Daly City (/ˈdeɪli/) is the second-most populous city inSan Mateo County, California, United States. Located in theSan Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south ofSan Francisco (sharing its northern border with almost all of San Francisco's southern border), it is named for businessman and landownerJohn Donald Daly. Its population was 104,901 at the2020 census.[7] Theracial makeup of Daly City was 57.3%Asian, 11.7% non-Hispanic White, and 23.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race in the2020 census.[10] Notably, 33.2% of the population of Daly City is Filipino.
Archaeological evidence suggests the San Francisco Bay area has been inhabited as early as 2700 BC.[11] People of theOhlone language group probably occupied northern California from at least the year A.D. 500.[12] Thoughtheir territory had beenclaimed bySpain since the early 16th century, they had relatively little contact with Europeans until 1769, when as part of an effort to colonizeAlta California, anexploration party led by DonGaspar de Portolá learned of the existence ofSan Francisco Bay.[13] Seven years later, in 1776, an expedition led byJuan Bautista de Anza selected the site for thePresidio of San Francisco, whichJosé Joaquín Moraga soon established. Later the same year,Franciscan missionaryFrancisco Palóu founded theMission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores).[14] As part of the founding, the priests claimed the land south of the mission for 16 miles for raising crops and forfodder for cattle and sheep.[15] In 1778, the priests and soldiers marked out a trail to connect San Francisco to the rest of California.[15] At the top of Mission Hill, the priests named the gap betweenSan Bruno Mountain and the hills on the coastLa Portezuela ("the Little Door").[15] La Portezuela was later referred to as Daly's Hill, the Center of Daly City, and is now calledTop of the Hill.[15]
Following theMexican Cession of California at the end of theMexican–American War, the owners of Rancho Laguna de la Merced tried to claim land between San Bruno Mountain and Lake Merced. An 1853 US government survey declared that the contested area was, in fact, government property and could be acquired by private citizens. A briefland rush occurred as settlers, mainly Irish, established ranches and farms in parts of what is now the neighborhoods ofWestlake,Serramonte, and the cities of Colma andPacifica.[18] A decade later, several families left as increases in thefog density killed grain and potato crops. The few remaining families switched to dairy and cattle farming as a more profitable enterprise.[18] In the late 19th century as San Francisco grew andSan Mateo County was established, the Daly City area also gradually grew, including homes and schools along the lines for theSouthern Pacific railroad.[19] The Daly City area served as a location where San Franciscans would cross over county lines to gamble and fight.[20] As tensions built in approach to theAmerican Civil War, California was divided between pro-slavery, andFree Soil advocates. Two of the main figures in the debate wereUS SenatorDavid C. Broderick, a Free Soil advocate, andDavid S. Terry, who was in favor of extension of slavery into California. Quarreling and political fighting between the two eventually led to aduel in the Lake Merced area, at which Terry mortally wounded Broderick, who died three days later.[21] The site of the duel is marked with two granite shafts where the men stood, and is designated asCalifornia Historical Landmark number 19.[22]
On the morning of April 18, 1906, amajor earthquake struck just off the coast of the Daly City area nearMussel Rock.[23] After the quake and subsequent fire destroyed many San Franciscans' homes, they left for temporary housing on the ranches of the area to the south, including the large one owned byJohn Daly.[24] Daly had come to the Bay Area in 1853, where he had worked on a dairy farm, and after several years, married his bosses' daughter and acquired 250 acres (1.0 km2) at the Top of the Hill area. Over the years, Daly's business grew, as did his political clout.[25] When a flood of refugees from the quake came, Daly and other local farmers donated milk and other food items.[26] Daly later subdivided his property, from which several housing tracts emerged.[25]
As some of the refugees established homes in the area, the need for city services grew. This, combined with the fear of annexation by San Francisco and being ignored by San Mateo County, whose seat far to the south left residents feeling ignored, created a demand for incorporation. The first such attempt was proposed in 1908 for incorporation as the city of Vista Grande. Vista Grande would have spanned from the Pacific to the Bay, with San Francisco as its northern border and South San Francisco and the old Rancho Buri Buri as its southern border. The proposal was rejected over the scope of the planned city, which was too broad for many residents.[27] The initial proposal also revealed rifts in the community among the various regions, including the area around the cemeteries, which were excluded from further plans of incorporation.[27] On January 16, 1911, an incorporation committee filed a petition with San Mateo County supervisors to incorporate the City of Daly City, which would run from San Francisco along the San Bruno Hills until Price and School Streets with San Francisco and west to the summit of the San Bruno Hills. The city would have an estimated population of 2,900.[28] On March 18, 1911, a special election was held, with incorporation narrowly succeeding by a vote of 132 to 130.[29]
It remained a relatively small community until the late 1940s, when developerHenry Doelger establishedWestlake, a major district of homes and businesses, including the Westlake Shopping Center. Beginning in the 1950s, Filipino Americans began to purchase homes east of Junipero Serra Boulevard, as they were barred from the Westlake development due toracial covenants.[30] On March 22, 1957, Daly City was again the epicenter ofan earthquake, this one a 5.3-magnitude quake on the San Andreas Fault, which caused some structural damage in Westlake and closedState Route 1 along the Westlake Palisades.[31] In 1963, Daly City annexed the city ofBayshore.[32] TheCow Palace, located in Bayshore and now within the city limits of Daly City, was the site ofthe following year's Republican National Convention; it had also hosted the1956 RNC. TheDaly City BART station opened on September 11, 1972, providing northern San Mateo County with rail service to downtown San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area. The line was extended south to Colma in 1996 and then to Millbrae and theSan Francisco International Airport in 2003.
