San Mateo County Places - Hillsborough

"Hillsborough is located on the Rancho San Mateo Mexican land grant which was purchased by William Davis Merry Howard, son of a wealthy Hillsborough (sic), New Hampshire, shipping magnate, in 1846. Howard settled his family in this area, which attracted wealthy San Franciscans." - wikipedia  


In 1910 the members of the Burlingame Country Club felt that the City of Burlingame was threatening their privacy.  On the 25th of April 1910 they held an election and voted to incorporate as their own city.  The actual incorporation took place on the 10th of May.

All was not smooth in that first year of incorporation.  In July the San Francisco Examiner reported that insurgent forces had gone down to defeat in their effort to stop the annexation of a particular strip of land.  That defeat was by a vote of 35 to 31, so quite close.

Hillsborough has no commercial presence.  Lot sizes and zoning regulations were established large estates intended for the wealthy.






Noting that the zoning laws have varied over the years, with minimum lots of 1/2 acre established in 1953 the Hillsborough official city website goes on to say......

"One of the main attractions Hillsborough has for home buyers is its charm. Hillsborough still offers its escape from the pressures of the city. In addition to its generally quiet atmosphere, Hillsborough has excellent, award-winning public schools, police and fire protection and public works service. These are the qualities that have formed the character of the Town and have remained stable for over 100 years."   

• City of Hillsborough
• Hillsborough Municipal Code
• Burlingame - Hillsborough History Museum
• Peninsula Royalty: The Founding Families of Burlingame-Hillsborough 

Book List

• Michael Middleton Dwyer; Ernest Sanson; Achille Duchêne; Willis Polk; Mario Buatta; Michael Hales; Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America. Carolands : Ernest Sanson, Achille Duchêne, Willis Polk, SMCHA 2006
• Bogart, Sewall, Carolands, Hillsboro: Imperious Survivor, SMCHA 1991
• Nelson, Janet, Ranchos Victorian, 1966 
• Svanevik, Michael & Shirley Burgett, No Sidewalks Here: A Pictorial History of Hillsborough 1992  
• Weinfield, Kenneth M., Hillsborough, California, USA, 1980

Newspapers 

• Hillsborough Boutique and Villager 
• Home Front News 6/1/1944-6/15/1946 A home newspaper for servicemen from SM, Burlingame and Hillsborough during WWII 1