10 Best Neighborhoods in Redwood City (2026 Data)

Redwood Shores is the best neighborhood in Redwood City for 2026. It scores 4.5 out of 5 on Houseberry's overall index, the highest mark among the 15 neighborhoods we score citywide, and it holds the city's only perfect 5.0 school score at a $2,546,670 median. Here are the ten neighborhoods that top the ranking, what they cost, and where the numbers wobble.

The best neighborhoods in Redwood City do not sort neatly by price. Only four of the 15 clear 4.0 overall, and the gap between the priciest and cheapest entry in the top ten runs $1.94 million. The sortable list lives on Houseberry's full Redwood City neighborhood ranking. This post covers what that page cannot: the tradeoffs, the value math, and the questions buyers actually ask.

The 10 best neighborhoods in Redwood City for 2026

• Redwood Shores, 4.5/5 overall, $2,546,670 median
• Emerald Hills, 4.0/5 overall, $2,926,630 median
• Emerald Lake, 4.0/5 overall, $2,859,720 median
• Farm Hill, 4.0/5 overall, $2,542,480 median
• Oak Knoll-Edgewood Park, 3.9/5 overall, $3,268,580 median
• Woodside Plaza, 3.6/5 overall, $2,234,960 median
• Clifford Heights, 3.4/5 overall, $2,632,750 median
• Friendly Acres, 3.4/5 overall, $1,329,620 median
• Centennial, 3.3/5 overall, $1,753,280 median
• Horgan Ranch, 3.2/5 overall, $2,603,880 median

All scores and prices below reflect our live data as of July 2026.

Redwood City neighborhood scores and prices, compared

Entries marked * use city-level value and appreciation data rather than neighborhood-level figures, the same footnote shown on the ranking page.

1. Redwood Shores

Redwood Shores, on the bay side of Highway 101 in northern Redwood City, tops the 2026 overall ranking at 4.5 out of 5. It carries the city's only perfect 5.0 school score, and its $2,546,670 median undercuts both hillside neighborhoods ranked directly behind it. Our model also reads it about $33,000 undervalued, one of just five neighborhoods citywide priced below what their scores suggest. The neighborhood is built around lagoons, with the Bay Trail threading the levees and Oracle's campus anchoring the office side. The tradeoffs are real but small. Safety scores 4.1, well behind Farm Hill's 4.7, and appreciation ran a modest 1.45 percent over the period we measure, the quiet end of the city's market.

2. Emerald Hills

Emerald Hills climbs the wooded ridge on the city's western edge and takes second at 4.0 overall. Safety is its strongest card at 4.3, schools score 4.0, and the views across the Bay help explain the $2,926,630 median, second highest in the city. Winding roads and large lots buy a seclusion the flatlands cannot match. Two caveats. Amenities score just 3.7, so most errands mean a drive downhill. And its appreciation and value figures fall back on city-level data, which shows a 0.31 percent decline and roughly $33,000 of overvaluation. Buyers here are paying for elevation and quiet, not price momentum.

3. Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake sits in the hills beside Emerald Hills and matches its 4.0 overall score with a slightly different mix: schools 3.9, safety 4.1, amenities 3.8, on a $2,859,720 median. Homes tuck into a heavy tree canopy around the small lake that gives the area its name, and the setting draws people who want woods more than sidewalks. The caveats mirror its neighbor. Value and appreciation lean on city-level data, marked accordingly in our table, and the amenities score reflects how much daily life depends on driving down to Woodside Road or downtown.

4. Farm Hill

Farm Hill posts the best safety score in Redwood City, a 4.7 out of 5, and ranks fourth overall at 4.0. The neighborhood rolls across the hills along Farm Hill Boulevard near Cañada College, and plenty of lots look out over the Bay. The $2,542,480 median sits a shade under Redwood Shores, appreciation ran a steady 2.73 percent, and both figures are true neighborhood-level data. The catch is schools at 3.3, the lowest score in the top five, and our model reads prices about $53,000 over what the scores support. If safety leads your checklist, this is the data's pick.

5. Oak Knoll-Edgewood Park

Oak Knoll-Edgewood Park is the most expensive neighborhood in the city at a $3,268,580 median and the most balanced entry in the top ten: schools 3.9, safety 3.9, amenities 4.0, nothing below 3.9. Its western edge backs against the hills near Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve, and the streets hold some of the city's stateliest older homes. The numbers to squint at are the money numbers. Prices appreciated 23.45 percent, and our model now scores the area $148,000 overvalued, the largest premium in Redwood City. You are buying the best all-around package at the worst relative price.

6. Woodside Plaza

Woodside Plaza is the top ten's sleeper. The overall score is 3.6, but safety comes in at 4.6, second only to Farm Hill, and the $2,234,960 median is the second lowest in the top ten. Even after 14.22 percent appreciation, our model still calls it roughly $3,000 undervalued, which is another way of saying fairly priced. The retail strips along Woodside Road keep groceries, hardware, and restaurants within a few minutes of nearly every block. The soft spot is the school score, 2.9, the kind of number that pushes some buyers to the hills and keeps this pocket relatively affordable.

7. Clifford Heights

Clifford Heights takes seventh at 3.4 overall, pairing a 3.6 school score with 3.7 safety on a $2,632,750 median. Its appeal is quiet suburban comfort with quick connections to the rest of the Peninsula. The weak point is unambiguous: amenities score 2.6, the lowest in the top ten, so shopping and dining mostly happen in neighboring districts. Its value and appreciation figures also fall back on city-level data, so treat the roughly $33,000 overvalued reading as an approximation rather than a neighborhood-level verdict.

