El Granada is a village and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in the

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

al area of northern

San Mateo County San Mateo County ( ), officially the County of San Mateo, is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 764,442. Redwood City, California, Redwood City is th ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. The population was 5,481 at the 2020 census. The village is named for the city of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

, Spain.

Geography

El Granada is located at (37.503766, -122.473230), on the less densely populated

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

side of San Mateo County, approximately south of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and north of

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

. Neighboring towns include Montara and Moss Beach to the north and

Half Moon Bay Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Mo ...

to the south. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that El Granada had a population of 5,481. The population density was . The racial makeup of El Granada was 76.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.7% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 5.3% from other races, and 12.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.1% of the population. The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized. There were 2,171 households, out of which 25.1% included children under the age of 18, 58.3% were married-couple households, 7.0% were

cohabiting Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...

couple households, 20.9% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 21.1% of households were one person, and 9.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52. There were 1,523

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(70.2% of all households). The age distribution was 17.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% aged 18 to 24, 21.3% aged 25 to 44, 34.5% aged 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 48.8years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. There were 2,283 housing units at an average density of , of which 2,171 (95.1%) were occupied. Of these, 75.8% were owner-occupied, and 24.2% were occupied by renters. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $226,384, and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $104,601. About 0.8% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that El Granada had a population of 5,467. The population density was . The racial makeup of El Granada was 4,608 (84.3%)

, 45 (0.8%)

, 38 (0.7%) Native American, 190 (3.5%) Asian, 5 (0.1%)

, 336 (6.1%) from other races, and 245 (4.5%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 813 persons (14.9%). The Census reported that 5,453 people (99.7% of the population) lived in households, 14 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized. There were 2,098 households, out of which 660 (31.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,245 (59.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 163 (7.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 69 (3.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 132 (6.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 33 (1.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 420 households (20.0%) were made up of individuals, and 124 (5.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60. There were 1,477

(70.4% of all households); the average family size was 3.00. The population was spread out, with 1,199 people (21.9%) under the age of 18, 314 people (5.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,269 people (23.2%) aged 25 to 44, 2,106 people (38.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 579 people (10.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. There were 2,198 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,592 (75.9%) were owner-occupied, and 506 (24.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. 4,205 people (76.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,248 people (22.8%) lived in rental housing units.

History

El Granada's unusual concentric-circular street layout was designed by the influential architect and city planner

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the ''Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been "the most successful power broker the American archi ...

. Burnham's other works included overseeing the design for the 1893

Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ce ...

in Chicago and designing the 1902

Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a 22-story, steel-framed triangular building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick P. Dinke ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Burnham's plan was commissioned by the

Ocean Shore Railroad The Ocean Shore Railroad was a railroad built between San Francisco and Tunitas Beach, Tunitas Glen, and Swanton, California, Swanton and Santa Cruz, California, Santa Cruz that operated along the Pacific coastline from 1905 until 1920. The rou ...

, which developed El Granada as a seaside resort for visitors who would use the railroad to travel between

and El Granada. The city was originally named "Granada" after the city in Spain but the Post Office mistakenly recorded the name as "El Granada" in 1909. Financial difficulties and the advent of the automobile caused the railroad to abandon the plan, and El Granada subsequently became a residential community.

Government

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, El Granada is in , and in . Federally, El Granada is in .

Transportation

Primary road access is via State Route 1 (the Cabrillo Highway) from the north and south.

SamTrans SamTrans (stylized as samTrans; officially the San Mateo County Transit District) is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into porti ...

route 117 provides service to El Granada with service from Linda Mar in Pacifica to

References

External links

Coastsider, Coastal San Mateo County news site
{{authority control Populated coastal places in California Census-designated places in San Mateo County, California Census-designated places in California CCT San Mateo Section 5