One of the best things about living in Belmont is the setting. The city sits between the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the San Francisco Bay to the east. These are two of the most beautiful places in California and so living here means that every single day you get to look at these two beauties. They aren’t only amazing to look at though, in addition to providing breathtaking views they also provide world-class opportunities for outdoor recreation. And these opportunities are available to you every single day you live in Belmont.   

Belmont is supposed to be a wonderful but more affordable alternative to its super-schmancy neighbors. With a median home price well above $2m, it’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world that thinks of Belmont as a reasonable option, particularly when it’s missing the downtown experience that cities like Palo Alto and San Mateo offer. 


The Setting is Magnificent

LookyLOO Review of Belmont

Belmont is mostly a suburban place with lots of parks and outdoor spaces including: [Twin Pines Park](https://www.belmont.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/208/702) - a favorite with locals due to its truly secluded and bucolic walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and a community center for play and local events. [Waterdog Lake Park](https://www.belmont.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/702) is another popular option, built for hiking and nature passionate with plenty of scenic trails and tons of birdwatching. Finally, [Cipriani Park](https://www.belmont.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/14/702) is big with families due to the sports fields, tennis courts, big playground and to many the most important part, a huge dog park for fido to run around. 

Belmont doesn’t have a true downtown, mostly restaurants along El Camino, including Vivace Ristorante: An Italian restaurant good for date night or family night. The Van’s Restaurant, which has excellent seafood and steak and a great view of the Bay, and Godfather's Burger Lounge: A popular spot for juicy burgers and gourmet milkshakes. Ultimately though for real nightlife you’ll need to pop down to Palo Alto or up to San Francisco. 

To see what locals get up to for fun in Belmont check out the [calendar of events](https://www.belmontpark.com/events-calendar). 

We highly recommend visiting Belmont and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](https://expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well.


Lifestyle 

Belmont shares an [elementary school district](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/belmont-redwood-shores-elementary-school-district-ca/) with Redwood Shores. The overall niche.com grade for the district is a B+ with academics coming in at an A-. As with many Cali school districts, the schools suffer a bit in extracurriculars even if the teachers and academics are highly rated. Belmont High School is part of the [Sequoia Union High School District](https://www.niche.com/k12/carlmont-high-school-belmont-ca/?map), which also includes Atherton, Menlo Park, and parts of other neighboring cities. The district rates A+ on niche.com and Carlmont High School in Belmont is one of the true gems in the area so you can look forward to high school for your kiddos if you end up here. 

Schools 

If you’re desperate to get out of the city (any big city really) and experience the quiet of a suburb but with close proximity to bigger cities then Belmont should be on your list. It has no real downtown and so has less of the challenges many California cities face but you’re close enough to tons of other downtowns for the social experiences. 


The Quiet

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**nostrademons**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Pros

Beautiful area. Hills, great views, forested.

Great schools all the way through.

Lots of educational establishments - there are good private/charter preschools, elementary schools, high schools, universities in addition to the public ones.

Good community feel.

Lots of opportunities and activities for kids.

Equidistant from SFO, Oakland, and SJC. You can enjoy cultural attractions in all 3 major cities.

Good parks & playgrounds.

Wildlife, and particularly deer, runs free. Kids love it.

Relatively low crime for Bay Area.

Lots of natural hiking.

20 minutes from the beach in Half Moon Bay.

The section of 101 near Belmont doesn't have as much traffic as most of it, so your marginal South Bay commute vs. say Menlo Park isn't much worse, and your marginal SF commute vs. San Mateo isn't much worse.

For more reviews of what living in Belmont is like from locals, check out [The Reviews](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/belmont/reviews).

Reviews of Belmont from Locals

Cipriani is a high-end family-centered neighborhood filled with medium to large single family homes at the top end of the price range for Belmont. It has some of the best schools in the district in [**Cipriani Elementary**](https://www.niche.com/k12/cipriani-elementary-school-belmont-ca/) and [**Carlmont High School**](https://www.niche.com/k12/carlmont-high-school-belmont-ca/) so if you can find a way into one of the homes here you’ll love the schools. [**Cipriani Park**](https://www.belmont.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/14/702) is also in the neighborhood with beautiful ballfields, multi-use play areas, a playground and best of all, a dog park! 


