San Carlos

Lore that the first Spanish explorer arrived on the Peninsula by cresting the San Carlos hills and that he did so on November 4th—which is the Feast of St. Charles may have contributed to the town's name.

The first westerner to reach the San Francisco Bay was a Spaniard named Gaspar de Portolá, who came exploring in 1769. Early historians believed he crested the San Carlos hills to reach the inner Peninsula. Now we know it’s more likely that he arrived first in Belmont, but in the mid 1800s the early story played a role in the city’s nomenclature. 

An intersection of historical pieces and local lore are thought to have led to the name. The first two pieces of lore were the belief that Portolá came over the San Carlos hills and that he did so on November 4th—which is the Feast of St. Charles (San Carlos). Additionally, the name could be related to the fact that the San Carlos was the first ship to sail into the Bay and that it did so under the rule of Carlos III, King of Spain.

When the Spanish arrived with force and arms they set about creating missions to convert the Ohlone tribes living along the coast, who were the original inhabitants of the Peninsula dating back at least four millenia. At the end of the 18th century, Diego da Borica, governor of Spanish-controlled California (then part of Mexico, or as it was called “New Spain”), granted the largest tract of land ever awarded in the Peninsula to a Mexican lieutenant and commandant of Presidio San Francisco, José Darío Argüello. 

Rancho de las Pulgas stretched 35,000 acres and included present day San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, Atherton and Menlo Park. The Argüello family used the ranch for cattle and agriculture and José’s son, Luis, became the first California-born governor after Mexico gained independence from Spain. The Argüellos kept the granted territory not only when the Spanish left but also when the United States took control of California.

In the mid 1800s, the Argüellos began to subdivide and sell parcels of the ranch through Simon Mezes, a lawyer and developer who facilitated a large number of real estate transactions in Belmont and Redwood City at the same time. Unlike other cities on the Peninsula that experienced a boom during the Gold Rush in 1849, San Carlos remained relatively small into the 20th century.

In 1917, Mr. Frederick Drake with Mercantile Trust, took over a group called the San Carlos Park Syndicate which had unsuccessfully tried to market San Carlos lots. 100 foreclosed lots were placed in his care and Drake set about developing the area. He finished a water reservoir, piped water to the lots, brought in electricity and gas, paved the streets and guided the building of Spanish style cottages. He later helped establish the school district and in 1925 was prime mover in the push that led to formal incorporation of the city. Drake is often called the “Father of San Carlos.”

The city continued to slowly grow and at the end of World War II, the coming of an electronics plant and an electric company caused the city to quadruple. Today, San Carlos covers 5 square miles and has a population of 28,000. Like its neighboring towns, San Carlos is easily accessible from both San Francisco and Silicon Valley. San Carlos is not only cradled on the west side by national parks, it also hosts a number of parks, green spaces and hiking trails.  It continues to be an ideal town for families looking for fresh air, serene neighborhoods and a warm community. 

Where to Eat

Where to Play

Local Schools

Properties