Polo Field Real Estate | Burlingame, CA

What should I know about Polo Field?

Polo Field’s name preserves the memory of the gentleman-sport culture that defined how San Mateo County’s wealthiest families used their land in the early twentieth century. The polo fields that gave the neighborhood its name have long been replaced by residential development, but the spacious lot character that polo grounds required — large, open, unencumbered by structures — left a legacy in the neighborhood’s parcel sizes. Polo Field properties tend toward the generous end of Burlingame’s lot size range, providing outdoor spaces that reflect the scale of the historic use of this land for sport rather than the dense subdivision that characterized other parts of the city.

The neighborhood’s western position in Burlingame, adjacent to the hills that lead toward Crystal Springs Reservoir and Hillsborough, gives Polo Field a more rural character than the city’s central and eastern residential areas. Properties here are close to the open space that begins at the Hillsborough boundary and extends through the Crystal Springs watershed, providing a sense of landscape connection that neighborhoods further from the hills cannot match. For buyers who want Burlingame’s residential community and school district while living adjacent to open hillside terrain, Polo Field’s western position is a meaningful attribute.

Crystal Springs Country Club, located along the Crystal Springs Reservoir near Hillsborough, is a private golf and tennis club accessible from Polo Field within a short drive. The club’s membership-based recreational amenities — a challenging golf course, tennis facilities, pool, and dining — represent an optional lifestyle enhancement for Polo Field residents who choose membership. The reservoir area itself is a significant recreational and visual asset: the Crystal Springs Reservoir is a protected water supply that prohibits public access to the water itself but creates a large expanse of undeveloped open space along the hills that contributes to the area’s natural character and provides views for elevated homes.

The commute from Polo Field follows the standard Burlingame pattern: short drives to the Caltrain station, Highway 280 accessible via the Hillsborough connections, and SFO under 10 minutes. The western hillside adjacency adds modestly to drive times for some destinations compared to the city’s flatland sections, but the difference is generally measured in minutes rather than significant time additions. Most Polo Field residents consider the western character and Hillsborough adjacency the defining features of the neighborhood and accept any minor commute additions as an acceptable trade-off for the residential environment.

Polo Field: Prestige Burlingame Adjacent to the Historic Polo Grounds

The Polo Field neighborhood takes its name from the historic polo grounds that occupied this part of Burlingame in the late 19th and early 20th century — the Burlingame Country Club (established 1893) and its associated polo fields were part of the elite social infrastructure that the railroad barons and San Francisco society created on the mid-Peninsula as the summer resort alternative to the city. The neighborhood’s residential character reflects this prestige heritage: the larger lots, the estate-scale homes, and the proximity to the Burlingame Country Club and the Crystal Springs Reservoir open space create the residential environment that maintains the polo field district’s historic prestige within the contemporary Burlingame residential market. The neighborhood’s access to the Crystal Springs Trail and the open space of the mid-Peninsula water system creates the natural recreation amenity that the Polo Field resident accesses as the outdoor lifestyle complement to the neighborhood’s historic estate character.

What is it like to live in Polo Field Burlingame Homes?

• Polo Field Burlingame Homes take their name from the gentleman-sport culture that defined how San Mateo County’s wealthiest families used their land.
• Polo grounds required large, open parcels unencumbered by structures, and that requirement left a lasting legacy in local parcel sizes.
• Properties tend toward the generous end of Burlingame’s lot size range, providing outdoor spaces that reflect the historic sporting use of this land.
• Western position within Burlingame, adjacent to hills leading toward Crystal Springs Reservoir and Hillsborough, gives the district a more rural character.
• Open space beginning at the Hillsborough boundary and extending through the Crystal Springs watershed provides a landscape connection other areas cannot match.
• Crystal Springs Country Club sits along the reservoir near Hillsborough as a private golf and tennis club reachable within a short drive.
• Club membership brings optional recreational amenities including a challenging golf course, tennis facilities, a pool, and dining.
• Crystal Springs Reservoir prohibits public access to the water but creates undeveloped open space along the hills and views for elevated homes.
• Burlingame Country Club and its associated polo fields formed part of the elite social infrastructure railroad barons created on the mid-Peninsula.
• Larger lots, estate-scale houses, and Crystal Springs Trail access define the prestige heritage that residents of Polo Field Burlingame Homes value most.