Foster City, California
Foster City is a city located in San Mateo County, California. In 2019, the United States Census estimated the population to be 33,901, an increase of more than 10% since the 2010 census of 30,567. Foster City is sometimes considered to be part of Silicon Valley for its local industry and its proximity to Silicon Valley cities. Foster City is one of the United States’ safest cities, with an average of one murder per decade.
History
Foster City was founded in the 1960s on engineered landfill in the marshes of the San Francisco Bay, on the east edge of San Mateo. The city was named after T. Jack Foster, a real estate magnate who owned much of the land comprising the city and who was instrumental in its initial design. His successor firm, Foster Enterprises, run by his descendants, is still active in real estate affairs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as one of the Best Places to Live.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The total area is 81.07% water.Demographics
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Foster City had a population of 30,567. The population density was 8,138.2 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Foster City was 13,912 White, 576 African American, 29 Native American, 13,746 Asian, 189 Pacific Islander, 575 from other races, and 1,540 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,995 persons.The Census reported that 30,458 people lived in households, 52 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 57 were institutionalized.
There were 12,016 households, out of which 4,256 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,127 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 963 had a female householder with no husband present, 316 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 531 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 75 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,807 households were made up of individuals, and 860 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53. There were 8,406 families ; the average family size was 3.04.
The population was spread out, with 6,913 people under the age of 18, 1,526 people aged 18 to 24, 9,801 people aged 25 to 44, 8,223 people aged 45 to 64, and 4,104 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
There were 12,458 housing units at an average density of 3,316.8 per square mile, of which 6,958 were owner-occupied, and 5,058 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%. 18,423 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 12,035 people lived in rental housing units.
2000As of the census of 2000, there were 28,803 people, 11,613 households, and 7,931 families residing in the city. The 2009 median home price in Foster City was $1,025,000. The population density was 7,668.5 people per square mile. There were 12,458 housing units at an average density of 3,316.8 per square mile. There were 11,613 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. According to Money Magazine, the median income for a household in Foster City was $135,470. The median income for a family was $118,231. Males had a median income of $77,916 versus $51,157 for females. The per capita income for the city was $45,754. 2.9% of the population and 1.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.6% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. GovernmentIn the California State Legislature, Foster City is in, and in.In the United States House of Representatives, Foster City is in. As of July 2020, Foster City's Mayor is Catherine Mahanpour and its Vice-Mayor is Sanjay Gehani. Other councilmembers include Richa Awasthi, Sam Hindi, and Jon Froomin. Froomin was elected to office after former councilman Herb Perez was recalled by a majority of Foster City voters. Perez was the first councilperson to be recalled in the city since 1977. Former mayor, Sam Hindi, was the first Palestinian-American Mayor in the history of California. According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, Foster City has 16,568 registered voters. Of those, 7,336 are registered Democrats, 2,756 are registered Republicans, and 5,977 have declined to state a political party. EducationFoster City is home to four public schools in the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District. Foster City Elementary School, Brewer Island Elementary School, and Audubon Elementary School serve kindergarten through fifth grades. Nathaniel Bowditch Middle School serves 6th through 8th grades. There are several private preschools and elementary schools. There is a separate High School District: San Mateo Union High School District. There is no high school located east of Highway 101 so Foster City high school students attend the public schools in the San Mateo Union High School District and other private high schools in San Francisco Bay Area.All four public schools in Foster City have won California Distinguished School awards. In 1993, Bowditch was recognized with the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon. In 2005, Bowditch became a California Distinguished School for the second time. A third recognition was given in 2013. A fourth public elementary school is being built and is projected to open during the 2020-2021 school year. The name of this school will be Beach Park Elementary. Foster City has one private Jewish day school: is a kindergarten – eighth grade school. It was rated the number one Jewish day school in the South Bay/Peninsula. Foster City also has one private elementary school: is a kindergarten – fifth grade school. The city is served by the Peninsula Library System. ClimateFoster City, like most of the peninsula, has a mild Mediterranean climate, with warm dry summers, and cool wet winters. The warmest month of the year is July with an average daytime temperature of 80.8 degrees Fahrenheit and an average nighttime of 55 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average daytime temperature of 57 degrees Fahrenheit and an average nighttime temperature of 38.6 degrees Fahrenheit.BusinessHeadquartersAround 1993 Visa Inc. began consolidating various scattered offices in San Mateo, California to a location in Foster City. Visa's headquarters were in Foster City, and Visa became Foster City's largest employer. Visa owns four buildings at the intersection of Metro Center Boulevard and Vintage Park Drive. As of 2009 it employed about 3,000 people at the complex. During that year Visa signed a 10-year lease agreement for the top three floors of 595 Market Street in San Francisco and moved its top executives there. Visa continued to keep employees at the Foster City offices. As of 2009, after the headquarters move, the Foster City facilities remained the company's center of employment, and the post-headquarters move Foster City buildings housed 2,400 employees as of 2009.Other companies with headquarters in Foster City:
RecreationFoster City boasts 24 parks occupying more than, including many public tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, and rollerblading/biking trails along the San Francisco Bay.Foster City also boasts:
Items of interestFoster City's Werder Pier is a remainder of the original expanse of the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge. It is also one of the state's longest and oldest piers in existence. Unfortunately, due to much needed repair, the once popular fishing pier is no longer in operation.A number of San Francisco professional athletes have called Foster City home. Former San Francisco Giants players Kevin Mitchell and Jeff Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award while they were residents of Foster City. Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal, was raised in Foster City. Norman Hsu, the Hong Kong born convicted criminal and political activist is a former resident of Foster City. The movie Over the Edge is based upon events occurring in Foster City, chronicled in a 1973 article titled "Mousepacks: Kids on a Crime Spree" in the San Francisco Examiner. The music video for "Super Hyphy", a song by Bay Area rapper Keak Da Sneak featuring R&B singer Keyshia Cole, was filmed at Bowditch Middle School. Foster City TV broadcasts a variety of programs related to operation of and life in Foster City. Foster City TV provides programming through a dedicated Government-access television channel. Herb Perez, 1992 Olympic exhibition gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do, formerly served as chairman of the Foster City parks and recreation committee. Perez also appeared as himself on '90s martial-arts TV series WMAC Masters. He was the city mayor and is now a member of the city council. |