Thanks for weighing in with your input. I agree on all counts, with the sole exception being Carlmont. I think up until just a few years ago, that statment was definitely correct — everyone in San Carlos pushed to go to Carlmont. But the last two years has seen a big surge in enrollment of San Carlos students at Sequoia, mostly by necessity since Carlmont is now closed to inter-district transfers. But feedback from the new freshman and sophomore class at Sequoia has been exceedingly positive from what I’ve been able to gather. We have a daughter at the school and she loves it there, and her younger brothers will definitely follow in her footsteps.

Thanks again,

Chuck

First, schools. As you note, however, Cordes kids go to Carlmont HS, which all SC parents want.

Second, proximity to Laurel St. White Oaks is not that close to the shops, as you also mentioned. Also, Laurel St, even today, is nothing to get excited about .

In contrast to White Oaks, Cordes – or at least where I live, is a lot greener( more trees, etc.) and homes can have great views of the Bay, tree-lined hills or both.

I do agree w/ Reuben- Cordes is a mixed bag. You can have new, high end homes just a few doors away from homes that need serious work or demolition.

Thanks for your insightful comments about the Cordes neighborhood. Your feelings are shared by many who live in your area — the whole impetus behind this post was an email from one of your neighbors stating almost exactly the same thing!

Enjoy your new home!

Chuck

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of living in Cordes is how it can reorient your lifestyle toward Belmont or even San Mateo. For instance, we use the Harbor Blvd. entrance/exit for US 101 as much as possible as it’s much more convenient and far less conjested than Holly, especially during rush hour. As much as we try to shop locally in San Carlos to keep our dollars in the community, there’s definite benefit of being within easy striking distance of the shopping in Belmont and south San Mateo; we find ourselves gravitating toward the Safeway on El Camino quite a bit.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, between White Oaks/Howard Park and Cordes is that Cordes hasn’t fully gentrified yet. There are still lots of old, original homes which haven’t been heavily renovated yet as well as many neighbors with 20, 30, or even 40 years in San Carlos. I think Cordes is a great time capsule of what this town used to be like.

Howard Park is sandwiched in between White Oaks and Cordes between Alameda to the west, and El Camino to the east. But since a picture is worth a thousand words, this map will show you much better: Map of Howard Park

In this page, there’s also a link with all of the homes currently for sale in this neighborhood. Right now, there’s only one!