Millbrae, California

Millbrae is the northern-most city on the peninsula before you run deep into the fog belt. That means it is the most convenient city to live in (proximity to SF) and still avoid much of the foggy days of the city. This can vary as some parts of Millbrae stretch into the foggy-ish areas but overall the weather here is awesome and the combo of great climate and some of the best commuting options with BART, Caltrain, next door to SFO airport, and a very short drive to San Francisco makes the location damn near perfect.

Proximity to SFO is a big plus to those flying a lot but some locals complain about noise and air quality due to the flights. Flight patterns in many cases take planes north out of the airport and come in from the south. That means most should miss Millbrae but regardless just know going in that being near the airport means there’s going to be some racket and air issues from all those flights.

Millbrae is for sure a suburb but it’s one with a pretty active downtown commercial district. This includes lots of boutique shopping and casual dining options. Shanghai Dumpling Shop and Millbrae Pancake House are two of the family favorites. The fact that excellent but chill and casual spots are two of the local favorites should give you sense of the laid-back vibe of the city. There’s also plenty of shopping, some big-box and some family-run one-of-a-kind options.
Outside of the dining and shopping options much of Millbrae is residential living on the rolling hills that give the city its name (Millbrae is Scottish for rolling hills). Families enjoy the peaceful, quiet and kiddo friendly blocks and parks that fill the city. The city hosts a hugely popular
annual art and wine festival, held over Labor Day weekend that is much beloved by locals for its live music and a excellent selection of food, wine, and art. The city also hosts a weekly farmer’s market and a variety of different holiday festivals. ​​​​​​​There is also the beautiful Bayfront Park when you feel like a stroll along the water, and Central Park, 13 acres of wonderful open green space for kiddos and doggos to run, tennis courts, playgrounds and fields for soccer and other sports.
One of the great appeals of Millbrae is its absolute perfection as a transportation hub to the rest of the bay area and the world. The Millbrae train station/transportation hub is one of the largest on the west coast and brings together options for getting pretty much anywhere you’d like to go. The city is also in the process of building a massive mixed-use center around the hub, in the vein of more transit friendly cities in Europe and Asia-Pac.