Emerald Lake Hills, California
Encyclopedia
Emerald Lake Hills is a census-designated place
and neighborhood in unincorporated San Mateo County
, in the state
of California
, USA
. Situated among oak-studded hills between Woodside
, Redwood City
, and San Carlos
roughly bounded by Edgewood Road, Alameda de las Pulgas, Farm Hill Boulevard, and Interstate 280
. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census and the per-capita income was $68,966, making it the 22nd wealthiest place in California and the 82nd wealthiest place (with a population over 1,000) in the United States
Emerald Lake Hills was originally conceived as a resort community for city-weary San Franciscans during World War I. Emerald Lake Hills actually consists of two large subdivisions created around 1920: Emerald Lake (even though there are two lakes) and Emerald Hills. Residents refer to the area by either Emerald Hills or by Emerald Lake Hills. The name Emerald Hills is now more commonly adopted due to mailing designation rules, as the U. S. Post Office would allow only a two-word name.
Renowned throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for its spectacular display of spring wildflowers, Edgewood Park occupies 467 acres (1.9 km²) of grasslands, chaparral, and wooded foothills between Highway 280 and the homes of Emerald Hills. Known for its biotic diversity, this small wilderness was declared a permanent natural preserve in 1993 with support from the EHHA, thus protecting it from any future development.The park has four entrances: Old Stage Camp Road off Edgewood Road, the Sunset Trailhead off Hillcrest Way, Clarkia Way off Cañada Road, and the Sylvan Way Access. A well-maintained system of trails is open for hikers, joggers, and equestrians.
Emerald Lakes
Named for the distinctive emerald green water that fills them, the two lakes created by the original developers of Emerald Hills still exist to enhance the beauty of the area. While Upper Emerald Lake on Jefferson Avenue is privately held by the owners of its surrounding shoreline, Lower Emerald Lake is owned and operated by the Emerald Lake Country Club. Formed in 1920, the club is located at 500 Lake Boulevard on the intersection of Oak Knoll and Vista Drive. Club members and their families enjoy swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, and fishing in Lower Emerald Lake during the summer months.
Handley Rock Park
Located on Handley Trail Way in the center of Emerald Hills, Handley Rock Park features a monolith of sandstone of 50 feet (15.2 m), the largest formation of its kind in San Mateo County Situated on a lot of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²), this County-approved private park is operated by the Handley Rock Association, a group of local residents and rock-climbing enthusiasts.
("Flea Ranch"). This land was granted in 1795 to José Darío Argüello
, one of the last governors of Spanish California. The land was later passed on to his son, Luís Antonio Argüello, who in 1822 became California's first native, elected governor. Luís Argüello died in 1830, probably never having lived on the Rancho. In 1835, the Mexican government officially granted land ownership rights to his heirs.
Luís Argüello's widow, Soledad Ortega, did move to the ranch; her home was near what is now Arguello Park in San Carlos. Some accounts say she moved to the ranch right after his death; others say it was in the 1840s, during the Mexican War, when U.S. troops were occupying California.
Before Soledad Arguello died in 1874, the rancho would be further divided. By the mid-1850s, legislator Horace Hawes had a big parcel between Whipple and Woodside roads, with a house on the site of Sequoia High School. Hawes used a former stock pond on the ranch for irrigation—the pond that would become Lower Emerald Lake. By 1885 the northern part of Hawes' estate had been bought by Moses Hopkins (brother of Mark Hopkins), who dammed the pond to increase its capacity. An existing rock wall at Rose Gate, a home on Lakeview Way above the lake, is said to be a boundary wall of the Arguello ranch, suggesting that the western sections of the original parcel remained intact toward the turn of the century.
The developers aimed their marketing at San Francisco families, emphasizing the proximity of Emerald Lake Hills as a weekend or vacation retreat and especially singing the praises of its largely fog-free climate. They cited the "climate best by government test" and compared it to "the eternal summer which Lord Byron ascribed to Greece." A Leonard & Holt newsletter says the area "rivals the beauty of fine old European towns," and predicts it will become a resort famous throughout California. The company would regularly bus potential buyers in for free picnics at the lakes. A golf course was built atop the hill to the north of the lake, with the clubhouse at 530 Lakeview Way.
