(1) Train Depot. The massive bricks used to make the San Carlos Train Depot are the same bricks that were used to construct Stanford University. In the late 1800’s, Timothy Guy Phelps, an original landowner in San Carlos, called on his good friend Leland Stanford for help in building a train depot in San Carlos. Excess bricks arrived shortly thereafter.
(2) Nathaniel Brittan. The last name is very familiar to those in San Carlos, but did you know that Nathaniel Brittan had three daughters….Elizabeth, Belle and Carmelita….Three streets in Howard Park currently hold those names at the request of Brittan.
(3) Old Bertini. Old Bertini, as he was known to residents in San Carlos in the earlier 1900s, owned a rather large parcel of land that is now occupied by Burton Park. That parcel was to be sold for a housing development. It wasn’t until Pop Burton refused to back down and insist that part of that parcel be used for a city park, that the development plans were halted and Burton worked in conjunction with Bertini to salvage part of the parcel from development and Recreation Park was created, later named Burton Park.
(4) Olympics. In the summer of 1984, the City of San Carlos came to a standstill as the Olympic torch was carried down El Camino Real.
(5) The Church Lady. A famous Saturday Night Live character made popular by San Carlos native, Dana Carvey, is supposedly based on a woman Carvey encountered at the church on Cedar and Magnolia.
(6) First Charter. San Carlos Charter Learning Center was the first charter school established in California.
(7) Water Under Your House?. There can be a wide variety of reasons for this in San Carlos, but also keep in mind that there was a reason Black Mountain Water decided to establish their distribution center here. The springs in the San Carlos hills are filled with water. The property once used by Black Mountain water still remains vacant today, on Alameda de las Pulgas, between Melendy and Madera.
(8) 1961 National Champions. In 1961, a group of San Carlos boys, ages 13-15, won the Babe Ruth World Series. The team was coached by Bob Flanagan. The large baseball diamond at Burton Park is named in his honor.
(9) Hills vs. Flats. With a few pocket exceptions, San Carlos is the only town on the peninsula where it is more expensive to live in the flats, than in the hills.
(10) From Knight to Giant. San Carlos native, Barry Bonds, attended Arundel School.
4 Comments
I have heard that Dana Carvey is actually from Belmont.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your comment. That’s actually incorrect. Carvey grew up on Wellington Drive in San Carlos. However, he did attend Carlmont High School from that address, which is obviously in Belmont….so that may be some of the reason for the confusion.
Bob
Bob Flanagan was indeed the coach of the 1961 SC Babe Ruth all-star team which was managed by Bill Connelly, Sr.–a San Francisco attorney. Bob coached Babe Ruth League baseball, St. Charles junior high baseball, Joe DiMaggio league baseball, and even some at Carlmont High School (circa 1960-1998). He could be found most spring and summer days after he finished his job with with the USPS in San Carlos practicing with one of his teams at Burton Park and most always fielded competive teams. He was the face of baseball in San Carlos throughout the sixties and seventies and could most always be found talking baseball at one of the Burton Park diamonds. He was most definitely youth-baseball’s friend.
Do you remember when he passed away?