The GI Bill of Rights, Ike's interstate system, suburban development, and the growing affordability of cars allowed the suburbs to flourish throughout the mid-20th century. During this era, a new American Dream was established: one with single-family homes, white picket fences, and lush green lawns.
Today, however, the traditional suburb may no longer cater to what 79% of Americans want: walkability. Younger people are especially attracted to neighborhoods where stores, restaurants, and other amenities are a short walk away, according to a National Association of Realtors survey released in 2023. But a good location comes with a cost.
A Redfin analysis showed homes in 2019 in walkable areas sold for almost 25% more than homes without the same walkability, equivalent to nearly $78,000 more in the national average. Some suburbs offer the amenities of city life, whether through easy transit to big cities (such as Wilmette, Illinois, with easy proximity to Chicago), or college-town amenities such as those found in Claremont, California.
What individual families and people look for in a suburb will vary, of course, with some prioritizing quiet and extra space, even if that means driving more often.
Stacker used data from Niche to examine the best suburbs in San Francisco. Niche ranked suburbs across the U.S. based on several factors, including diversity, the cost of living, the share of the population with college degrees, and the quality of schools and housing.
Read on to see the highest-ranked suburbs in San Francisco.
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1 / 20#20. Marin City, California
- Population: 3,419
- Median home value: $930,600
- Median rental price: $1,915
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), The New School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A−
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: D
--- Outdoor activities grade: A−
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2 / 20#19. Sleepy Hollow, California
- Population: 2,778
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $3,153
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Sir Francis Drake High School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Domenico School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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3 / 20#18. Millbrae, California
- Population: 22,825
- Median home value: $1,874,100
- Median rental price: $3,322
- Top schools nearby: Mills High School (grade A+), Burlingame High School (grade A+), The New School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+), Lick-Wilmerding High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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4 / 20#17. Sausalito, California
- Population: 7,233
- Median home value: $1,735,000
- Median rental price: $3,345
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), The New School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), Urban School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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5 / 20#16. Tiburon, California
- Population: 9,115
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $3,490
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Strawberry Point Elementary School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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6 / 20#15. Strawberry, California
- Population: 5,632
- Median home value: $1,925,000
- Median rental price: $2,857
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), The New School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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7 / 20#14. Kentfield, California
- Population: 7,410
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $2,741
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Ross Elementary School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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8 / 20#13. Ross, California
- Population: 2,537
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $3,108
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Ross Elementary School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Domenico School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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9 / 20#12. Fairfax, California
- Population: 7,567
- Median home value: $1,006,100
- Median rental price: $2,293
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Sir Francis Drake High School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Domenico School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A−
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10 / 20#11. Belvedere, California
- Population: 2,327
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $3,501
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Sir Francis Drake High School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Bay School of San Francisco (grade A+), Marin Catholic High School (grade A)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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11 / 20#10. San Mateo, California
- Population: 104,165
- Median home value: $1,508,900
- Median rental price: $2,971
- Top schools nearby: Aragon High School (grade A+), Carlmont High School (grade A+), San Mateo High School (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Castilleja School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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12 / 20#9. Mill Valley, California
- Population: 14,199
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $2,988
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), The New School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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13 / 20#8. Hillsborough, California
- Population: 11,258
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $3,501
- Top schools nearby: Aragon High School (grade A+), Burlingame High School (grade A+), San Mateo High School (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+), Lick-Wilmerding High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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14 / 20#7. Larkspur, California
- Population: 12,969
- Median home value: $1,691,900
- Median rental price: $2,714
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Neil Cummins Elementary School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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15 / 20#6. San Anselmo, California
- Population: 12,761
- Median home value: $1,473,100
- Median rental price: $2,459
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Sir Francis Drake High School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Domenico School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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16 / 20#5. San Carlos, California
- Population: 30,490
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $2,759
- Top schools nearby: Carlmont High School (grade A+), Bullis Charter School (grade A+), Mariposa (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Castilleja School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A+
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17 / 20#4. Corte Madera, California
- Population: 10,155
- Median home value: $1,640,900
- Median rental price: $3,361
- Top schools nearby: Redwood High School (grade A+), Tamalpais High School (grade A+), Strawberry Point Elementary School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: Marin Academy (grade A+), The Branson School (grade A+), San Francisco University High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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18 / 20#3. Burlingame, California
- Population: 30,995
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $2,591
- Top schools nearby: Mills High School (grade A+), Burlingame High School (grade A+), The New School of San Francisco (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+), Lick-Wilmerding High School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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19 / 20#2. Belmont, California
- Population: 27,820
- Median home value: $2,000,001
- Median rental price: $2,842
- Top schools nearby: Carlmont High School (grade A+), Mariposa (grade A), Hoover Elementary School (grade A)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Castilleja School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: C−
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
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20 / 20#1. Foster City, California
- Population: 33,215
- Median home value: $1,673,100
- Median rental price: $3,501
- Top schools nearby: Carlmont High School (grade A+), San Mateo High School (grade A+), Hillsdale High School (grade A+)
- Top private schools nearby: The Nueva School (grade A+), Castilleja School (grade A+), Crystal Springs Uplands School (grade A+)
- Overall Niche grade: A+
--- Weather grade: A+
--- Cost of living grade: D+
--- Outdoor activities grade: A
This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 67 metros.
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