In 1926 20 owners of lakeside homes banded together and bought the lake to increase the value of their properties. They established their consortium as the Emerald Lake Country Club, and their grant deed forbid the construction of "any barroom, livery stable, hospital or undertakertaking establishment". One of the early members of the Country Club was famous San Francisco attorney Vince Hallinan, who led the campaign against a swim dress code, citing the chic European women he'd seen in modern swimwear.
With the lake out of their hands, Leonard and Holt decided to build another, Emerald Lake No. 2 or Upper Emerald Lake. It was to be the centerpiece of the 3,000-resident community the Highlands of Emerald Lake. By summer 1927 they had built the lake by damming a creek and had created a beach, water slide, diving platforms and a playground with "equipment of the most novel design." The lake's clubhouse was what is now the residence at Lakeview and Edgecliff; a structure at Lakeview and Jefferson is recalled as a roadhouse.
By 1927 30 miles (48.3 km) of roads in the Emerald Lakes area had been completed, most of them paved. In 1929, the Easter Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater, was built at the crest of California Way, and a large concrete cross above it at the high point of the development. (The cross would later be vandalized and rebuilt larger—at 94 feet (28.7 m), taller than the cross at San Francisco's Easter Bowl, on Mount Davidson.)
In the late '20s, Leonard and Holt aggressively marketed Upper Emerald Lake to San Franciscans. However; the stock market crash hit both Emerald Lake developments hard. The golf course was sold and became the Wellbanks tract. The upper lake and an adjacent area of 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) were sold in 1938 to Simpson Reinhard, a prominent jewelry store owner.
was a major industry in San Jose; the most visible result of the Farm Hill discovery today is a street named Silver Hill.
In 1968, Emerald Hills had 430 families, of which 110, about 25 percent, had resided there less than a year and 180 from one to nine years; four years later, the newcomer rate had dropped to 10 percent. Also near the lake was a convent occupied by Franciscan sisters from 1967–70; today the order has a large compound, Mount Alverno, adjacent to the Elks golf course.
A survey of homeowners at this time showed that, having staved off the interstate threat, they were most concerned with keeping the neighborhood's rustic nature. On the whole, they opposed annexation to Redwood City, and supported bigger lot sizes for a maximum of 1,400 homes in the area, more trails, and preservation of the lakes and two unique features, the Easter Cross and Handley's Rock. At the time, a large parcel adjacent to the proposed freeway at the community's northern edge was being considered for a possible Cal State campus. That plan was abandoned, and, because the presence of a little butterfly called the bay checkerspot helped lead to the defeat of attempts to build a golf course there, the land is now Edgewood County Park.
Trails are limited to the parkland, though residents have been successful in limiting road width.
Upper Lake is owned by 11 households that border it. Lower Lake is owned by 50 families, and open to 105 more as summer club members.
The Easter Cross remains standing, visible to highway drivers as far south as Palo Alto. The Easter Bowl, however, was abandoned in the early '80s, and the traditional services and animal parade are no longer held.
Handley's Rock was bequeathed as public land by its owner, and has remained open to public despite neighboring residents' complaints of noise and fire danger.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the neighborhood has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it is land and 0.55% is water.
was 3,557.4 people per square mile (1,373.5/km²). The racial makeup of Emerald Lake Hills was 3,655 (85.4%) White, 39 (0.9%) African American, 5 (0.1%) Native American, 322 (7.5%) Asian, 15 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 56 (1.3%) from other races
, and 186 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 288 persons (6.7%).
The Census reported that 4,252 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 26 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,550 households, out of which 554 (35.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,106 (71.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 82 (5.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 43 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 66 (4.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 22 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 212 households (13.7%) were made up of individuals and 80 (5.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 1,231 families
(79.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.03.
