North Burlingame
Burlingame's accessible northern tier — same excellent schools, a more attainable entry point
North Burlingame Real Estate Market Snapshot
Living in North Burlingame
North Burlingame is the residential band occupying the northern third of Burlingame, roughly between Broadway and the San Mateo city limit along El Camino Real. It carries the same Burlingame School District assignment and the same Burlingame High School pathway that defines the entire city's premium, but its housing stock — slightly denser, with more post-war ranches and fewer of the pre-war Craftsman bungalows that crowd Burlingame Park and Ray Park — trades at 10–15% below the city's central neighborhoods. That spread has made North Burlingame a durable entry point for buyers who want Burlingame's institutional framework without the full freight of its historic core.
The streets here are laid on a grid, punctuated by Mills Canyon Park on the western edge. The park — a forested ravine owned and maintained by the city — is one of North Burlingame's genuine differentiators: a 135-acre urban wilderness providing hiking trails, seasonal creek access, and a buffer of preserved open space that you rarely find two blocks from a Caltrain platform in San Mateo County. Homes on the canyon's rim sell at a premium within the neighborhood.
Caltrain proximity is the second structural asset. The Burlingame Caltrain station is walkable from much of North Burlingame, placing it at roughly 35 minutes from San Francisco's 4th and King terminal and 25 minutes from Palo Alto on the express schedule. For dual-income households with one partner commuting to the City and one to the South Bay, this geography is difficult to beat. SFO is a 10-minute drive.
The housing mix in North Burlingame includes a concentration of 1940s and 1950s ranches (1,200–1,800 sq ft on 5,000–6,500 sq ft lots), some late-1960s split-levels, and a growing number of fully renovated or rebuilt homes as buyers capitalize on the neighborhood's school assignment. Condominiums and multi-family buildings cluster along El Camino Real. The distinction between North Burlingame's residential interior and its El Camino commercial corridor is stark — one street off ECR and you're in quiet suburban lanes.
Schools
Burlingame School District (K–8): Franklin, Roosevelt, McKinley, BIS (Burlingame Intermediate). High school: Burlingame High (San Mateo Union HSD) — top 10 public high school in San Mateo County consistently. Same school pathway as all of Burlingame.
Lifestyle
Mills Canyon Park — 135-acre wooded ravine with trails, 2 blocks from many homes. Walkable to Burlingame Caltrain station. Broadway shopping district 10 minutes south. SFO 10 minutes by car. Easy access to Caltrain express to SF (35 min) or Palo Alto (25 min).
Price Ranges
Original ranch homes: $2.0M–$2.4M. Updated or expanded SFH: $2.3M–$2.9M. Canyon-rim properties or new construction: $2.8M–$3.5M. Competition typical at pricing below $2.5M.
Frequently Asked Questions about North Burlingame
Does North Burlingame have the same schools as the rest of Burlingame?
How close is North Burlingame to SFO and Caltrain?
How does North Burlingame differ from Burlingame Park or Ray Park?
Is there a Mello-Roos in North Burlingame?
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