would be great to hear about experiences by other families who may have experienced a temporary relocation due to work, regardless of the locations involved.

Thanks!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I don't know much about the West Coast either, but I do know that San Francisco is the most expensive place to live in the US. Just a though.

 

[Tinkerbellish]

Hillsborough is a VERY nice area. I just moved from there. :] It's upper-midde class/upper class. It's a small city nestled right in between San Mateo and Burlingame (both very nice areas as well). Most of the people who live there are doctor/lawyer types. It's one of the "no shacks under 1.2 million" type of cities. The high school for that area (Aragon) is not bad, but I'd reccomend going to the private schools (St. Gregory's, my old school, St. Matt's for elementary and middle school. Notre Dame Belmont and Serra for high schools). Most of the kids will probably be enrolled in those schools. The local public elementary is Baywood which is VERY good and the middle school is Borrel, which is alright.

Nonetheless, it's a nice place to grow up. :] You have the suburban life, but life in the city so close. You're in good proximity to everything from there as well. Some other areas to look at could be Foster City, San Mateo or Woodside.

If you have any more questions, I'd love to anwser them!

 

[Frances999]

Hillsborough is a VERY nice area. I just moved from there. :] It's upper-midde class/upper class. It's a small city nestled right in between San Mateo and Burlingame (both very nice areas as well). Most of the people who live there are doctor/lawyer types. It's one of the "no shacks under 1.2 million" type of cities. The high school for that area (Aragon) is not bad, but I'd reccomend going to the private schools (St. Gregory's, my old school, St. Matt's for elementary and middle school. Notre Dame Belmont and Serra for high schools). Most of the kids will probably be enrolled in those schools. The local public elementary is Baywood which is VERY good and the middle school is Borrel, which is alright.

Nonetheless, it's a nice place to grow up. :] You have the suburban life, but life in the city so close. You're in good proximity to everything from there as well. Some other areas to look at could be Foster City, San Mateo or Woodside.

If you have any more questions, I'd love to anwser them!

Thank you so much for your fast response. I have so many questions! I did not expect it to be such an expensive area.

When you say "city" what kind of scale is it on? I was under the impression it was a relatively small district. How far would it be to drive to the main area of San Francisco?

Some of the paperwork we have mentions "Nueva School" - have you heard of this? I believe it is a private school with an admissions test. These are all the details I have, though.

Thank you again!

 

[minniecarousel]

I'd jump at the chance to live in Hillsborough! It's a very nice area. It's a small town - but very close to the next small town. I imagine that it could take anywhere from 1/2 hour to an hour to get into SF. I would think the experience would be fantastic! Can't beat the weather either! (not sure how much fog they get - they may be in a pocket that doesn't get much.)

 

[Tinkerbellish]

No problem! By no means is it a large city at all, it's small. Most of it is "bedroom community" type. It's definatly suburaban. The drive to the main area of San Francisco...well it depends what day it is and what time. ;] It can take anywhere from 25-40 minutes. I'd say 35 minutes is the average though. The drive isn't bad at all.

Nueva School is a VERY good school for "gifted children". Given the oppertunity it would be a good place to send your children if the private schools aren't the way to go. It's small and pre-school through 8th grade which is nice.

https://nexus.nuevaschool.org/base.php?q__=QJhpqkdVGEREshYXD4uR8A==
Link to the school


Edit: The weather is actually pretty nice up there! We do have our rainy season (Laet November-Marchish) but in general it's cool in the winter (50-60) and nice all the rest of the year. It can get REALLY windy though. Fog is RARELY ever seen in this area.

 

[Frances999]

Thanks again I notice that the private schools you mentioned are all religiously linked. I guess that in the USA most private schools are church-associated - is this view correct? We wouldn't really be looking for a school which had strong religious connections, do you know of any like this?

Thank you

 

[Tinkerbellish]

I'd say that A LOT of the schools are religiously linked. There are a few out there that aren't I believe. A majority (like 95 percent) of the private schools in the Hillsborough area is Catholic.

The absoloute best in the area is Crystal Springs Uplands School in San Mateo. It's about 10 minutes from HIllsborough. It's VERRRY pricy (about 26,000 a year, plus other fees), but a Nonsectarian private school. It is K-12 and tiny, tiny. A VERY good school though. I have a few friends that go there (and was to go there myself, but then I got some great oppertunities else where) and they love it.

http://www.csus.com/

 

[Frances999]

I'd say that A LOT of the schools are religiously linked. There are a few out there that aren't I believe. A majority (like 95 percent) of the private schools in the Hillsborough area is Catholic.

The absoloute best in the area is Crystal Springs Uplands School in San Mateo. It's about 10 minutes from HIllsborough. It's VERRRY pricy (about 26,000 a year, plus other fees), but a Nonsectarian private school. It is K-12 and tiny, tiny. A VERY good school though. I have a few friends that go there (and was to go there myself, but then I got some great oppertunities else where) and they love it.

http://www.csus.com/

Thank you for the link to Crystal Springs. I think our three children will be too young - as it seems as though it starts at middle school level - and it is definitely too expensive as well. Our eldest two are at an independent preparatory school here in England which costs less than half the cost of that school! Do you know the typical fees for independent schools in the area? A the moment, the Nueva seems the best (if we are able to get them in).

Thanks yet again for all your help