Sold Nov 3
$1,050,000
Dale Street
3 bd · 1 ba · 1,396 sq ft
105% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Realty
San Diego Neighborhood Guide
Burlingame is a small historic residential tract of about 40 acres in San Diego’s Greater North Park planning area, set between Switzer Canyon and the edge of South Park. Opened in 1912 and marketed as the “Tract of Character,” it is known for curving streets that follow the canyon rim, rose-tinted sidewalks and a varied collection of early twentieth-century homes, from Craftsman bungalows and Swiss chalets to Mission and Spanish Revival designs. The whole tract is a City-designated historic district.
Quick Facts
| Area | About 40 acres (Burlingame Historic District) |
|---|---|
| Planning area | Greater North Park (City of San Diego) |
| ZIP code | 92104 |
| Boundaries | Roughly San Marcos Avenue and Switzer Canyon on the north, Kalmia Street (the alley between Kalmia and Juniper) on the south, 30th Street on the west and 32nd Street on the east. |
| Founded | 1912 (subdivision map approved January 10, 1912; tract opened to the public January 13, 1912) |
| Home types | Almost entirely detached single-family homes on a historic single-family tract |
| Signature style | Craftsman and Swiss chalet bungalows, Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Prairie and Tudor Revival homes |
| Price tier | Upper |
| Best for | buyers who want a designated historic district, architect-designed early 1900s homes, curving low-traffic streets and a short walk to the 30th Street and Juniper Street shops of South Park |
Jeff’s Take
I’ve done a few deals in Burlingame, and it’s one of the prettiest small tracts in the city. About 40 acres of curving canyon-rim streets, rose-tinted sidewalks and early twentieth-century homes in an eclectic mix of styles.
It’s fully residential and quiet, with South Park’s shops and restaurants a short walk away.
Who it’s not for: Burlingame is small, so homes come up for sale rarely. If you need more choice right now, we’ll look at North Park and South Park at the same time.
Burlingame vs. South Park: Burlingame is a small, fully residential historic tract with curving canyon-rim streets. South Park mixes historic homes with a walkable village of shops.
What buying in Burlingame often looks like
Say you’re buying your first home here: a 1910s bungalow on the canyon rim. Before we write, I check the historic district rules for exterior changes, whether the home could get a Mills Act contract, and the fire-zone requirements for the canyon side of the lot.
Market Snapshot
| Measure | Oct 2026 | Oct 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,200,000 | $1,145,000 | +5% |
| Avg. price per sq. ft. | $968 | $1,021 | −5% |
| Homes sold | 11 | 13 | −15% |
| New listings | 23 | 29 | −21% |
| Median days on market | 8 | 11 | −27% |
| % of list price received | 99% | 99% | 0% |
| Months of inventory | 1.9 | 3.1 | −39% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92104, as of October 2026. Source: San Diego Multiple Listing Service (SDMLS) closed sales, compiled by Jeff Brick. Burlingame shares ZIP 92104 with North Park, so these figures cover the wider area.
| Measure | Current listings |
|---|---|
| Median asking price | $1,287,000 |
| Median asking price per sq. ft. | $972 |
| Homes for sale | 38 |
| Median days on market (current listings) | 35 |
| Months of supply | 3.3 |
| HouseCanary 1-year price forecast | 1.1% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92104, listings on the market as of November 3, 2026. Source: HouseCanary Market Insights. Asking prices are what sellers are listing for, not final sale prices.
Jeff’s note (Q4 2026): 11 homes sold in October at a median of $1,200,000, up 5% from a year ago. With 1.9 months of inventory, sellers have the edge, so come in with your financing ready.
A Few Recent Sales
Not every sale, just a few recent closings I picked to show what buyers are actually paying in Burlingame right now. Updated monthly · November 2026.
