Hillsborough
In Hillsborough, large estates are the rule rather than the exception. The town is one of the wealthiest in the country and placed No. 18 on Forbes’ 2014 list of the wealthiest U.S. ZIP codes (94010). Town ordinances ensure its exclusivity by enforcing a minimum house size of 2,500 square feet and a minimum lot size of a half-acre. Hillsborough’s population is greater than 11,000.
There are no apartments, condominiums, or townhouses in Hillsborough; Forbes calculates the median home price at $3,787,098. Notable residents past and present include entertainer Bing Crosby; publisher William Randolph Hearst; the king of Tonga, George Tupou V; diet guru Jenny Craig; and former Major League Baseball players J.T. Snow, Rickey Henderson, and Greg Maddux.
There are no commercial districts in Hillsborough. As a wealthy suburb of San Francisco, 17 miles to the north, life in the town is unhurried and quiet. The relaxed atmosphere is enhanced by treelined streets that don’t follow a grid pattern and instead wind around the hilly landscape. There are few trafc signals.
The town covers six square miles and is bounded by Burlingame to the north, San Mateo to the east and south, and Interstate 280 to the west.