Families

Cipriani

The Homeview/Sterling Downs neighborhood(s) is the first neighborhood of Belmont and one of the better lower-cost entry point housing options in the area. Smaller mid-century cottage-style homes dominate the all cul-de-sac structured subdivisions and plenty of younger families choose the area for the lower costs and immediate access to the 101 freeway.  The neighborhood has several parks with O’Donnell Park the “home base” for the Neighborhood Association and many community events. There are several gyms in the area, including Crossfit, that are part of the light industrial section of the neighborhood and a few restaurants walkable from most of the homes. The schools here are excellent, with most kiddos going to the prized [**Nesbit Elementary**](https://www.niche.com/k12/nesbit-elementary-school-belmont-ca/) and then [**Carlmont High School**](https://www.niche.com/k12/carlmont-high-school-belmont-ca/) - the path through the public schools is all A-rated. 

Homeview/Sterling Downs

While there isn’t much of a downtown area in Belmont the Central neighborhood is the closest resemblance to one the city offers. It runs along the El Camino commercial district and has a number of casual, fast casual and fast food options for the family within walking distance of most of the housing. The area is sometimes included in other neighborhood designations, like Antique Forest and Carlmont, but the Central District surrounding El Camino is a bit distinct from the rest for the more commercial availability for locals. While there are plenty of mid-century single-family homes in Central there are also modern designs, and apartment complexes like the [**Sofi Belmont Glen**](https://www.sofibelmontglen.com/?utm_knock=loc), that offer nice rentals, a short walk to El Camino, and a good option for young professionals and couples looking to be in the area who aren’t ready for the mortgage. The neighborhood feeds [**Central Elementary School**](https://www.niche.com/k12/central-elementary-school-belmont-ca/), another A-rated Belmont school, and then typically kids go on to [**Carlmont High School**](https://www.niche.com/k12/carlmont-high-school-belmont-ca/). 


Families/Young Professionals/DINKs

Central

Belmont Woods is a hugely popular neighborhood in large part to the views and immediate access to outdoor recreation via [**Waterdog Lake and Hiking areas**](https://www.belmont.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/10/702). It’s hard to beat the area if you want to luxuriate in the beauty of Belmont. The hilly blocks are an interesting mix of smaller mid-century cottages, new much larger homes, and plenty of condo/apartment options all for those looking for a quiet, green lifestyle. The schools in the neighborhood are great with many zoned for [Fox Elementary](https://www.niche.com/k12/fox-elementary-school-belmont-ca/) another A-rated Belmont school. The western side of Belmont is truly unbeatable for the outdoor options in the neighborhood and via the Santa Cruz Mountains and Pacific Ocean that run just west of the city. 

Belmont Woods

Belmont

**nostrademons**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Pros

Beautiful area. Hills, great views, forested.

Great schools all the way through.

Lots of educational establishments - there are good private/charter preschools, elementary schools, high schools, universities in addition to the public ones.

Good community feel.

Lots of opportunities and activities for kids.

Equidistant from SFO, Oakland, and SJC. You can enjoy cultural attractions in all 3 major cities.

Good parks & playgrounds.

Wildlife, and particularly deer, runs free. Kids love it.

Relatively low crime for Bay Area.

Lots of natural hiking.

20 minutes from the beach in Half Moon Bay.

The section of 101 near Belmont doesn't have as much traffic as most of it, so your marginal South Bay commute vs. say Menlo Park isn't much worse, and your marginal SF commute vs. San Mateo isn't much worse.

**Single-Manager6533**
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

I grew up in Belmont, and loved it..walkability depends on where you’re located. It’s great for families with kids, pretty safe (although the closer to the train tracks, the more crime there is). I lived up off of Hallmark, and the bus doesn’t even go up there lol so, not walkable there. Lots of tech people, as to be expected. Idk how it’s been in the last few years, but I always saw it as a lil less pretentious than some other suburbs in the Peninsula. It’s quiet, but also close to everything.

If you’re a single young adult, I wouldn’t bother, unless you’re planning on going to the city every weekend lol (or PA, even San Mateo). Very much family oriented, not many young single people at all, and there is barely any downtown.

**Anonymous**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Pro: Safe, has its own police department, close proximity to hiking places, equal access to SF, SJ, East bay. Really good schools. Small town feel. Easy access to 280. Close to good san carlos restaurants

Con: hilly

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Belmont, California

Bel Monte

Looklyloo Score: 90

Reviews

What's it like to live in Belmont?