$1,050,000
Dale Street
3 bd · 1 ba · 1,396 sq ft
105% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Realty
$2,085,000
Kalmia Street
5 bd · 4 ba
94.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$2,085,000
Kalmia Street
5 bd · 4 ba · 2,800 sq ft
94.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$975,000
Thorn Street
2 bd · 2 ba · 936 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of TXR Homes
$1,200,000
30th Street
4 bd · 3 ba · 1,886 sq ft
87.3% of list price
Listing courtesy of Apartment Realty Group (ARG)
$1,150,000
Bancroft Street
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,117 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of TXR Homes
$1,575,000
Teresita Street
4 bd · 3 ba · 2,092 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of TXR Homes
$1,725,000
Edgemont Street
5 bd · 3 ba · 1,948 sq ft
90.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of LPT Realty
$1,200,000
Villa Terrace
2 bd · 1 ba · 800 sq ft
106.7% of list price
Listing courtesy of TXR Homes
$995,000
Boundary Street
2 bd · 2 ba · 979 sq ft
94.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams La Jolla
Sold information from the San Diego MLS (SDMLS®), deemed reliable but not guaranteed. These homes may have been listed and sold by other brokerages; they are shown to illustrate the local market, not as Jeff Brick’s own sales. Want the full list of recent sales or a value estimate for your home? Ask Jeff.
History
Burlingame dates to the building boom of the early 1910s. In late October 1911 a group of local investors known as the Burlingame Syndicate bought forty acres of hilltop land on the south side of Switzer Canyon, and the development firm of Joseph McFadden and George Buxton took on the project. The City Council approved the map on January 10, 1912, and the tract opened to the public three days later. The firm advertised it as the “Tract of Character,” stressing the high, dry site and its wide views, and thirty-four lots, about a fifth of the total, sold the first weekend. Within weeks crews had graded the curving streets and poured tinted red curbs, crosswalks and sidewalks. Nine houses were under way by April 1912 and thirty-three were finished by January 1913. Promotion reached as far as Arizona, and many early investors came from Bisbee, where Buxton had lived. A real estate slump in 1913 slowed sales, and building nearly stopped between 1914 and 1920, so the tract filled in over the following decades. San Diego Zoo founder Dr. Harry Wegeforth was among the early owners. The neighborhood’s period of significance runs from 1912 to 1952.
Burlingame was developed by the McFadden & Buxton Company, a partnership of Joseph McFadden and George Buxton that operated from 1911 to 1913 and called itself a “system firm” because it bundled land sales, design and construction. The Burlingame Syndicate, a group of San Diego businessmen, financed the land purchase. Civil engineer A. P. McCarton surveyed the tract. Architect William Henry Wheeler served as the firm’s chief architect and supervisor of its building department, and restrictive covenants and his design review kept early construction consistent. Other early designers and builders included Earl Josef Brenk, Carleton Winslow, Archibald McCorkle and Charles C. Swift.
Architecture
Burlingame is a showcase of early twentieth-century residential design in a compact area. William Henry Wheeler designed many of the tract’s first homes, including a Prairie-influenced house on Laurel Street for Dr. Harry Wegeforth, Swiss chalet designs on Capitan Street, a Mission Revival house with a third-story tower on Kalmia Street and a neoclassical house on San Marcos Avenue. Earl Josef Brenk contributed California Craftsman bungalows on Dulzura and Capitan, and Carleton Winslow designed a trio of Swiss-style houses on San Marcos completed in 1913. Spanish Revival houses, including an ornate Churrigueresque example on San Marcos, appeared early as well. Later infill through the 1920s to early 1950s added Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Art Deco and California Ranch homes. Lots averaged about 60 feet wide and 100 to 180 feet deep, and the original rules required an eight-foot separation between houses.
The City of San Diego Historical Resources Board established the Burlingame Historic District on June 12, 2002, and amended it on November 29, 2007. The district covers about 188 parcels, with roughly 160 contributing resources and a period of significance of 1912 to 1952. Exterior changes to contributing homes go through City historic review. Distinctive surviving features include the curving street layout and the rose-colored sidewalks, which the City’s district report describes as the only such sidewalks in San Diego. Owners of designated historical resources may apply for a Mills Act contract, which can reduce property taxes in exchange for preservation and maintenance.
