Emerald Hills

Residents of Emerald Hills can see Crystal Springs Reservoir and the fog spilling over the nearby Santa Cruz Mountains and yet are within less than two miles of Interstate 280 or shops, libraries and schools.

Thalia Lubin and her husband Steve are architects who work out of a studio on their Emerald Hills property. The couple found Emerald Hills to be a “more low key area,” Thalia said, with “a lot of little streets” in a mix of chaparral and woods. “It’s hilly with a lot of windy streets,” she said, which she and her husband like. He grew up in Woodside, so they were looking to find something that was near town center.

The couple, who live on a street with 10 homes, know all of their neighbors and have impromptu block parties, including a party for the August 2017 solar eclipse.

Peter Kolotouros grew up in the South Bay, went to Stanford University decided with his wife, Christine, to move to Emerald Hills in 2000.

“We had a Realtor friend, and he had always wanted to live in Woodside, and I had never heard of Woodside,” Mr. Kolotouros says.

But after he and his wife traversed the steep streets that cut through tree-lined hills, they decided to purchase an 1,100-square-foot bungalow in the Emerald Hills neighborhood.

“We ended up getting a fixer-upper, so to speak,” he said.

Originally a resort town for affluent San Franciscans wanting to escape the fog and cold, Woodside was sparsely populated but has become an attractive place for younger families to raise their children.

“The elementary school is fantastic. It’s one of the driving factors for a lot of people to live here, aside from it being a nice area,” Mr. Kolotouros says.

Woodside is not the only town that makes up the Emerald Hills neighborhood. Residents farther east live in Redwood City, an area that Luis Navarrete, his wife, Alma, and their son call home.

Mr. Navarrete and his family moved from a more northern part of Redwood City to the Emerald Hills neighborhood in 2004. They were glad to settle into a hilltop home on a more open street than that of their Woodside counterparts, whose homes are ensconced in the hills and trees.

Mr. Navarrete says his favorite part about living in their 35-year-old home is the spectacular view from his backyard.

“That’s what I like the most. Basically we can see almost the whole Bay Area.”

Elizabeth Lorenz and Audra Sorman, 2018

FACTS

CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOLS: Woodside Parents’ Nursery School, 3154 Woodside Road, Woodside; Woodside Preschool, 3195 Woodside Road, Woodside

FIRE STATION: 4091 Jefferson Ave., Redwood City

LOCATION: bounded by Edgewood Road, Alameda de las Pulgas, Farm Hill Boulevard and Interstate 280

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Emerald Hills Homeowners Association, emeraldhillshomeowners.org

PARK: Edgewood County Park, Edgewood County Park, 10 Old Stage Coach Road, Redwood City

PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Redwood City School District — Roy Cloud Elementary School, 3790 Red Oak Way, Redwood City. Woodside Elementary School District — Woodside School, 3195 Woodside Road, Woodside