Woodside, California | |
|---|---|
 The Village Hub in Woodside | |
 Location inSan Mateo County and the state of California | |
  Woodside Location in the United States Show map of California Woodside Woodside (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:37°25′47″N122°15′15″W / 37.4297°N 122.2542°W /37.4297; -122.2542 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Mateo |
| Incorporated | November 16, 1956[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 11.47 sq mi (29.70 km2) |
| • Land | 11.47 sq mi (29.70 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 387 ft (118 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,309 |
| • Density | 463.0/sq mi (178.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes[5] | 94061–94062 |
| Area code | 650 |
| FIPS code | 06-86440 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1660202,2413509 |
| Website | www |
Woodside is anincorporated town inSan Mateo County, California, United States, on theSan Francisco Peninsula. It has acouncil–manager system of government.
The population of the town was 5,309 at the2020 census.[4] The town's population has a median household income above $250,000 and median home price above $5 million. The town is known for its quaint and small town feel despite being close to Silicon Valley, and is home to many venture capital and investment firms.
The Woodside area was originally home to theOhlone tribe.[7] In 1769, led byGaspar de Portolá, Spanish explorers searching forSan Francisco Bay camped at a site near Woodside. In 1840, the land that was to be the future Woodside became part of aMexican land grant,Rancho Cañada de Raymundo, which in 1841 was granted to an Englishman, John Coppinger.
Woodside is said to be the oldest English-speaking settlement in the southern part of the San Francisco Peninsula. The first English-speaking settlers arrived in the early 19th century to log the rich stands of redwoods. Charles Brown constructed thefirst sawmill in Woodside on his Mountain Home Ranch around 1847. Brown's adobe house still stands today.[8] By mid-century, the Woodside area had a dozen mills producing building materials for a booming San Francisco.
In 1849, during theCalifornia Gold Rush, 20-year-old Mathias Alfred Parkhurst purchased 127 acres (0.5 km2) of timberland and named it "Woodside". By the late 19th century, Woodside was home to country estates. The Sequoia Redwood trees in Woodside are currently 3rd generation growth; the first generation of which were used to build San Francisco's original homes[citation needed]. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the loggers returned to Woodside to cut the second growth of redwood so it could be used for the rebuilding of San Francisco[citation needed].
In 1909, theFamily, a private club in San Francisco, set up camp facilities and rustic buildings in Woodside at the Family Farm, a rural retreat used by club members for recreation. Gatherings at the Family Farm include an annual Farm Play, written and performed by members. In 1912, the Family pooled funds to buildOur Lady of the Wayside Church in Portola Valley, designed by 19-year-oldTimothy L. Pflueger, his first commission.[9] The historic building was repaired at a cost of $600,000 after the1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.[10]
Woodside wasincorporated in 1956 and it retains a rural residential character even though it is only a short commute toSilicon Valley andStanford University.
In early 2022, the town initially declared itself amountain lion habitat to circumventstate affordable housing requirements and then subsequently retracted that position.[11] It backed down after California Attorney GeneralRob Bonta denied this claim writing, "[t]here is no valid basis to claim that the entire town of Woodside is a habitat for mountain lions."[12][13]
On November 15, 2023, a meeting was held at theFiloli estate in UnincorporatedSan Mateo County near the town of Woodside, betweenPresident Biden andGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping amid the2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit taking place in San Francisco. After meeting withChinese leaderXi Jinping that day, Biden announced the two made progress on a common understanding to crack down on chemicals trafficked from China that are used to makefentanyl, improve military communications in the Indo-Pacific, and address risks associated with artificial intelligence.[14]
Woodside is located on theSan Francisco Peninsula inSan Mateo County. The town is on the eastern slopes of theSanta Cruz Mountains and its south-western boundary reachesCalifornia State Route 35 which runs along the ridge of those mountains.Redwood City to the north withAtherton andMenlo Park to the east lie between Woodside and theSan Francisco Bay. To the south isPortola Valley.