The population was spread out with 976 people (22.8%) under the age of 18, 222 people (5.2%) aged 18 to 24, 845 people (19.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,682 people (39.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 553 people (12.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.0 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
There were 1,614 housing units at an average density of 1,342.1 per square mile (518.2/km²), of which 1,402 (90.5%) were owner-occupied, and 148 (9.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%. 3,873 people (90.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 379 people (8.9%) lived in rental housing units.
of 2000, there were 3,899 people, 1,437 households, and 1,120 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density
was 3,312.1 people per square mile (1,275.8/km²). There were 1,466 housing units at an average density of 1,245.3 per square mile (479.7/km²).
There were 1,437 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.1% were married couples
living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the neighborhood the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males.
The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $127,250, and the median income for a family was $141,255 compared to Redwood City's other census-designated place and low income neighborhood, North Fair Oaks, which has a median family income of $54,678. Males had a median income of $95,873 versus $66,250 for females. The per capita income
for the neighborhood was $68,966. About 0.5% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.
and secondary schools in the Sequoia Union High School District
http://www.emeraldhills.org/pages/aroundtown.html.
Elementary school children in the northern half of the CDP attend Clifford School, while elementary school children in the southern half attend Roy Cloud School.
High school children attend either Sequoia High School
or Woodside High School
http://www.woodsidehs.org/.
Emerald Lake Hills is located in the 11th Senate
District, represented by Democrat
Joe Simitian
, and in the 21st Assembly
District, represented by Democrat Rich Gordon
. Federally, Emerald Lake Hills is located in California's 12th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of D +22, represented by Democrat Jackie Speier
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
and neighborhood in unincorporated San Mateo County
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, in the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Situated among oak-studded hills between Woodside
Woodside, California
Woodside is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It uses a council-manager system of government. The U.S. Census estimated the population of the town to be 5,287 in 2010....
, Redwood City
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, and San Carlos
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
roughly bounded by Edgewood Road, Alameda de las Pulgas, Farm Hill Boulevard, and Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...
. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census and the per-capita income was $68,966, making it the 22nd wealthiest place in California and the 82nd wealthiest place (with a population over 1,000) in the United States
Emerald Lake Hills was originally conceived as a resort community for city-weary San Franciscans during World War I. Emerald Lake Hills actually consists of two large subdivisions created around 1920: Emerald Lake (even though there are two lakes) and Emerald Hills. Residents refer to the area by either Emerald Hills or by Emerald Lake Hills. The name Emerald Hills is now more commonly adopted due to mailing designation rules, as the U. S. Post Office would allow only a two-word name.
Points of interest
Edgewood County Park and Natural PreserveRenowned throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for its spectacular display of spring wildflowers, Edgewood Park occupies 467 acres (1.9 km²) of grasslands, chaparral, and wooded foothills between Highway 280 and the homes of Emerald Hills. Known for its biotic diversity, this small wilderness was declared a permanent natural preserve in 1993 with support from the EHHA, thus protecting it from any future development.The park has four entrances: Old Stage Camp Road off Edgewood Road, the Sunset Trailhead off Hillcrest Way, Clarkia Way off Cañada Road, and the Sylvan Way Access. A well-maintained system of trails is open for hikers, joggers, and equestrians.
Emerald Lakes
Named for the distinctive emerald green water that fills them, the two lakes created by the original developers of Emerald Hills still exist to enhance the beauty of the area. While Upper Emerald Lake on Jefferson Avenue is privately held by the owners of its surrounding shoreline, Lower Emerald Lake is owned and operated by the Emerald Lake Country Club. Formed in 1920, the club is located at 500 Lake Boulevard on the intersection of Oak Knoll and Vista Drive. Club members and their families enjoy swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, and fishing in Lower Emerald Lake during the summer months.
Handley Rock Park
Located on Handley Trail Way in the center of Emerald Hills, Handley Rock Park features a monolith of sandstone of 50 feet (15.2 m), the largest formation of its kind in San Mateo County Situated on a lot of 0.5 acres (2,023.4 m²), this County-approved private park is operated by the Handley Rock Association, a group of local residents and rock-climbing enthusiasts.
