Daly City begins where San Francisco ends, and with about a hundred and five thousand residents it is the second largest city in San Mateo County — narrowly behind San Mateo itself. It was incorporated in 1911 and named for John Daly, who had bought 250 acres and subdivided them.
Most of the housing went up at once, and that is the character of the place. The developer Henry Doelger bought around six hundred acres and built Westlake, annexed in 1948 — the rows of boxy houses on the hills that gave Malvina Reynolds her song "Little Boxes" in 1962. The joke has outlived its accuracy: Westlake's schools were carried in Life, Architectural Forum and Fortune in the 1950s for their design, and the houses have proved to be exactly what a first-time Peninsula buyer can still get into. Serramonte, built by the Gellert brothers, added its own subdivisions and a super-regional mall in 1968.
For commuters it is BART rather than Caltrain — Caltrain does not serve Daly City at all. Daly City station is the terminus of the Green and Blue lines, Colma station abuts the city limits, and I-280 bisects the city. And yes, it is foggy: spring and summer bring it in off the ocean, and summers are cool and dry.
Photo: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Daly City, in the questions people ask us.
Does Caltrain stop in Daly City?
No. Daly City is a BART town — the station is the terminus of the Green and Blue lines, and Colma station is right at the city limits. For Caltrain the nearest stops are down the Peninsula.
Is Daly City the largest city in San Mateo County?
Second largest. San Mateo edged it at the 2020 Census, 105,661 to 104,901.
What are the "little boxes"?
The Westlake district, built by Henry Doelger from the late 1940s — rows of similar houses on the hills above the ocean, and the subject of Malvina Reynolds' 1962 song. They remain some of the most attainable houses this close to San Francisco.
Which schools serve Daly City?
Jefferson Elementary School District, K through 8, and Jefferson Union High School District — Jefferson and Westmoor high schools are both in the city. A few edges of Daly City fall into the Bayshore or Brisbane districts instead, so check the address.
Is it as foggy as people say?
In spring and summer, often — it comes off the ocean and the summers are cool and dry. It varies street by street: the Westlake side takes more of it than the eastern neighborhoods.
I have held a California real estate license since 1989, and in that time the Bay Area has changed almost beyond recognition. What has not changed is how a good move happens: through someone who knows the neighbourhoods, knows the people, and can make the right introduction at the right moment. I call myself a real estate consultant as well as an agent because most of the job is advice — when to sell, what to fix, which town suits the way you live — and the connections I have made since 1989 are there to be used for my clients.
A consultant, an agent and a connector.
Marisa Roman Wachhorst
