PA
8SUNDAY,FEBRUARY7,2010
SHOP:
Since Redwood Shores is primar-
ily residential, locals must leave the
confines of their master-planned
community to do their shopping.
Fortunately, diverse shopping expe-
riences � in mall and main street
form � await on the mainland.
The closest shopping is at down-
town San Carlos' Laurel Avenue,
with its collection of locally-owned
shops and boutiques. Downtown
Redwood City is larger than San
Carlos. Its continuing improvement
has made it a regional destination
for shopping, dining and entertain-
ment.
Hillsdale Shopping Center, in San
Mateo, is the nearest enclosed mall.
DINE:
Ditto Redwood Shores dining.The
lone Redwood Shores shopping
center,The Marketplace, is limited
to quick-stop offerings like Amici's,
Jamba Juice, Starbucks,Tokyo Star,
Una Mas and the Bagel Caf�.
Redwood Shores residents find their
nearest dining options in downtown
Redwood City and San Carlos. Both
commercial centers have a wide
range of restaurants ranging from
DO:
SWIM THE LAGOON
Not for the faint-hearted (or warm-
blooded), the usually chilly lagoon
offers three calm-water swim
courses, ranging in length from a
half-mile to two miles.
TAKE YOUR DOG OUT TO THE PARK
Shore Dogs Park is located deep in
the "wilds" of Redwood Shores. It
was recently updated.As a result, it
is one of the best-maintained dog
parks on the Peninsula.
HIKE THE BAY TRAIL
Redwood Shores' seven-mile Bay
Trail segment winds through parks,
open spaces, shoreline, housing
developments and yes, even Oracle.
SPOTLIGHTRedwood Shores
Silicon Valley North?
A waterfront peninsula
comes of age
L
unchtime at The Marketplace
looks no different than it would
were it smack dab in the middle
of Silicon Valley instead of tucked
into a corner of Redwood Shores,the
waterfront planned community once
known for theme parks,not office parks.
The lines at Jamba Juice and Amici's are
out the door,and an unbroken stream of
casually-dressed high-tech workers wait
patiently at crosswalks across Redwood
Shores Boulevard.
In the distance,the shining glass
cylinders of Oracle reflect sunlight.
Looming confidently at Redwood
Shores'northern end,Oracle's mega-
office complex offers no clue as to what
once occupied the same plot of land.
Until it pulled up stakes and moved
to Vallejo in 1986 (eventually becoming
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom),Marine
World/Africa USA was Redwood
Shores'most notable landmark.Com-
pleted in 1968,it was many people's first
glimpse of the planned community built
on land that had been empty marshland
before being purchased by the Leslie Salt
Company.Leslie diked off the land in
1920 and for the next four decades uti-
lized it for salt evaporation.
Redwood Shores'journey from
marshy salt ponds to one of"America's
Top-Selling Luxury Neighborhoods,"
(according to Forbes Magazine) has
been no joy ride.From the start,develop-
ment on the peninsula was questioned.
The recent questions surrounding
Redwood Shores'fate were San Fran-
cisco Bay to rise due to climate change
echo,for instance,the controversy cre-
ated by original plans to build on
Redwood Shores'peninsula.The land,
it seems,lies in proximity to not one but
two major earthquake faults,the San
Andreas and the Hayward.
After presenting their case to unin-
terested San Mateo County towns San
Carlos and Belmont,Redwood Shores
found its municipal home in 1959,when
it was annexed by Redwood City,cre-
ating an odd geographical quirk: there
is no way to get from Redwood City
to Redwood Shores without passing
through San Carlos.Redwood Shores
abuts Belmont,and in fact Oracle's
cylindrical world headquarters are vis-
ible from every inch of Belmont's small
downtown.
At its inception,Redwood Shores
followed examples set by neighboring
Foster City,another San Mateo County
planned community.Like Foster City,
they created a General Improvement
District to raise funds for development.
The district was created in 1964,but
approval for Redwood Shores first res-
idential neighborhood didn't happen
until May,1968.
By the 1980s,as the end of Marine
World's Redwood Shores run slowly
approached,the community was work-
ing on its second master plan.From
there,the district underwent its longest
and largest period of sustained growth.
Today,Redwood Shores is home to
some 10,000 residents,most of whom
live in small,intimate subdivisions,many
with lagoon,canal or bay views.
Also since the 1980s,Redwood
Shores has become a popular place for
high-tech businesses to set up shop.Join-
ing Oracle on the peninsula is game
maker Electronic Arts,plus a number of
smaller tech companies.
Which may explain why,save for the
gentle hint of marine air,the lunchtime
scene at The Marketplace seems to ape
what happens in Santa Clara,Milpitas
or San Jose.The difference is that every
night and weekend,once the tech work-
ers have gone home,Redwood Shores
reclaims its identity as a quiet residential
community,one whose recent growth
has solidified its reputation as one of San
Mateo County's most desirable water-
front neighborhoods.
WHERE TO...
AllphotosbyMikeKoozmin/SpecialtoTheExaminer

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