TheDaly City History Museum, opened in March 2009, is located in the building that housed the John Daly Library, Daly City's first library. The museum houses exhibits related to Daly City's history, and maintains an archive of photos and documents.[34][35][36][37]
Neighborhoods of Daly City include Westlake,St. Francis Heights,Serramonte,Top of the Hill,Hillside,Crocker,Southern Hills, andBayshore. Westlake is notable for its distinct architecture and for being among the earliest examples of a planned, large-tract suburb. It was the inspiration forMalvina Reynolds' 1962 song "Little Boxes",[40] and later a coffee-table book and documentaryLittle Boxes: The Architecture of a Classic Midcentury Suburb.[41] Bayshore, the easternmost neighborhood of Daly City, was an incorporated city,Bayshore City, from 1932 to 1940; it was annexed to Daly City in 1963.[32] Several Daly City neighborhoods, such as Crocker, Southern Hills, and Bayshore, share astreet grid and similar characteristics with adjacent San Francisco neighborhoods, such asCrocker-Amazon andVisitacion Valley.
Several neighborhoods associated with Daly City lie outside of its city limits.Broadmoor is an unincorporated area completely surrounded by Daly City. Colma is an incorporated town sandwiched between Daly City, South San Francisco, and San Bruno Mountain. These enclaves are in charge of their own police and fire services, but also share some services with Daly City.
Daly City's climate is similar to that of San Francisco's western areas such as theRichmond District andSunset District areas, with fog occurring in the spring and early-to-late summer. Julys and Augusts, on rare occasions, peak over 75 °F. Summers are cool and dry, whereas winters are mild and wet.
The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[43]
There were 31,777 households, out of which 32.1% included children under the age of 18, 48.9% were married-couple households, 6.0% werecohabiting couple households, 26.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 18.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 17.7% of households were one person, and 7.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.28.[43] There were 23,393families (73.6% of all households).[44]
The age distribution was 17.2% under the age of 18, 9.1% aged 18 to 24, 30.6% aged 25 to 44, 25.9% aged 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.9years. For every 100 females, there were 97.8 males.[43]
There were 33,444 housing units at an average density of 4,378.6 units per square mile (1,690.6 units/km2), of which 31,777 (95.0%) were occupied. Of these, 54.0% were owner-occupied, and 46.0% were occupied by renters.[43]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 50.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 38.2% spoke only English at home, 15.2% spokeSpanish, 3.2% spoke otherIndo-European languages, 42.1% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 1.2% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 88.5% were high school graduates and 38.0% had a bachelor's degree.[45]
The median household income in 2023 was $119,570, and theper capita income was $48,219. About 4.2% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line.[46]
Daly City, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The racial makeup of Daly City was 56,267 (55.6%)Asian, 23,842 (23.6%) White, 3,600 (3.6%) African American, 805 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 404 (0.4%) Native American, 11,236 (11.1%) from other races, and 4,969 (4.9%) from two or more races.
The Census reported that 100,442 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 273 (0.3%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 408 (0.4%) were institutionalized.
