Coastal Real Estate and Lifestyles

When I show our community to out of town buyers, I make a point of sharing a few reasons why this area is so unique.  One of those reasons is the work of the Peninsula Open Space Trust whose mission is to preserve open space on the San Mateo County Coast since 2001.  You may not notice their hard work as a visitor, but we enjoy its benefits every day when you live here.  So far, 20,000 acres has been preserved from future development on the San Mateo County coast.  Oh my gosh, that’s huge!  And the most recent news reported by the Half Moon Bay Review this week, that POST purchased 206 acres of Wavecrest caused a community-wide collective sigh of relief.  This work will alter the future of the Coastside neighborhoods and communities forever.

Let’s talk about one of those neighborhoods today…Clipper Ridge is a quaint neighborhood of approximately 200 homes which sits at a corner of the base of the P.O.S.T. land Rancho Corral de Tierra (which is over 4200 acres, by the way), just north of the town of El Granada.  Henry Doelger, most known for his Daly City development, bought this land in the 1960’s and, according to historians, wanted to turn this area into a resort.  That may happen yet, with Harbor Village under way.  When it became clear that Doelger’s dreams would not materialize, he sold some of his lots and built single family homes on the rest.

The ridge directly behind the neighborhood has been a natural resource enjoyed by neighborhood residents and others for many years.  From the neighborhood, one can find themselves in another world of hiking trails, native wildflowers, and drop-dead gorgeous views, and the freedom to let your mind go… To get to the drop-dead gorgeous views will take you more than just a few minutes unless you’ve been in aerobic training.  It is a bit of a hike, but worth it once you get there.  Okay, just for you, my friend Cameron is hiking “cardiac hill” as locals call it to get the photo for you.  Enjoy…

The neighborhood was developed in the 1970’s of mostly 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom.  Mostly single level homes; there are a few with a second story, and/or 4 bedrooms.  Take a walk through Clipper Ridge on a weekend day and you are likely to see young families, dog walkers, or kids on their bikes headed to the (neighborhood) park.  Perhaps some even stroll down to nearby Café Classique, the Harbor, or Surfer’s Beach.