Early history
Emerald Lake Hills is located in what was once the 35000 acres (141.6 km²) Rancho de las PulgasRancho de las Pulgas
Rancho de las Pulgas was a 1795 Spanish land grant in present day San Mateo County, California to José Darío Argüello. The name means "Ranch of the Fleas". The grant was bounded by San Mateo Creek on the north and San Francisquito Creek on the south, and extended about one league from San...
("Flea Ranch"). This land was granted in 1795 to José Darío Argüello
José Darío Argüello
José Darío Argüello was a Spanish soldier and California pioneer, and twice governor of California.-Biography:José Darío Argüello was born in Santiago de Querétaro, New Spain ....
, one of the last governors of Spanish California. The land was later passed on to his son, Luís Antonio Argüello, who in 1822 became California's first native, elected governor. Luís Argüello died in 1830, probably never having lived on the Rancho. In 1835, the Mexican government officially granted land ownership rights to his heirs.
Luís Argüello's widow, Soledad Ortega, did move to the ranch; her home was near what is now Arguello Park in San Carlos. Some accounts say she moved to the ranch right after his death; others say it was in the 1840s, during the Mexican War, when U.S. troops were occupying California.
Early Statehood
In the early 1850s, Mexico having ceded California and gold having been discovered, there was a huge rush for land. Squatters began occupying the Arguello rancho amid rumors that the family's title to the ranch was no good. The Arguellos hired lawyer Simon Mezes to defend their claim. His payment was 15 percent of their land, a prime bayfront parcel. Mezesville later became Redwood City, port for the logging industry.Before Soledad Arguello died in 1874, the rancho would be further divided. By the mid-1850s, legislator Horace Hawes had a big parcel between Whipple and Woodside roads, with a house on the site of Sequoia High School. Hawes used a former stock pond on the ranch for irrigation—the pond that would become Lower Emerald Lake. By 1885 the northern part of Hawes' estate had been bought by Moses Hopkins (brother of Mark Hopkins), who dammed the pond to increase its capacity. An existing rock wall at Rose Gate, a home on Lakeview Way above the lake, is said to be a boundary wall of the Arguello ranch, suggesting that the western sections of the original parcel remained intact toward the turn of the century.
Roaring '20s Resort
In the early '20s, San Francisco developers had an eye on the area as a site for recreational summer homes. The name Emerald Hills was first used in a 1920 brochure distributed by George Irvine, who had big plans but inadequate cash. When he lost the property near the lake, it was snapped up by Charles Holt, the Anglo-California Bank employee assigned to the foreclosure. Holt brought in builder George Leonard, and Emerald Lake Hills became the prime property of the Leonard & Holt Real Estate & Mortgage Co. (Another of their projects was Ingleside Terraces, on Junipero Serra Boulevard and Ocean Avenue in San Francisco.) Early on in the development, Irvine's original sewer system became overtaxed and the dam burst; Leonard and Holt had to drain the lake and rebuild the dam.The developers aimed their marketing at San Francisco families, emphasizing the proximity of Emerald Lake Hills as a weekend or vacation retreat and especially singing the praises of its largely fog-free climate. They cited the "climate best by government test" and compared it to "the eternal summer which Lord Byron ascribed to Greece." A Leonard & Holt newsletter says the area "rivals the beauty of fine old European towns," and predicts it will become a resort famous throughout California. The company would regularly bus potential buyers in for free picnics at the lakes. A golf course was built atop the hill to the north of the lake, with the clubhouse at 530 Lakeview Way.
In 1926 20 owners of lakeside homes banded together and bought the lake to increase the value of their properties. They established their consortium as the Emerald Lake Country Club, and their grant deed forbid the construction of "any barroom, livery stable, hospital or undertakertaking establishment". One of the early members of the Country Club was famous San Francisco attorney Vince Hallinan, who led the campaign against a swim dress code, citing the chic European women he'd seen in modern swimwear.
