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San Bruno Information
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The
population was 40,165 at the 2000 census. The city is adjacent to San Francisco
International Airport.
San Bruno was the location of the Ohlone village Urebure. It was explored in
1769 by a Spanish expedition led by Gaspar de Portola. Later, more extensive
explorations by Bruno Hecate resulted in the naming of San Bruno Creek after St.
Bruno of Cologne, the founder of a medieval monastic order. This creek
apparently later gave its name to the community.
With the establishment of the San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi)
mission, much of the area became pasture for the mission livestock. Following
the decline of the missions, the area became part of Rancho Buriburi, own by
Jose de la Cruz Sanchez, the eleventh Alcalde (mayor) of San Francisco. Dairy
farms later became common in much of the area.
The city began as a stop on the Butterfield stagecoach route, utilizing an inn
built in 1849, which was initially called Thorp's Place and later Uncle Tom's
Cabin. The inn was demolished in 1949. Gus Jenevein built another landmark
called San Bruno House, which burned several times and was not rebuilt after the
third fire. A few homes and farms were developed in the area. The railroad
between San Francisco and San Jose built a train station at San Bruno in the
1860s. The railroad eventually became part of the Southern Pacific system, which
ran both passenger and freight trains on the line. Today it is known as Caltrain.
Real growth and development began after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The city's
first public school, Edgemont Elementary School, was completed in 1907. A second
school, North Brae Elementary School, opened in 1912; among its earliest
students was future actor Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Paving of California's
first state highway, El Camino Real, began in 1912 in front of San Bruno's Uncle
Tom's Cabin; the highway is now designated as California State Highway 82. The
adjoining San Francisco International Airport opened in early 1927 and included
a Weather Bureau station, now operated by the National Weather Service. Charles
Lindbergh was an early visitor to the airport; unfortunately, his airplane
(Spirit of St. Louis) became stuck in the mud! In 1947, the Bayshore Freeway
(U.S. Highway 101) was opened from South San Francisco to Redwood City and
included an interchange at San Bruno.
Following a campaign by the local newspaper, the San Bruno Herald, the community
was incorporated in 1914, mainly so the streets could be paved. San Bruno grew
rapidly, passing 1,500 residents by 1920 and 3,610 residents in 1930. Additional
schools, including New Edgemont (later renamed Decima Allen) and Crystal
Springs, were built during the 1930s.
In 1930, the El Camino Theater opened at the corner of El Camino Real and San
Mateo Avenue. The popular theater, wired for sound, replaced the earlier Melody
Theater, which had presented silent films. The El Camino showed double features,
cartoons, short comedies, adventure serials, and newsreels throughout its
history, including summer Wednesday matinees for children. Normally, films
changed every week, but in 1958 Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments ran for
two weeks to packed audiences. The theater closed in the early 1970s when a
four-screen movie theater opened in the Tanforan shopping center. The building
was remodeled and currently houses several businesses.
Following World War II, there was continued growth and new subdivisions in Mills
Park, Rollingwood, and Crestmoor. Prior to 1950, San Bruno's high school
students attended San Mateo High School (opened in 1902) and then Burlingame
High School (opened in the early 1920s), traveling to and from school on the
street cars that ran next to the Southern Pacific railroad. Finally, on
September 11, 1950, Capuchino High School opened in San Bruno. After years of
using Green Hall as a multi-purpose building, the city dedicated a library and
city hall in 1954. That same year saw the dedication of the current central
terminal at the airport, part of a major expansion program. A central fire
station was later built next to the city hall; an additional station was built
in Crestmoor.
In 1953, San Bruno annexed the adjoining unincorporated community of Lomita
Park, bounded by San Felipe Avenue, El Camino Real, San Juan Avenue, and the
railroad tracks. Until the annexation, Lomita Park had its own Southern Pacific
train station and some community services.
Parkside Intermediate School was opened in 1954, followed by additional
elementary schools: Rollingwood, Crestmoor, John Muir, and Carl Sandburg. A
second intermediate school, Engvall, was built in Crestmoor Canyon, only to be
closed, along with Sandburg, when enrollment fell. These were all part of the
San Bruno Park School District. Students in northwestern San Bruno were included
in the Laguna Salada district.
San Bruno considered new annexations in the mid-1950s that would have extended
the city limits to the Pacific Ocean. The unincorporated communities west of San
Bruno decided they did not want to become part of San Bruno, so they
incorporated in 1957 as the city of Pacifica.
The March 22, 1957, earthquake (5.3 magnitude) caused minor damage throughout
the city, especially in some of the schools, where windows were broken and
plaster cracked. Numerous cans and bottles were knocked off shelves at local
stores, some of which were closed temporarily. Many residents reported damage to
crockery.
Crestmoor High School opened in September 1962, but was closed in June 1980 due
to a decline in school enrollment. The city has a two-year junior college,
Skyline College.
A major landmark in San Bruno for many years was the Tanforan racetrack, which
opened in 1899. Such famous racehorses as Seabiscuit and Citation raced there.
Famed Hollywood director Frank Capra filmed scenes for two of his films,
Broadway Bill and Riding High, at the racetrack. The track closed in 1964 and
was about to be demolished when it was destroyed in a major fire on July 31,
1964. The city's only shopping mall was later built on the site; surrounding
city streets were named for some of the racehorses who appeared at Tanforan.
During the late 1960s the I-280 (Junipero Serra Freeway) was built through San
Bruno. The San Bruno Planning Commission reviewed and approved plans for two
major shopping centers, Bayhill (located on the old U.S. Navy property between
San Bruno Avenue and Sneath Lane) and Tanforan. With final approval by the San
Bruno City Council, construction proceeded on these major retail developments.
Prior to that most of the city's stores were located on San Mateo Avenue and El
Camino Real.