8. Friendly Acres

Friendly Acres is the affordability entry. Its $1,329,620 median runs 48 percent below the top-ten median of $2,575,275, and its 4.2 amenities score ties for the best in the top ten. The neighborhood mixes residential blocks with light industrial zones in eastern Redwood City, which keeps housing options broad, from older single-family homes to newer apartments, and supports a genuine community garden scene. The tradeoffs show up in the scores: schools at 2.8 and safety at 3.5 both sit below the top-ten norm, and the value figures are city-level estimates.

9. Centennial

Centennial is downtown Redwood City, and it ranks ninth at 3.3 overall. This is where the city's theaters, restaurants, and nightlife concentrate, with Caltrain within walking distance, and the 3.7 amenities score reflects it. The $1,753,280 median is the second lowest in the top ten, with much of the stock in condos and townhomes near the action. The tradeoff is a 2.8 safety score, the lowest in the top ten, a common pattern for entertainment districts where foot traffic and incident counts rise together. Buyers trading square footage for walkability will find the math here more forgiving than anywhere else on this list.

10. Horgan Ranch

Horgan Ranch closes the list at 3.2 overall while posting the fastest price growth in the city, 35.66 percent appreciation, and our model still reads it about $5,000 undervalued. The median is $2,603,880, schools score 3.5, and the blocks of traditional single-family homes hold a reputation for neighbors who actually know each other. The tradeoff is a 2.9 safety score, below the top-ten norm. The momentum cuts both ways too: growth like that suggests the market has noticed, and the modest discount our model measures may not survive another year like the last one.

What the numbers say about buying in Redwood City

Only four of the 15 Redwood City neighborhoods we score clear 4.0 overall as of July 2026, and just one, Redwood Shores, reaches 4.5.

The median top-ten entry costs $2,575,275, and the spread inside the top ten runs $1,938,960, from Friendly Acres at $1,329,620 to Oak Knoll-Edgewood Park at $3,268,580.

Five of the seven neighborhoods with neighborhood-level value data price below what their scores suggest: Redwood Shores, Woodside Plaza, Horgan Ranch, Roosevelt, and Palm Park. In a market this expensive, that is an unusually value-friendly reading.

The number one neighborhood is also the relative bargain at the top. Redwood Shores costs $379,960 less than second-ranked Emerald Hills and beats it on schools by a full point.

Where these scores come from

Houseberry scores 15 Redwood City neighborhoods on a 5-point scale for schools, safety, and amenities, then combines those with median price, value, and appreciation data into the overall ranking. The scoring model is our own, the scale is regionally comparative, and every figure in this article reflects the live data as of July 2026 on the Redwood City overall ranking page. Where a neighborhood lacks its own value or appreciation data, the site substitutes city-level figures and flags them, and we carry the same flags here. Scores describe relative, data-based context, not a guarantee about any block or address. For official boundaries and neighborhood associations, the City of Redwood City keeps its own neighborhood map.

Redwood City buyer questions, answered

What is the best neighborhood in Redwood City in 2026?

Redwood Shores, at 4.5 out of 5 per our July 2026 scores. It pairs the city's only perfect 5.0 school score with a 4.2 amenities score, and its $2,546,670 median prices it about $33,000 under what the scores suggest.

What is the most affordable of Redwood City's best neighborhoods?

Friendly Acres, with a $1,329,620 median, is the cheapest entry in the top ten. Citywide, Redwood Village posts the lowest median at $950,000 and still scores 3.0 overall with a 3.9 amenities score.

Which Redwood City neighborhood has the best schools?

Redwood Shores is the only Redwood City neighborhood with a perfect 5.0 school score in 2026. Emerald Hills follows at 4.0. The score reflects testing-based data, and the full list sits on Houseberry's Redwood City school ranking.

Which Redwood City neighborhoods are undervalued in 2026?

Five neighborhoods price below their scores per our July 2026 model: Redwood Shores by $33,000, Palm Park by $67,000, Roosevelt by $53,000, Horgan Ranch by $5,000, and Woodside Plaza by $3,000.

How fast are Redwood City home prices rising?

It depends heavily on the block. Horgan Ranch appreciated 35.66 percent, Roosevelt 27.84 percent, and Palm Park 26.75 percent, while Redwood Shores rose just 1.45 percent. Neighborhoods without their own data carry the city-level figure, a 0.31 percent decline.

How does Houseberry rank neighborhoods?

Each neighborhood gets 1-to-5 scores for schools, safety, and amenities, compared across the region rather than graded on a local curve. Price, value, and appreciation data round out the overall ranking, and city-level fallbacks are flagged wherever neighborhood data is thin.

The bottom line

Read the list as three different markets wearing one zip code. If schools drive the decision, Redwood Shores is most of the conversation, and it happens to be priced sensibly. If safety leads, Farm Hill and Woodside Plaza post 4.6 or better for roughly $300,000 to $700,000 less than the hillside names. If the budget caps below $1.8 million, Friendly Acres and Centennial are where the top ten actually lets you in. And for how these neighborhoods stack up against the rest of the mid-Peninsula, the full Peninsula neighborhood ranking puts the whole region on one page.