Foster City is an affluent
planned city located in San Mateo
County, California
, 94404. As of the 2000 census, the city had
a total population of 28,803.
Foster City is sometimes considered to be
part of Silicon
Valley
for its local industry and its neighboring Silicon Valley cities.
Foster
City was founded in the 1960s on engineered landfill in the marshes of the San Francisco
Bay
, on the east edge of San
Mateo
. The city was named after T. Jack Foster, a
real estate magnate who owned much of the land comprising the city
and who was instrumental in the initial design.
His successor firm,
Foster Enterprises, run by his descendants, is still active in real
estate affairs throughout the San Francisco Bay area
.
Geography
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
19.9 square miles (51.6 km²), of which 3.8 square
miles (9.7 km²) is land and 16.2 square miles
(41.9 km²) is water. The total area is 81.13% water.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there are 28,803
people, 11,613 households, and 7,931 families residing in the city.
The
population density is 7,664.4
people per square mile (2,957.7/km²). There are 12,009 housing
units at an average density of 3,195.6/sq mi (1,233.2/km²).
The racial makeup of the city is 59.32%
White, 2.09%
African American, 0.12%
Native American,
32.52%
Asian, 0.58%
Pacific Islander, 1.23% from
other races, and 4.13% from two
or more races. 5.32% of the population are
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There are 11,613 households out of which 30.5% have children under
the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% are
married couples living together, 7.7% have a female
householder with no husband present, and 31.7% are non-families.
23.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.0% have
someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average
household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 2.97.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.2% under the age
of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to
64, and 10.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is
38 years. For every 100 females there are 96.8 males. For every 100
females age 18 and over, there are 93.9 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in
the city is $102,363, and the median income for a family is
$118,231. Males have a median income of $77,916 versus $51,157 for
females. The
per capita income for
the city is $45,754. 2.9% of the population and 1.7% of families
are below the
poverty line. Out of the
total population, 1.6% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of
those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Politics
In the
state
legislature Foster City is located in the 8th
Senate District, represented by
Democrat Leland Yee, and in the 19th
Assembly District, represented by
Democrat
Jerry Hill.
Federally, Foster City is located in
California's 12th
congressional district, which has a
Cook PVI of D +22 and is
currently filled by
Jackie
Speier.
Education
Foster City is home to four public schools in the San Mateo-Foster
City Elementary School District: Foster City Elementary School,
Brewer Island Elementary School, and Audubon Elementary School
serve kindergarten through fifth grades. Nathaniel Bowditch Middle
School serves 6th through 8th grades. There are several private
preschools and elementary schools through fifth grade. There is a
separate High School District: San Mateo Union High School
District. There is no high school located east of Highway 101 so
Foster City high school students attend the public schools in the
San Mateo Union High School District and other private high schools
in San Francisco Bay Area.
Of the four public schools in Foster City, Audubon School, Foster
City School, and
Bowditch Middle
School have won California Distinguished School awards. In
1993, Bowditch was recognized with the U.S. Department of Education
Blue Ribbon. In 2005, Bowditch became a California Distinguished
School for the second time.
Foster City also has one private Jewish day school:
Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day
School is a kindergarten - eighth grade school. It was rated
the number one Jewish day school in the South
Bay/Peninsula.
[16109]
Climate
Foster
City, like almost the rest of California
has a Mediterranean Climate, with hot dry
summers, and cool wet winters. The record high for Foster
City was 104° on August 28, 2009.
Business
Metro Center, one of Foster City's
largest retail/office complexes
Foster City is the home to the world headquarters of
VISA International, the main corporate body
of the VISA payment card organization.
Other companies with headquarters in Foster City:
Recreation
Foster City boasts 19 parks occupying more than , including many
public tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, basketball
courts, and rollerblading/biking trails along the San Francisco
Bay. Foster City has more parks per capita than any other city in
California.
Foster City also boasts:
- World Class Windsurfing A
world-class windsurfing spot in the San Francisco Bay can be found within the city limits of Foster
City. It is located adjacent to Mariners Point.
- A Golf course and driving range There is one
9-hole golf course, and driving range Mariners' Point,
on land owned by the City, and operated by VB Golf.
- Dragon Boating The Bay Area
Dragons and Ho'okahi Pu'uwai Outrigger
Canoe clubs operate in the lagoon. In an attempt to preserve
the city's waterways and reduce noise levels, only electric, wind,
or man-powered watercraft are permitted in the Lagoon.
- Teen Activities Center A newly constructed $4
million dollar center for teens that that will provide access to:
TV’s, computers, video games, art rooms, homework rooms, a kitchen
and outdoor basketball courts.
- Public Amphitheatre Located in Leo J. Ryan Memorial Park, is a newly
constructed Amphitheatre. It serves as the location for the Foster
City Summer concerts. Adjacent to the park is a boardwalk with boat
tie-up facilities.
In addition, Foster City maintains an extensive , man-made enclosed
lagoon system.
Items of interest
Foster City is one of the nation's safest cities. There is an
average of one murder per decade.
Foster City's
Werder Pier is a remainder
of the original expanse of the
San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. It is
also one of the state's longest and oldest piers in existence.
Unfortunately, due to much needed repair, the once popular fishing
pier is no longer in operation.
World renowned architect and father of
Modernism,
Le
Corbusier, was commissioned to design a living complex for the
city in the late 60's. It was never built.
The only Le Corbusier structure in North America is the
Carpenter Center for the Visual
Arts
in Cambridge, Mass.
A number of San Francisco professional athletes have called Foster
City home. Former
San Francisco
Giants players
Kevin Mitchell and
Jeff Kent won the
National League Most Valuable Player award while they
were residents of Foster City.
The movie "
Over the Edge" is
based upon events occurring in Foster City, chronicled in a 1974
article titled "Mouse Packs: Kids on a Crime Spree" in the
San Francisco
Examiner. The writer of the article,
Charles S. Haas, co-wrote the screenplay for the
film.
The music video for "Super Hyphy", a song by Bay Area rapper
Keak Da Sneak, was filmed at
Bowditch Middle School. R&B
singer
Keyshia Cole was also featured
in the music video which was produced by
Half-White
Productions.
Sought after waterfront developments like "
Bayporte" and "
Whalers
Island" often draw in great interest for their perfectly
manicured lawns and the suburbia-type atmospheres so closely
associated with Foster City.
Foster City TV broadcasts a variety of programs related to
operation of and life in Foster City. Foster City TV provides
programming through a dedicated public access channel, and by
streaming through a website
(http://fostercitytelevision.com/).
See also
References
- U.S. Census Bureau: Foster City
- Water Activities, City of Foster City
- "Building a Better VIBE". San Mateo Times Article
- Built to Withstand a "100 Year Flood". City of
Foster City.
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