The October 17, 1989, earthquake (6.9 magnitude) caused some damage in the city.
The U.S. Postal Service's Western Regional headquarters, then the tallest
building in San Bruno, had to be demolished due to severe structural damage. The
world headquarters for The Gap clothing store are now the tallest building in
the city.
Some Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment...
When searching for a new apartment make sure to take your time to think
through what are the most important things to you in an apartment and plan your
search based on those priorities. Here are some things to consider when planning
your move:
1. Consider the areas where you would like to live
* What is the crime rate?
* If you have children - what rating does the local school system have?
* Is there area convenient shopping, health and recreation services in the area?
2. Make a list of your housing priorities
* Do you have pets?
* Do you need parking?
* Do you need to be on the ground floor?
* What amenities are important to you - swimming pool, fitness room, in unit
laundry?
3. Evaluate the building
* What is the condition of the unit and building?
* Are the grounds maintained?
* Are windows, steps, and railings in good condition?
* View the property at night. Is it safe and well lit?
4. The security of the property
* Are there security service? When is the guard on duty?
* Does the building have controlled access?
* Does each unit have secure door and window locks?
5. Talk to the neighbors
* Ask other residents whether they are satisfied with the building.
6. Amenities
* Who is allowed to use the amenities?
* When are they open?
* Are the fees charged to use those facilities included in rent?
7. Ask about Utilities
* Does the owner or tenant pay the utility bills?
* Are any utilities included with monthly rent?
* Do units have separate thermostats to control heat and air conditioning?
8. Review the lease
* How much notice must you give before moving out?
* Can the rent be increased? If so, by how much and how often?
* Are pets allowed?
* What is the security deposit and cleaning costs upon move out?
* What is the responsibility of tenants for damage to property?
* Is there a penalty for breaking a lease?
9. Information too bring to a lease signing
* Credit Report
* Pay stubs/tax returns
* Reference
* Application
More Apartment Information
An apartment (or flat in Britain and most other Commonwealth countries) is a
self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. Apartments
may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by tenants).
Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments, either as co-ops, in which the
residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or development; or
in condominiums, whose residents own their apartments and share ownership of the
public spaces. Most apartments are in buildings designed for the purpose, but
large older houses are sometimes divided into apartments. The word apartment
connotes a residential unit or section in a building. Apartment building owners,
lessors, or managers often use the more general word units to refer to
apartments. Units can be used to refer to rental business suites as well as
residential apartments. When there is no tenant occupying an apartment, the
lessor is said to have a vacancy. For apartment lessors, each vacancy represents
a loss of income from rent-paying tenants for the time the apartment is vacant
(i.e., unoccupied). Lessors' objectives are often to minimize the vacancy rate
for their units. The owner of the apartment typically transfers possession to
the occupant by giving him/her the key to the apartment entrance door and any
other keys need to live there, such as a common key to the building or any other
common areas, and an individual unit mailbox key. When the occupant move out,
these keys should typically be returned to the owner.
Apartments can be classified into several types. Studio, efficiency, bed-sit, or
bachelor apartments tend to be the smallest apartments with the cheapest rents
in a given area. These kinds of apartment usually consist mainly of a large room
which is the living, dining, and bedroom combined. There are usually kitchen
facilities as part of this central room, but the bathroom is its own smaller
separate room. Moving up from the efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments where
one bedroom is a separate room from the rest of the apartment. Then there are
two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc. apartments. Small apartments often have only
one entrance/exit. Large apartments often have two entrances/exits, perhaps a
door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the building design, the
entrance/exit doors may be directly to the outside or to a common area inside,
such as a hallway. Depending on location, apartments may be available for rent
furnished with furniture or unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in
with his/her own furniture. Permanent carpeting is often included in an
apartment.
Laundry facilities are usually kept in a separate area accessible to all the
tenants in the building. Depending on when the building was built and the design
of the building, utilities such as water, heating, and electric may be common
for all the apartments in the building or separate for each apartment and billed
separately to each tenant (however, many areas in the US have ruled it illegal
to split a water bill among all the tenants, especially if a pool is on the
premises). Outlets for connection to telephones are typically included in
apartments. Telephone service is optional and is practically always billed
separately from the rent payments. Cable television and similar amenities are
extra also. Parking space, air conditioner, and extra storage space may or may
not be included with an apartment. Rental leases often limit the maximum number
of people who can reside in each apartment. On or around the ground floor of the
apartment building, a series of mailboxes are typically kept in a location
accessible to the public and, thus, to the letter-carrier too. Every unit
typically gets its own mailbox with individual keys to it. Some very large
apartment buildings with a full-time staff may take mail from the mailman and
provide mail-sorting service. Near the mailboxes or some other location
accessible by outsiders, there may be a buzzer (equivalent to a doorbell) for
each individual unit. In smaller apartment buildings such as two- or
three-flats, or even four-flats, garbage is often disposed of in trash
containers similar to those used at houses. In larger buildings, garbage is
often collected in a common trash bin or dumpster. For cleanliness or minimizing
noise, many lessors will place restrictions on tenants regarding keeping pets in
an apartment.
In some parts of the world, the word apartment is used generally to refer to a
new purpose-built self-contained residential unit in a building, whereas the
word flat means a converted self-contained unit in an older building. An
industrial, warehouse, or commercial space converted to an apartment is commonly
called a loft.
When part of a house is converted for the ostensible use of a landlord's family
member, the unit may be known as an in-law apartment or granny flat, though
these (sometimes illegally) created units are often occupied by ordinary renters
rather than family members. In Canada these suites are commonly located in the
basements of houses and are therefore normally called basement suites.
Staying in privately owned apartments rather than in a hotel is quickly becoming
popular with travelers.