Much of Woodside is wooded, with redwoods andDouglas fir dominating in the western hills and more oaks and eucalyptus in the lower areas.West Union Creek joinsBear Creek in Woodside. Woodside has a variety of habitat types includingCalifornia oak woodland andriparian zones. There is considerablebiodiversity present, Woodside being within theCalifornia Floristic Province. Notable species present include therare andendangered speciesAcanthomintha duttonii, the San Mateo Thornmint. TheSan Andreas Fault runs through portions of Woodside.
As is true of most of the California coastal areas, weather in Woodside is usually mild during most of the year. Summers are dry and can be hot; winter temperatures rarely dip much below freezing. Average January temperatures are a maximum of 60 °F (16 °C) and a minimum of 36 °F (2 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 88 °F (31 °C) and a minimum of 51 °F (11 °C). Snowfall is extremely rare except in the nearbySanta Cruz Mountains, where several inches falls every several years. Annual precipitation averages 30.9 in (780 mm) and falls on an average of 61 days annually.
The record maximum temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) on July 22, 2006, and the record minimum temperature was 17 °F (−8 °C) on February 6, 1989. Temperatures reach 90 °F (32 °C) or higher on an average of 48.4 days annually. Temperatures drop to freezing on an average of 10.0 days annually. The maximum rainfall in one year was 59.86 in (1,520 mm) in 1983. The maximum rainfall in one month was 20.50 in (521 mm) in December 2002 and the maximum in 24 hours was 4.64 in (118 mm) on December 1, 2002. On February 5, 1976, 3.0 in (7.6 cm) of snow fell at the fire station.
Hills and mountains between Woodside and the Pacific coast make fog much less prevalent than in nearby San Francisco. As well, during the summer, Woodside's climate is hotter than that of San Francisco.
| Climate data for Woodside, California | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 84 (29) | 88 (31) | 99 (37) | 104 (40) | 108 (42) | 111 (44) | 114 (46) | 108 (42) | 106 (41) | 90 (32) | 76 (24) | 114 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 70 (21) | 76 (24) | 79 (26) | 88 (31) | 95 (35) | 100 (38) | 102 (39) | 102 (39) | 99 (37) | 94 (34) | 79 (26) | 69 (21) | 102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.2 (16.2) | 64.3 (17.9) | 68.5 (20.3) | 73.0 (22.8) | 78.7 (25.9) | 84.1 (28.9) | 88.1 (31.2) | 88.4 (31.3) | 86.1 (30.1) | 79.8 (26.6) | 67.6 (19.8) | 60.9 (16.1) | 75.1 (23.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.0 (9.4) | 51.7 (10.9) | 54.8 (12.7) | 57.8 (14.3) | 62.3 (16.8) | 66.5 (19.2) | 69.9 (21.1) | 69.8 (21.0) | 68.0 (20.0) | 62.7 (17.1) | 54.0 (12.2) | 48.9 (9.4) | 59.6 (15.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 36.8 (2.7) | 39.1 (3.9) | 41.2 (5.1) | 42.6 (5.9) | 46.1 (7.8) | 48.9 (9.4) | 51.8 (11.0) | 51.3 (10.7) | 49.9 (9.9) | 49.8 (9.9) | 40.5 (4.7) | 37.0 (2.8) | 44.6 (7.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 28 (−2) | 29 (−2) | 32 (0) | 34 (1) | 39 (4) | 42 (6) | 43 (6) | 44 (7) | 42 (6) | 36 (2) | 30 (−1) | 27 (−3) | 26 (−3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 19 (−7) | 17 (−8) | 28 (−2) | 30 (−1) | 29 (−2) | 36 (2) | 35 (2) | 28 (−2) | 38 (3) | 25 (−4) | 23 (−5) | 20 (−7) | 17 (−8) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.56 (141) | 5.49 (139) | 4.26 (108) | 1.89 (48) | 0.65 (17) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.01 (0.25) | 0.04 (1.0) | 0.19 (4.8) | 1.25 (32) | 3.57 (91) | 5.42 (138) | 28.47 (723.65) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.7 (1.8) |
| Source: NOAA[15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3,592 | — | |
| 1970 | 4,734 | 31.8% | |
| 1980 | 5,291 | 11.8% | |
| 1990 | 5,035 | −4.8% | |
| 2000 | 5,352 | 6.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,287 | −1.2% | |
| 2020 | 5,309 | 0.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] | |||
At the2010 census Woodside had a population of 5,287. The population density was 450.6 inhabitants per square mile (174.0/km2). The racial makeup of Woodside was:
There were 243 residents of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race (4.6%).[17]
There were 1,977 households. The average household size was 2.67. There were 1,487 families (75.2% of households); the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 48.8 years. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.7%.
