Redwood City highlight
San Mateo County seat
Redwood City serves as the county seat of San Mateo County, which was formed in 1856 from the southern portion of San Francisco County.
San Mateo County was established in April 1856 from territory that had been part of San Francisco County, creating a new jurisdiction that today spans 455 square miles between the Pacific Ocean to the west and San Francisco Bay to the east. The county was built on a foundation that combined agriculture and commerce with the natural geography of the Bay Area peninsula. From its formation as a region with fewer than 5,000 people and limited commerce, San Mateo County has grown to encompass a population of more than 764,000 residents.
Today the county is known as a center for innovation across industries including computer software, bioscience, green technology, and financial management, while agriculture remains both economically and culturally significant. The county is governed by a Board of Supervisors elected from districts throughout the region, with the county seat functions centered in Redwood City. Approximately three-quarters of San Mateo County remains open space, offering families access to parks, natural areas, and the distinctive character of the Bay Peninsula.
For families living in a county as economically diverse as San Mateo, questions about financial security take on particular urgency. Life insurance planning in a growing region means thinking about what a household would need if a primary earner were no longer there: a mortgage payment, education costs, the household rhythm itself. A term policy sized to those years of peak obligation is how most families approach it.