With the lake out of their hands, Leonard and Holt decided to build another, Emerald Lake No. 2 or Upper Emerald Lake. It was to be the centerpiece of the 3,000-resident community the Highlands of Emerald Lake. By summer 1927 they had built the lake by damming a creek and had created a beach, water slide, diving platforms and a playground with "equipment of the most novel design." The lake's clubhouse was what is now the residence at Lakeview and Edgecliff; a structure at Lakeview and Jefferson is recalled as a roadhouse.
By 1927 30 miles (48.3 km) of roads in the Emerald Lakes area had been completed, most of them paved. In 1929, the Easter Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater, was built at the crest of California Way, and a large concrete cross above it at the high point of the development. (The cross would later be vandalized and rebuilt larger—at 94 feet (28.7 m), taller than the cross at San Francisco's Easter Bowl, on Mount Davidson.)
In the late '20s, Leonard and Holt aggressively marketed Upper Emerald Lake to San Franciscans. However; the stock market crash hit both Emerald Lake developments hard. The golf course was sold and became the Wellbanks tract. The upper lake and an adjacent area of 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) were sold in 1938 to Simpson Reinhard, a prominent jewelry store owner.
After the war
Within a few years of the end of World War II, Emerald Hills was making the transition from a vacation resort to a residential area, albeit a rustic one. The Emerald Lake Homeowners Association was established in the '50s to contest the planned routing of an interstate highway through the neighborhood. (Completed in the early '70s, Interstate 280 runs west of Emerald Hills, sticking close to the San Andreas Fault.) In the adjacent Farm Hill subdivision—part of Redwood City—kids discovered mercury in 1955 on the property of Andy Oddstad. The mercury market was not as vigorous, however, as it was in the years when the New Almaden Quicksilver MineNew Almaden
The New Almaden quicksilver mine in the Santa Teresa Hills in Santa Clara County, California, United States, is the oldest and most productive quicksilver mine in the U.S. The site was known to the Ohlone Indians for its cinnabar long before a Mexican settler discovered the ores in 1820...
was a major industry in San Jose; the most visible result of the Farm Hill discovery today is a street named Silver Hill.
In 1968, Emerald Hills had 430 families, of which 110, about 25 percent, had resided there less than a year and 180 from one to nine years; four years later, the newcomer rate had dropped to 10 percent. Also near the lake was a convent occupied by Franciscan sisters from 1967–70; today the order has a large compound, Mount Alverno, adjacent to the Elks golf course.
A survey of homeowners at this time showed that, having staved off the interstate threat, they were most concerned with keeping the neighborhood's rustic nature. On the whole, they opposed annexation to Redwood City, and supported bigger lot sizes for a maximum of 1,400 homes in the area, more trails, and preservation of the lakes and two unique features, the Easter Cross and Handley's Rock. At the time, a large parcel adjacent to the proposed freeway at the community's northern edge was being considered for a possible Cal State campus. That plan was abandoned, and, because the presence of a little butterfly called the bay checkerspot helped lead to the defeat of attempts to build a golf course there, the land is now Edgewood County Park.
Maxing Out
Emerald Hills used septic tanks until early 1980s, a factor that limited building: In 1982, the year the sewer system was installed, the neighborhood had 900 homes. A building moratorium from the late 1970s to 1986 forestalled the boom—but by 1992, the count had boomed to 1,400, eliminating most of the vacant lots. Many of the new homes were large and expensive. Among the new residents were several Forty-Niners, including Joe Montana, as the team was then training in Redwood City. Today, only a few lots remain open, and though building of homes continues, most of them are on the sites of former cabins and vacation homes.Resolved Issues
Annexation is no longer an issue.Trails are limited to the parkland, though residents have been successful in limiting road width.
Upper Lake is owned by 11 households that border it. Lower Lake is owned by 50 families, and open to 105 more as summer club members.