Of the 31,090 households, 35.5% had children under 18 living in them, 51.1% were opposite-sex married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.2% had a male householder with no wife present, 5.2% wereunmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 293 (0.9%)same-sex married couples orpartnerships; 5,855 households (18.8%) were made up of individuals and 2,136 (6.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.23. There were 22,788families (73.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.63.
The population distribution was 19.4% under 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% were 65 or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.
The 32,588 housing units had an average density of 4,252.2 per square mile (1,641.8/km2), of which 56.5% were owner-occupied and 43.5% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%. About 57.6% of the population lived in owner-occupied housing units and 41.7% lived in rental housing units.
As of 2010 census figures, 40.7% of Daly City residents are of Filipino descent, the highest concentration ofFilipino/Filipino Americans of any midsized city in North America. This partly explains Daly City's place in the vernacular as the "Pinoy Capital".Benito M. Vergara Jr. details this history in his ethnographyPinoy Capital: The Filipino Nation in Daly City.[51]
Daly City and neighboring Colma have emerged as shopping meccas for San Francisco residents. A combination of plentiful free parking space (compared to the constrained and expensive parking options in San Francisco) and San Mateo County's historically slightly lower state sales tax rate[53] have contributed to this trend. Manybig box retailers that are unable to operate in San Francisco due to real-estate prices, space restrictions, or political or community opposition have opened stores in the Serramonte and Westlake neighborhoods. Daly City's shopping centers areSerramonte Center andWestlake Shopping Center.
The city council of Daly City is a five-member body composed of Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual, Vice Mayor Glenn R. Sylvester, and Council Members Juslyn C. Manalo, Pamela DiGiovanni, and Teresa G. Proaño.[55]
Daly City's highway infrastructure includes State Routes1,35, and82, andInterstate 280. Interstate 280, which bisects Daly City, is a primary transportation corridor linking San Francisco with San Mateo andSanta Clara Counties.
Daly City is a major hub for public transit.Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves Daly City ata namesake station, as well as atColma Station, which abuts the Daly City limits. In the 1980s, planning was conducted for the BART extension south from San Francisco, the first step being the Daly City Tailtrack Project, upon which turnaround project theSan Francisco Airport Extension later built.[57] Daly City station is the terminus of BART'sGreen andBlue lines, and the furthermost point in the BART network where every destination in the system can be reached without a transfer during normal hours.
^Levy, Richard (1978)."Costanoan". In William C. Sturtevant and Robert F. Heizer (ed.).Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 8. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 486.OL23238489M.Linguistic evidence suggests that the ancestors of the Costanoan moved into theSan Francisco and Monterey Bay areas about A.D. 500. ... The above postulated movement of Costanoan languages into theSan Francisco area seems to coincide with the appearance of the Late Horizon artifact assemblages in archeological sites in theSan Francisco bay region.
^Edward F. O'Day (October 1926)."The Founding of San Francisco".San Francisco Water. Spring Valley Water Authority. Archived fromthe original on July 27, 2010. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2009.
^"San Mateo". Office of Historic State Preservation California State Parks. 2009. RetrievedJuly 5, 2009.NO. 19 BRODERICK-TERRY DUELING PLACE ... The site is marked with a monument and granite shafts where the two men stood.
^C. Michael Hogan, Kay Wilson, M. Papineau et al., Environmental Impact Statement for the BART Daly City Tailtrack Project, Earth Metrics, published by the U.S Urban Mass Transit Administration and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District 1984
Chandler, Samuel C. (1979).La Peninsula: Daly City-Colma Leaves of History. San Mateo: San Mateo County Historical Association.OCLC54057606.
Chandler, Samuel C. (ed.).Biographies of Daly City Pioneers. Daly City: Daly City Public Library.OCLC51566082.
Diran, Edward (1991).Cow Palace, Great Moments: Cow Palace Tales. San Mateo, California: Western Book/Journal Press.ISBN978-0-936029-27-6.OCLC24655738.
Forbes, Alan A (1968).The American local government spectrum and Daly City, California as seen by an outsider. Daly City: Daly City Public Library.OCLC54676237.
Keil, Rob (2006).Little Boxes: The Architecture of a Classic Midcentury Suburb. Daly City, California: Advection Media.ISBN978-0-9779236-4-9.
Pisares, Elizabeth H. (1999).Daly City is My Nation: Race, Imperialism and the Claiming of Pinay/ Pinoy Identities in Filipino American Culture (Thesis). University of California, Berkeley.OCLC44992420.
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