6.3 out of 10

Marlin

Ranked 5th best neighborhood in Redwood City
37.5330589779952 -122.248078394685
Great for
  • Clean & Green
  • Peace & Quiet
  • Safe & Sound
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Neighborly Spirit
Not great for
  • Eating Out
  • Medical Facilities
  • Nightlife
  • Shopping Options
  • Childcare
Who lives here?
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  •  

Reviews

3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 4/5
  • Clean & Green 5/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 3/5
  • Shopping Options 1/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 2/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 2/5
  • Medical Facilities 2/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"Enjoy It While its Above Water"

Marlin rests just to the east of the commercial district where Oracle is located. As you can tell by the names of the streets, this is right by where the old Marine World used to be.

Most of the homes here are newer, dating from the 1980’s or later. (Marine World closed its doors in 1986 which probably increased building in the area.) There are number of 80’s style condos here—which account for many of the moderate prices.
There are also a fair number regular contemporary style homes, whose prices rise to close to $1 million in places. These are nice smaller homes which are fairly tightly built.

All-in-all, the prices are relatively moderate for bay front property. (Many of the homes have direct access to the waterways right from their backyards where they have their own private docks, and could, if they choose, have their own boats. Though it doesn’t seem like that many choose to take advantage of this opportunity.)

I was speaking to one of my environmentally inclined friends in my graduate program about this area. He drew my attention to fact that climate change is going to pose a real challenge to Redwood Shores—what these eastern Redwood City neighborhoods are called collectively. This entire area used to be marshlands apparently. But first Marine World in the 60’s and then further developers came along and claimed it.

The point though is that by current estimates this whole area is going to need some serious Amsterdam style defenses if we are to keep the whole area from going underwater during this century—especially if more marshlands are developed. In addition, Cargill also wants to get into the act and build even more on this area. (Check out the article link below.)

Though some on the Right like to believe that climate change is just a Left-Wing hoax, it is becoming increasingly clear that things are changing and maybe even at a faster pace than climatologists first believed--which is one of the reasons I would be wary of buying a property here. Once it becomes obvious that Climate Change is having its effect, the bottom is likely to fall out of bay side real estate like this. If you have a thirty year mortgage, you would be right in time for the worst of Climate Change’s effects.

So, although this is an attractive neighborhood I wonder how wise it is to put down roots here at this point.

In case, you want to read more about this consider the following article:
http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5021
Pros
  • Nice Homes
  • Close to Bay
  • Relatively Affordable
Cons
  • Climate Change Worries
  • Smaller Homes
  • A Bit Isolated
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Nightlife 1/5
  • Parks & Recreation 3/5
  • Shopping Options 1/5
  • Parking 3/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
2yrs+

"Pleasant and surprisingly affluent community"

Marlin is an exclusively residential, roughly middle-class, but somewhat anonymous Redwood City community. It is located within the winding slough/canal system of the city and within minutes to the San Francisco peninsula. As a whole, the district is rather small (0.5 square miles), bounded by Bridge Parkway to the south, Steinberger Slough to the east, Shell Parkway to the north and Marine Parkway to the north. Demographically speaking, the neighborhood is predominately white with a rather sizable asian minority (total population tops 2,000).

Marlin’s residential quarters are made up a mixed bag of pleasant but unglamorous community aesthetics. Homes vary in size and style while apartment buildings are relatively boxy and packed together within residential blocks. Both of which provide clean-cut quarters with ordinary front yards and wide, orderly streets. Its nicer residences are situated along Bark Drive and Harbor Colony Court (mostly two-story homes with beautiful, well-groomed house fronts). Renters with deeper pockets tend to congregate around Marlin Drive, an area that hosts a couple fancy condominiums and apartment homes.

The district is surprisingly affluent, with median household incomes circling around $115,000/year. And according to the 2010 US Census, average estimated house prices are between $900,000 to $1.1 million, while rents can run you upwards of $2,500/month. For recreation, Marlin Park is the community’s nice little getaway. The grassland features an outdoor basketball court and a couple baseball/softball field. And transportation is fairly limited, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem with some luxury cars saturating the neighborhood.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees

Best Streets in Marlin

1

Marlin Ct

4.5/5
"One street island in redwood city"
37.5347096611164 -122.250792043016

Unranked Streets in Marlin

"not as cool as marlin ct, part 2"
37.5337885824286 -122.249159526973

Neptune Dr

3.5/5
"Another nice large park in Redwood City is Marlin Park. "
37.5289645386589 -122.250811167831
"Great street to live on--depending on your need!"
37.5316899411031 -122.24427141468
"not as cool as marlin ct"
37.5333656953016 -122.249947752319

Best Neighborhoods to Live In

Best Cities to Live In

Tell everyone what you love about your neighborhood!

Leave a Review

Have a question?

How are schools? Is the area safe? What about public transit options?" Why not ask our community of locals!

Ask Now

Selling or Renting Your Home?

Maximize the selling price of your home by sharing what you love about your suburb to increase its appeal...

Leave a Review

Corporate Relocation Manager?

Enable your employees to share local knowledge in a private, trusted environment with those relocating... while building community.

Learn More