The Easter Cross remains standing, visible to highway drivers as far south as Palo Alto. The Easter Bowl, however, was abandoned in the early '80s, and the traditional services and animal parade are no longer held.
Handley's Rock was bequeathed as public land by its owner, and has remained open to public despite neighboring residents' complaints of noise and fire danger.
Geography
Emerald Lake Hills is located at 37°27′52"N 122°15′59"W (37.464388, -122.266389).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the neighborhood has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it is land and 0.55% is water.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Emerald Lake Hills had a population of 4,278. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,557.4 people per square mile (1,373.5/km²). The racial makeup of Emerald Lake Hills was 3,655 (85.4%) White, 39 (0.9%) African American, 5 (0.1%) Native American, 322 (7.5%) Asian, 15 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 56 (1.3%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 186 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 288 persons (6.7%).
The Census reported that 4,252 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 26 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 1,550 households, out of which 554 (35.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,106 (71.4%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 82 (5.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 43 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 66 (4.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 22 (1.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 212 households (13.7%) were made up of individuals and 80 (5.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 1,231 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(79.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.03.
The population was spread out with 976 people (22.8%) under the age of 18, 222 people (5.2%) aged 18 to 24, 845 people (19.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,682 people (39.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 553 people (12.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.0 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
There were 1,614 housing units at an average density of 1,342.1 per square mile (518.2/km²), of which 1,402 (90.5%) were owner-occupied, and 148 (9.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%. 3,873 people (90.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 379 people (8.9%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,899 people, 1,437 households, and 1,120 families residing in the neighborhood. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,312.1 people per square mile (1,275.8/km²). There were 1,466 housing units at an average density of 1,245.3 per square mile (479.7/km²).
There were 1,437 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the neighborhood the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males.
The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $127,250, and the median income for a family was $141,255 compared to Redwood City's other census-designated place and low income neighborhood, North Fair Oaks, which has a median family income of $54,678. Males had a median income of $95,873 versus $66,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the neighborhood was $68,966. About 0.5% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Residents are zoned to primary schools in the Redwood City School DistrictRedwood City School District
Redwood City School District is the public elementary school district serving Redwood City, California. As of 2009, it serves over 8,800 students in 16 schools.-Schools:Elementary Schools * * * * * Elementary Schools * * * *...
and secondary schools in the Sequoia Union High School District
Sequoia Union High School District
The Sequoia Union High School District is a public school district in the San Francisco Bay Area, primarily serving the communities of Atherton, Belmont, East Palo Alto, Ladera, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Redwood City, and Woodside....
http://www.emeraldhills.org/pages/aroundtown.html.
Elementary school children in the northern half of the CDP attend Clifford School, while elementary school children in the southern half attend Roy Cloud School.
High school children attend either Sequoia High School
Sequoia High School
Sequoia High School can refer to:*Sequoia High School *Sequoia High School *Sequoia High School...
or Woodside High School
Woodside High School (Woodside, California)
Woodside High School is an American public high school located in Woodside on the border with Redwood City, California. It is part of the Sequoia Union High School District. It has scored a perfect ten in California's similar-school rankings in 2009 and 2010....
http://www.woodsidehs.org/.
Political representation
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Emerald Lake Hills is located in the 11th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Joe Simitian
Joe Simitian
Saren Joseph Simitian is a Democratic California State Senator elected in 2004. Simitian represents the 11th Senate District, which encompasses all or part of 13 cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties....
, and in the 21st Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Democrat Rich Gordon
Rich Gordon
Richard S. Gordon is an American politician from Menlo Park, California who currently serves in the California State Assembly representing the 21st district...
. Federally, Emerald Lake Hills is located in California's 12th congressional district
California's 12th congressional district
California's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that spans from the southwestern portions of San Francisco in the north down to San Mateo in the south, and from Moss Beach in the west to the edge of San Mateo in the east, where it borders...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D +22, represented by Democrat Jackie Speier
Jackie Speier
Karen Lorraine Jacqueline "Jackie" Speier is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and the southwest quarter of San Francisco.She is also a former member of the California State...
.