Redwood City

Redwood City incorporated in 1867, the first city to do so in San Mateo, and it has been the county seat since the county was formed in 1856. The land had been part of the Rancho de las Pulgas granted to the Arguello family in 1835 by the Mexican government. Their control was challenged after the Mexican-American War when California became part of the United States. The family lawyer, Simon M. Mezes, in 1854 defended the claim somewhat successfully and was allowed to buy the part of the estate that is now Redwood City. Mezes sold some of the land to people already squatting on it along the banks of Redwood Creek and named the settlement, Mezesville. Though the city did not keep that name, Mezes Park still exists on land Mezes had given for open space.

In 1907 Eikichi and Sadakusi Enomoto, Japanese immigrant brothers, grew perhaps the first chrysanthemums commercially in the United States in Redwood City. In 1926 the chamber of commerce proclaimed the city the “Chrysanthemum Center of the World” though the internment of Japanese Americans in 1941 and other factors removed flower growing as a major industry in the city.

In an attempt to revitalize Redwood City’s downtown, city officials decided to look into development. In February 1999 the San Mateo County History Museum opened inside the old San Mateo County Courthouse in downtown Redwood City. The courthouse had been built in 1910 and in the late ’30s an addition was built in front of the original structure, obscuring the view. The addition was torn down and been replaced with a large courtyard flanked by water fountains on either side, leading to the main steps of the courthouse as part of the revitalization. The courthouse’s glass dome is lit at night and changes colors every 11 seconds.

In August 2006, a 20-screen theater and various shops opened in a prime downtown location. The theater complex boasts restaurant and retail space at street level and a 2-level underground parking structure.

• Union Cemetery, State Historical Landmark #816
• Fox Theatre
• Lathrop House
• Sequoia High School

Preserves include Bair Island Ecological Preserve (State) and the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge on the shoreline. Edgewood County Park known for its wildflowers towards the Santa Cruz Mountains.

City parks include

• Andrew Spinas Park (1.46 acres or 0.59 hectares) – 2nd Ave./Bay Rd. Established in 1966 and named for Andrew L. Spinas a long time Redwood City teacher and school superintendent who served on the Parks and Recreation Commission from 1938 to 1953.
• Dolphin Park (2.36 acres or 0.96 hectares) – Turks Head/Quay Ln.
• Dove Beeger Park (1 acre or 0.40 hectares) – Whipple Ave./Circle Rd.
• Fleishman Park (.63 acres or 0.25 hectares) – Locust St./McEvoy St.
• Garrett Park (6.9 acres or 2.8 hectares) – 3600 Block Glenwood Ave.
• Hawes Park (1.59 acres or 0.64 hectares) – Hudson St./Roosevelt Ave. Built in 1934 and named for Horace Hawes, state assemblyman, who in 1864 donated land and money to the city for a new school.
• Hoover Park (10.18 acres or 4.12 hectares) – Woodside Rd./Spring St.
• Jardin de Niños (.31 acres or 0.13 hectares) – Middlefield Rd./Chestnut St.
• Linden Park (.22 acres or 0.089 hectares) – Linden St./Park St.
• Maddux Park (.62 acres or 0.25 hectares) – Maddux Dr./Kensington Rd.
• Mariner Park (6.25 acres or 2.53 hectares) – Tiller Lane/Bridge Parkway
• Marlin Park (11.15 acres or 4.51 hectares) – Neptune Dr./Cringle Dr.
• Mezes Park (1.67 acres or 0.68 hectares) – Warren St./Standish St.
• Palm Park (.9 acres or 0.36 hectares) – Hudson St./Palm Ave.
• Preserve Park (3.5 acres or 1.4 hectares) – 99 Shearwater Parkway
• Red Morton Community Park (31.74 acres or 12.84 hectares) – 1120 Roosevelt Ave.
• Sandpiper Park (11.07 acres or 4.48 hectares) – Redwood Shores Parkway and Egret Ln.
• Shannon Park (1.87 acres or 0.76 hectares) – Davit Lane/Shannon Way
• Shore Dogs Park (.69 acres or 0.28 hectares) – 1300 Block Radio Rd.
• Shorebird Park (3.68 acres or 1.49 hectares) – Marine Parkway/Island Dr.
• Stafford Park (1.62 acres or 0.66 hectares) – King St./Hopkins Ave. Established in 1946 and named for the donor, Daniel R. Stafford (1870-1948) who had been a Redwood City grocer, city clerk, and mayor.
• Stulsaft Park (42.06 acres or 17.02 hectares) – 3737 Farm Hill Blvd. Established in 1951 and named for the real estate developer, Morris Stulsaft, who donated the land.
• Wellesley Crescent Park (.75 acres or 0.30 hectares) – Edgewood Rd./Arlington Rd.
• Westwood Park (.25 acres or 0.10 hectares) – Westwood St./Briarfield Ave.

It has elementary and middle schools operated by the Redwood City School District. At the high school level it is part of the Sequoia Union High School District and high schools in Redwood City that are part of this district are the comprehensive Sequoia High School, the charter schools Summit Preparatory Charter High School and Everest Public High School, and the continuation school Redwood High School. Many students from Redwood City attend another Sequoia Union school, Woodside High School, in the neighboring town of Woodside.

The Redwood City Libraries system, a member of the Peninsula Library System, has four branches in the city: Downtown, Fair Oaks, Redwood Shores, and Schaberg. The city’s first library opened in 1865 and in 1900 the city passed a special tax to support a free public library. In 1904 Andrew Carnegie gave $10,000 for a new library; he gave another $6,000 in 1906 to rebuild it after it was destroyed in the earthquake. In 1959 Schaberg library opened and was named for Hannah Schaberg who left money for its building in her will.

Neighborhoods include Bair Island to the northeast of Highway 101. The northern neighborhood of Redwood Shores also to the northeast of Highway 101 is part of Redwood City, although it is not possible to travel by road from one to the other without passing through the neighboring city of San Carlos, or through Belmont via unincorporated San Mateo County. Stretching along Highway 101 to the southeast of Woodside Road is Friendly Acres, further inland and still to the southeast of Woodside Road are Redwood Village and then Redwood Oaks. Most neighborhoods are to the northwest of Woodside Ride and southwest of Highway 101. Centennial, Downtown, and Stambaugh Heller are adjacent to 101. Next inland are Edgewood, Mt. Carmel, Central and Palm then Canyon, Eagle Hill, Roosevelt, and Woodside Plaza. Furthest inland is Farm Hills (or Farm Hill).

Neighborhoods associated with Redwood City but not part of the incorporated city include Emerald Lake Hills and Kensington Square inland and to the north and North Fair Oaks to the southeast. Palomar Park, just north of Emerald Hills and east of San Carlos’ Crestview area, is another Redwood City neighborhood that is formally part of unincorporated San Mateo County. Although Redwood City has a large middle class, the south eastern section of Redwood City highly resembles working class North Fair Oaks in demographic make-up and income level.