San Mateo County has some surprising waterfront neighborhoods tucked into engineered marshland, and two stand out for modern floor plans, miles of lagoons, and a lifestyle built around water: Foster City and Redwood Shores. Both deliver a calm, suburban feel with walkable streets, dense canopy, and thoughtfully planned public spaces. But they are not the same. One community moves at a crawl on inventory and resale, the other offers a bit more availability and variety. This guide breaks down the differences in lifestyle, housing stock, parks, schools, and 2025 market data so you can decide which fits your priorities.
Table of Contents
- Overview: Foster City and Redwood Shores
- Waterfront and Lagoons: How the Bay Shapes Daily Life
- Floor Plans and Lot Sizes: Why These Areas Feel Modern
- Parks, Recreation, and Fitness
- Schools and Family Life
- Real Estate Market in 2025: Scarcity, Prices, and What the Data Says
- Condo and Townhome Market
- How to Succeed Buying in These Competitive Markets
- Comparison Summary: Which One Fits Your Life?
- Is it true fewer than 1 percent of homes sell in Redwood Shores each year?
- How much does the average home cost in Foster City and Redwood Shores?
Foster City and Redwood Shores
Foster City and Redwood Shores are purpose-built waterfront neighborhoods on the San Francisco Bay, both constructed on highly compacted fill and planned decades ago. Foster City has roughly 32,000 residents and functions as an independent city. Redwood Shores, home to about 11,000 people, is a neighborhood within Redwood City. Both began development around the late 1960s and early 1970s and evolved over decades into leafy, low-rise areas with strong community identity.
San Mateo County home-seekers who value space, modern layouts, attached garages, and proximity to water often find these two areas irresistible. They feel different from the classic character-home neighborhoods west of 101: here the vibe is modern-suburban, like a California version of a master-planned community you might expect in Irvine or certain Phoenix suburbs.
Waterfront and Lagoons: How the Bay Shapes Daily Life
These neighborhoods were designed around water as infrastructure and amenity. Foster City contains about 18 acres of waterways, intentionally colored and maintained to look glassy and inviting. The city adds a dye to keep the lagoons their trademark blue, and the engineering keeps them shallow and accessible. Redwood Shores, by contrast, has over 200 acres of open waterways with wider water views and more continuous stretches of bay frontage.
Boating is part of the culture. Motorized crafts are restricted in many lagoon areas, but electric boats, kayaks, rowing shells, and paddleboards are common. Foster City’s network lends itself to guided tours and resident-led water outings—if waterways and rowing matter to you, Foster City tends to deliver more of that hands-on boating culture. Redwood Shores connects well to the Seaport Boulevard area, a popular corridor for rowing and crew and home to local marinas and sailing programs.
Floor Plans and Lot Sizes: Why These Areas Feel Modern
Both Foster City and Redwood Shores were designed in an era when open floor plans and attached garages were standard. That makes them unique on the peninsula, where many older neighborhoods feature detached garages and tighter room layouts. If having an attached two-car garage, a laundry room near bedrooms, and kitchens that flow into outdoor spaces are priorities, these two communities are strong candidates.
Typical single-family homes east of 101 often provide 7,000 to 8,000 square foot lots and modernized floor plans designed for family life. West of 101 you may find smaller lots—5,000 to 6,000 square feet—and floor plans that appraisers sometimes describe as functionally obsolete, especially compared to the more contemporary designs found in these waterfront neighborhoods.
Parks, Recreation, and Fitness
Both neighborhoods prioritize parks, trails, and organized recreation. Foster City boasts 24 parks—likely the highest parks-per-capita ratio on the peninsula. Parks like Sea Cloud, Catamaran, Boat Park, and Leo J. Ryan offer turf fields, dog-friendly areas (including a unique turf dog park), and launch points for rowing and dragon boat teams.
The Bay Trail is a big draw for both neighborhoods and for many who live elsewhere in San Mateo County. You can bike or walk long uninterrupted distances along the water. Foster City invested in a comprehensive levy system—about a $90 million project—to protect the town from rising tides and avoid mandatory flood insurance. That levy also made the Bay Trail stretches around Foster City safer and more continuous for cyclists, runners, families, and commuters.
Redwood Shores has its own green network and parks—Dolphin Park, Mariners Park, Marlin Park, Preserve Park, Shorebird Park, and a popular off-leash dog park. For club-level fitness and sports, Redwood Shores hosts the Bay Club and Foster City has the Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC), both offering indoor courts, pools, and robust fitness facilities.
Schools and Family Life
School coverage between these two neighborhoods is similar but not identical. Foster City has four public elementary schools and one middle school. Redwood Shores has two elementary schools and no middle school inside the neighborhood—students attend middle school in the Belmont-Redwood Shores district across 101. Neither neighborhood has a high school within its boundaries; high school students cross 101 to attend schools in neighboring communities. If walking to elementary, middle, and high school all within a couple of minutes is a must, these neighborhoods may not check that box.
Both neighborhoods offer additional educational and enrichment resources tied to the bay. Redwood Shores is home to the Marine Science Institute and local sailing programs like Spre Sailing. Seaport Boulevard hosts crew and rowing teams, and collegiate rowing squads sometimes practice in these waters.
Real Estate Market in 2025: Scarcity, Prices, and What the Data Says
The real estate picture in these neighborhoods is striking for its low inventory. Redwood Shores recorded only seven single-family home sales year to date in 2025 out of roughly 2,200 homes. That is less than 1 percent turnover—astonishingly low supply. Condo and townhome sales in Redwood Shores are also minimal compared with other parts of San Mateo County.