Living Here
Housing in Burlingame is almost entirely detached single-family homes on lots of the original 1912 tract, typically about 60 feet wide and 100 to 180 feet deep. Most homes were built between 1912 and 1952, so buyers should expect older construction, original details and, in many cases, past remodels that were reviewed under historic district rules. Lots along the north side back onto Switzer Canyon. With fewer than 200 parcels, homes come up for sale infrequently. Original features such as the curving street layout and tinted sidewalks are part of the district’s character.
Daily life in Burlingame centers on quiet, curving residential streets with mature trees and the rose-tinted sidewalks that make it popular for neighborhood walks. The tract sits at the north edge of South Park, so the cafes, restaurants, bookstore and shops around 30th Street and Juniper Street are a short walk away, and the larger North Park dining and brewery scene is close by to the north. Balboa Park and its museums, gardens and trails are a short drive or bike ride west. Switzer Canyon adds open space along the north side of the tract.
Getting Around
Walk Score: 75, Very Walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/Burlingame) · Transit Score: 33, Some Transit (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/Burlingame) · Bike Score: 56, Bikeable (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/Burlingame)
Burlingame is served by San Diego Unified School District. Nearby public schools include McKinley Elementary at 3045 Felton Street in North Park, an authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school serving transitional kindergarten through grade 5. School attendance boundaries can change and do not always follow neighborhood lines, so confirm the assigned schools for any specific address with San Diego Unified before buying.
Switzer Canyon borders the tract on the north, Balboa Park is a short trip west, and the Grape Street Dog Park at 1998 28th Street is nearby in South Park.
Explore Burlingame
Public and charter schools closest to the heart of Burlingame.
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
School assignment depends on the exact address, so confirm the schools for any home with the school district. Source: California Department of Education, 2024–25 school sites. Report cards link to the official California School Dashboard.
Green space, trails and play areas in and around Burlingame.
Park data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are approximate, measured from the center of Burlingame.
Burlingame sits in the southeast part of the Greater North Park planning area, bordered by North Park to the north and east and by South Park to the south. It occupies the high ground between 30th and 32nd Streets just south of Switzer Canyon, a few blocks east of Balboa Park and a short drive from downtown San Diego.
Local Favorites
Independent bookstore (adjacent South Park)
3010-B Juniper St, San Diego, CA 92104
Directions →Neighborhood tavern and burger spot (established 2009, adjacent South Park)
2204 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
Directions →Italian restaurant and pizzeria (adjacent South Park)
3001 Beech St, San Diego, CA
Directions →Photos, ratings and links from Google Maps
FAQ
Burlingame is a small historic tract inside the Greater North Park planning area, between 30th and 32nd Streets just south of Switzer Canyon. It borders North Park to the north and east and South Park to the south.
Yes. The City’s Historical Resources Board established the Burlingame Historic District in 2002 and amended it in 2007. Most homes are contributing resources, so exterior changes go through City historic review.
When the tract was built in 1912, the developers poured tinted red curbs, crosswalks and sidewalks to give it a distinctive identity. The City’s district report notes they are the only rose-colored sidewalks of their kind in San Diego.
Walk Score rates Burlingame 75, or Very Walkable. The shops, cafes and restaurants at 30th and Juniper in South Park are a short walk away, and North Park’s commercial streets are close by.
The tract mixes Craftsman and Swiss chalet bungalows with Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Prairie, Tudor Revival and later Art Deco and Ranch homes. Many early houses were designed by architect William Henry Wheeler.
Burlingame is in San Diego Unified School District, and McKinley Elementary in North Park is among the nearby public schools. Confirm assigned schools for a specific address with the district.
Burlingame is a quiet, fully residential historic tract with curving streets, while greater North Park has busy commercial corridors, apartments and nightlife. Burlingame residents are a short walk or drive from both North Park and South Park amenities.
Work With Jeff
Jeff Brick, San Diego REALTOR® at Compass, DRE# 02156850. Million Dollar Service at All Price Points. Call or text 858-324-4448.
Nearby neighborhood guides: Hillcrest · Mission Hills · North Park · South Park · University Heights
Header photo: IllaZilla (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Real numbers for your neighborhood from the San Diego MLS, a short note from Jeff, and the homes worth seeing. One email a month. Unsubscribe any time.
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