Living in Emerald Lake Hills, California: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 15.6% above the U.S. average in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Emerald Lake Hills to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI doesn't publish crime figures for unincorporated communities. Call the county sheriff's office (or the town or township police, where there is one) and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town3 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is Sequoia High, about 2 miles away.
A hospital close byKaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City in Redwood City, about 3 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Jose is about 27 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Emerald Lake Hills meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Emerald Lake Hills runs into the built-up area around San Francisco (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $2,000,000 or moreU.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 6.7%San Mateo County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $3,500 or more a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $250,000 or moreU.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 91%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearCalifornia: $5,124
Homes built before 1940: 9%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 4%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 115.6U.S. average = 100 (the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 6.7% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area, not Emerald Lake Hills alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2020-2024 Census survey: 4,235The Census Bureau makes yearly estimates only for incorporated towns
Median age: 45.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 18%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 24%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 75%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 8%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Professional and business services (31%); schools, health care and social services (25%); finance, insurance and real estate (10%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 41%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 5%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City, Redwood City, CA, about 3 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Emerald Lake Hills, run by Redwood City Elementary. The nearest public high school is Sequoia High, about 2 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: Canada College (5,000 to 9,999 students); Alder Graduate School of Education (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on California's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 97%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 99%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 38°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 55 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 26 a year
Rain and melted snow: 19 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 335 feet

Weather stations: Woodside Fire Stn 1 (3 miles away) and Redwood City (2 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood CityEmergency room3

Redwood City, CACity of 82,0004

San Jose, CAMetro of 2 million27

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City, Redwood City, San Jose.

San Mateo County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Golden Gate National Recreation Area1 mile
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park25 miles
Fort Point National Historic Site26 miles
Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site28 miles
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park31 miles

Campus life. Check Alder Graduate School of Education's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Emerald Lake Hills's history on Wikipedia.

Know Emerald Lake Hills?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Woodside, CA5,200 people, 3 miles
North Fair Oaks, CA13,100 people, 3 miles
Atherton, CA7,000 people, 4 miles
West Menlo Park, CA3,600 people, 4 miles
Portola Valley, CA4,300 people, 7 miles
Hillsborough, CA11,200 people, 8 miles

Smaller places

Highlands, CA (unincorporated)2,450 people, 6 miles
Ladera, CA (unincorporated)1,297 people, 6 miles
Baywood Park, CA (unincorporated)1,580 people, 6 miles
La Honda, CA (unincorporated)1,269 people, 10 miles
Loma Mar, CA (unincorporated)309 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.