Welcome to Broadmoor
Located on the western side of the San Francisco Peninsula, Broadmoor is a census designated place often referred to as the “donut hole of the Daly City donut” as a result of it being entirely surrounded by Daly City. What was once miles of uninterrupted farmland has slowly given way to constant annexation by Daly City, leaving the small, independent community that remains. However, this has done little to dampen the spirit of the remaining community or the resident’s desire to remain an isolated and separate location.
Lay of the Land
Located in San Mateo County, Broadmoor is positioned on the western side of the peninsula approximately halfway between San Francisco and South San Francisco. Broadmoor is surrounded on all sides by Daly City, leaving it as the area’s only true neighbor. Repeated annexation by Daly City has left Broadmoor extremely small geographically, with the approximately 4,176 residents occupying a total landmass of about 2.5 square miles. In addition to a strong sense of independence, the area has also maintained a solid economic base. The median estimated household income of $78,947 and the estimated median home value of $567,701 are both in line with regional averages while exceeding state averages.
Transportation
Interstate 280 runs just along the eastern edge of Broadmoor and provided access to the rest of the peninsula as well as intersecting with various roads that make travel to the entire Bay Area possible. Broadmoor itself lacks any public transportation stations or access points. However, the Colma Bay Area Rapid Transit station is extremely close and provides access to not only the rest of the BART system, but access to SamTrans bus stations and CalTrain commuter rail stations as well. Travel outside of the region is possible thanks to the San Francisco International Airport or the Oakland International Airport.
Highlights and History
In the early 1940’s, Broadmoor was a wide open, sprawling area known mostly for its hog farms and its fields of potatoes and artichokes. However, following World War II, Broadmoor and the rest of the Bay Area underwent rapid population growth and economic development as many veterans returned home looking to begin a new life. This resulted in the creation of Broadmoor Village, the original housing development in the area and a source of several of the homes still standing today.
The citizens of Broadmoor, both old and new, were a fiercely independent lot at the time. They were extremely proud of their community and determined to not succumb to outside pressure or influences when it came to development. This independent spirit made it difficult to organize the members of the community in order to incorporate the town. Unfortunately, the lack of incorporation made it difficult to resist the annexation of numerous sections of the town by nearby Daly City. Over the years, Broadmoor has had a total of 52 separate detachments annexed by Daly City. While the overall annexation of Broadmoor was not possible due to stiff public resistance, Daly City was able to effectively pick all of the prime commercial and industrial districts of Broadmoor, leaving the area almost entirely residential.
However, the modern residents of Broadmoor have remained independent and proud of their community. This had led them to the unique position of housing the only remaining police protection district in the state. The Broadmoor police department was created in the early years of the town in response to a lack of effective coverage by the San Mateo Sheriff. The current Broadmoor Police Protection district is a Police Commission comprised of three elected officials from within the community. The commission appoints a Chief of Police who is then responsible for hiring additional officers and support staff.
