San Mateo County Genealogical Society's Blog featuring society events, projects, meeting notes and other items of relevance to genealogists.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

San Mateo County Places - Millbrae

Darius Ogden Mills
Millbrae is located on part of the original Rancho Buri Buri which was granted to Jose Antonio Sanchez.

In 1866, wealthy banker, Darius Ogden Mills purchased a portion of the land, the borders today would be defined by Skyline Blvd, Millbrae Ave, US 101 and Trousdale Ave, from the Sanchez family.  He built a dairy and a summer mansion. The estate, complete with three lakes, was named Millbrae adding the Scottish word "brae" meaning rolling hills to the name of its owner.  Unfortunately, the Mills mansion burned down during a realistic "fire drill" in 1954.

Daily Alta California, Volume 42, Number 13772, 16 May 1887
From it's earliest years, transportation helped shape Millbrae's growth. One of the original stops of the San Francisco - San Jose Railroad, which was completed in 1864, was at Seventeen Mile House in Millbrae.  Sixteen mile house was established as a rest stop by the Sanchez family in 1872.  The building was moved from its original location and today is a restaurant located on Broadway.

From the turn of the century to about 1950, Interurban #40, a streetcar, traveled from San Francisco to San Mateo, linking the city in both directions.  Mills Field Municipal Airport was opened in 1927 on land leased from Ogden Mills.  In 1931 the name was changed to San Francisco Municipal Airport. Greatly expanded in the late 1940s the airport was designated as and "International" airport in 1955 and today is the second largest airport in California.

Residents of Millbrae debated incorporation for over a decade before presenting their charter in Sacramento on January 14, 1948,  W.F. Leutenegger was elected mayor to represent Millbrae's nearly 8,000 residents and a new school, Green Hills Elementary opened in anticipation to meet the needs of the growing city and the post-war population explosion. The new city's chief industries were agriculture, floriculture, dairy, and porcelain manufacturing.

Today Millbrae has a population of over 21,000 within its 3.26 sq mi borders.
City Seal

Millbrae Government

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By Arkyan



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