At the2020 census the town had a population of 5,309. The racial makeup was:
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was more than $250,000, and theper capita income was $152,475. About 2.2% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line.[18]
Numerous residents keep horses, and the town government maintains a network of horse trails. Some residents live on farmland used for business. The town is also popular among local cyclists and draws them in large numbers on weekends. The most popular road cycling routes include Old La Honda Road, King's Mountain Road, Cañada Road, Skyline Boulevard andHighway 84. TheTour of California bicycle race includes several roads along and adjacent to CA-84 and Skyline Boulevard.
Woodside is home to a number of open space preserves, including thePurisima Open Space (part of theMidpeninsula Regional Open Space), where both horseback riding and bicycling are allowed. For mountain biking, the famousSkeggs Point is located in Woodside along Skyline Boulevard. It is also home to Huddart County Park, which is accessible by authorized motor vehicles, pedestrians, and horses on Kings Mountain Road.
Wunderlich Park is extremely popular with both hiking and horse enthusiasts. Thetrails in this park are shared by those on foot and on horse and span almost 1000 acres.
Dr. Carl Djerassi founded an artists' colony south of Woodside in memory of his late daughter Pamela.[19] TheDjerassi Artists Residency is one of several Bay Area programs that houses artists.
Filoli Gardens is a historic estate in Woodside, featuring a 54,000-square-foot Georgian Revival mansion and 16 acres of formal gardens on a 654-acre property. Built between 1915 and 1917 for mining magnate William Bowers Bourn II, the site is managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Filoli is open to the public and is known for its horticultural collections, seasonal displays, and use as a venue for cultural and educational programs.
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Woodside is inthe 13th senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Josh Becker, and inthe 23rd Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Marc Berman.[20]
Federally, Woodside is inCalifornia's 16th congressional district, represented byDemocrat Sam Liccardo.[21]
TheWoodside Elementary School District operates public elementary and middle schools. TheSequoia Union High School District operatesWoodside High School.
Funding for public schools in Woodside are supplemented by grants from private foundations set up for that purpose and funded by local residents that enables Woodside to have one of the highest per pupil funding rates for elementary school and middle school students in the Bay Area.[22]
The city is served by the Woodside Public Library of theSan Mateo County Libraries, a member of thePeninsula Library System.
TheMortimer Fleishhacker House was filmed as the Martin family house in theRobin Williams movieBicentennial Man.[23]Dynasty was filmed at theFiloli Estate (not the interior of the mansion, but the exterior), as were the filmsThe Wedding Planner,The Game,Lolita,George of the Jungle,Heaven Can Wait, andHarold and Maude. The musicalRent also has a scene filmed inside the Filoli Estate.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Several notable people who live or have lived in Woodside, California, include:
.jpg)
In wealthy districts, the public schools have essentially been privatized; they insulate themselves from shortfalls in state funding with money raised by foundations they have set up for themselves.
Municipalities and communities ofSan Mateo County, California,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities and towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Bodies of water |  | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counties | |||||||||||||
| Cities and towns |
| ||||||||||||
| CDPs over 10k | |||||||||||||
| Sub-regions | |||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