Foster City, with about 6,700 homes, had roughly 93 single-family sales by late 2025 and will likely end the year around 95 to 96 sales. That equates to about 1.38 percent of all homes selling—a low turnover but still several times higher than Redwood Shores. Condos and townhomes show more activity: Foster City saw dozens of condo and townhome sales in 2025, and entry prices on multifamily housing are generally lower than Redwood Shores.
Price context for 2025:
- Redwood Shores average sale price: roughly $2.4 million; median about $2.3 million. Typical three-bedroom ranges from $1.9 million to $2.4 million and the upper single-family transactions have hit high twos to low threes.
- Foster City average sale price: roughly $2.3 million; median about $2.2 million. Three-bedroom homes ranged from $1.7 million to over $3.1 million depending on size and lot; four- and five-bedroom home prices spanned from the mid 1.5 million range up toward $3.9 million on premium lots.
Price per square foot is similar between the two: Foster City averages about $1,100 per square foot, comparable to Redwood Shores. The key difference is choice and volume. Redwood Shores has dramatically fewer options, so opportunities to buy are rare and competition can be intense when a property appears on the market.
Condo and Townhome Market
For many buyers, condos and townhomes are the entry point into these waterfront lifestyles without the upkeep of a single-family home. Redwood Shores has roughly 2,175 condos and townhomes across 19 complexes. Prices generally span from just over $1.2 million up to $2.2 million for townhomes, with square footage in the 1,400 to nearly 2,900 range for the larger offerings.
Redwood Shores condo prices have a broad spread—from about $730,000 at the low end to $1.7 million at the high end—with most recent sales skewing toward two-bedroom units. Waterfront-facing units command a premium over interior-facing ones.
Foster City’s townhomes featured a median townhome price of about $1.4 million in 2025, with a range from approximately $1.1 million to $1.7 million. Condo entry points in Foster City are generally lower than Redwood Shores, starting in the mid $600,000s and extending up to about $1.9 million for larger or waterfront units. That makes Foster City a better starting place for buyers seeking multifamily options with attached garages and modern layouts.
How to Succeed Buying in These Competitive Markets
Both neighborhoods reward preparation, patience, and speed. Here are practical strategies that work in low-inventory situations in San Mateo County:
- Start your search early. With inventory this low, early monitoring helps you catch the handful of listings as soon as they hit the market.
- Be prepared to act quickly. When an appealing property appears, offers often move fast. Have financing, inspection allowances, and preferred contingencies planned in advance.
- Consider off-market approaches. If you are targeting Redwood Shores, where turnover is under 1 percent, outreach to owners and patience can sometimes produce opportunities not listed publicly.
- Prioritize must-haves vs nice-to-haves. Decide which features you cannot compromise on—attached garage, number of bedrooms, water views—and which you can live without. This sharpens search criteria and speeds decisions.
- Work with local experts. Agents who live and work in San Mateo County often have early knowledge of coming listings, community nuances, and negotiation strategies tailored to these neighborhoods.
Comparison Summary: Which One Fits Your Life?
Both Foster City and Redwood Shores deliver waterfront living, modern floor plans, and a calm suburban atmosphere. Here is a compact comparison to help you decide based on lifestyle:
- Choose Redwood Shores if you want wider open water views, a quieter, sleepier neighborhood, and easy access to Seaport Boulevard rowing culture and the Marine Science Institute. Be prepared for extremely low inventory and a patient search.
- Choose Foster City if you want more boating activity, slightly more shopping and community amenities on hand, a larger supply of condos and townhomes at lower entry prices, and plenty of parks and organized sports fields.
From a value perspective, east of 101 in these planned communities you often get more modern floor plans, attached garages, and larger lots than comparable-priced homes west of 101. If space, modern layout, and integrated water access matter, these neighborhoods rise to the top in San Mateo County searches.
FAQ: Foster City and Redwood Shores
Is it true fewer than 1 percent of homes sell in Redwood Shores each year?
Yes. In 2025 Redwood Shores recorded just seven single-family home sales year to date out of roughly 2,200 homes, which is under 1 percent turnover. This reflects extremely low supply and high owner retention.
How much does the average home cost in Foster City and Redwood Shores?
In 2025 the average sale price in Redwood Shores was about $2.4 million with a median of $2.3 million. Foster City’s average was close to $2.3 million with a median of $2.2 million. Price ranges vary widely by size, lot, and water view.
Are there good parks and recreation options nearby?
Yes. Foster City has about 24 parks including large turf fields and unique features like a turf dog park and dragon boat activity. Redwood Shores offers several well-maintained parks and open space, plus waterfront programs and a sailing school.
Which area is better for boating and water sports?
Both offer strong water access, but Foster City has a more active local boating culture and an extensive lagoon network that encourages resident tours and paddle sports. Redwood Shores has larger open-water areas and access to Seaport Boulevard's rowing and sailing facilities.
Are schools nearby?
Both areas have elementary schools inside the neighborhoods. Redwood Shores does not have a middle school within its boundaries, and neither community contains a high school. Families send children to nearby districts for middle and high school options.
What’s the best way to find a home here given low inventory?
Be prepared, patient, and proactive. Have pre-approval ready, work with a local agent, monitor listings daily, and consider off-market outreach strategies. When a good property appears, move decisively with an offer tailored to the seller’s priorities.
San Mateo County offers a rare combination of waterfront living, modern floor plans, and community-first design in Foster City and Redwood Shores. Your choice between them will hinge on whether you value slightly easier access to boating and amenities or prefer the quieter, wider-water feel of Redwood Shores—even if it means a much longer search. If you want help interpreting local inventory, exploring available options, or planning a search strategy for these neighborhoods, reach out to a local specialist familiar with San Mateo County dynamics.
