Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ladera

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
California›San Mateo County

LaderaCA

A town of 1,297.

Is Ladera a good place to live?

The best of Ladera’s subject grades are an A+ for incomes and health and an A for schools; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. 90% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Ladera, above both California’s towns (29%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 1 of California’s 1,056 towns score higher on incomes. Ladera is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns. Ladera has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Ladera stand out

Where Ladera beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Small town

1,297 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
Portola ValleyPortola ValleyLadera

How Ladera grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Ladera is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Levi's Stadium and 216 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ladera. Close and well known come first.

All 245 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Levi's Stadium: Matthew Roth, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary: druchoy, CC BY-SA 2.0 · California's Great America: Oleg Alexandrov, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS Hornet: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0 · Chase Center: Gregory Varnum, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Oracle Park: User Coasttocoast on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Ladera: who provides what

Ladera is unincorporated, so San Mateo County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerPG&E37.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCalifornia Water Service - Bear GulchNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesSan Mateo CountySan Mateo County provides services here
SchoolsLas Lomitas Elementary School DistrictSequoia Union High School District2 districts serve Ladera; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereSan Mateo County Clerk - ElectionsSan Mateo County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2024
ZIP code9402894028 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Ladera.

92%of CA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Woodland School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades PK–8Grades PK–8308–

NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation

HealthA+

A smaller share of adults sleep under 7 hours in Ladera than in most of California or the rest of the country

24% of Ladera adults sleep under 7 hours, below both the California town median (35%) and the median of U.S. towns (36%). 15% of Ladera adults get no exercise outside work. Ladera beats the California average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.

98%healthier than U.S. townsA+Health Grade
LaderaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)24%35%36%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)12%17%17%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)22%29%35%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)15%24%25%
32 measures vs. California
20 better10 too close to call2 worse
What stands outLaderaCA
Fewer uninsured adults3.3%10.6%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity6.1%17.9%
More adults who have had cancer10.6%6.4%
Stanford Health Care
2 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

Earthquakes leads a very high hazard risk in Ladera

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 91% of U.S. communities.

91risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
91Very high riskLowerHigher
EarthquakesInland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+

Ladera stands out in California and nationally, with fewer of its residents who live below the poverty line

1.5% of residents live below the poverty line in Ladera. Jobs based in Ladera grew to 381 in 2023, 69 more than in 2013. Ladera’s average trip to work is 21 minutes.

1%work in town
LaderaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line1.5%10%9.6%
Average trip to work21 minutes28 minutes25 minutes
Working residents who work in town1.3%6.6%8%

Where working residents work

In Ladera1%
San Francisco9%
Palo Alto8%
Stanford7%
Menlo Park6%
12 mi
median commute distance
381
jobs based in Ladera
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Ladera, expect mild winters and pleasant summers

Ladera has mild winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Ladera is 81°F.

81°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter40–60°
Spring45–68°
Summer53–80°
Fall48–74°
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
81°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC+

Ladera has set aside 1.2% of its land for conservation

0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

1.2%conserved
LaderaCalifornia townsU.S. towns
Conserved land1.2%4.3%4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile0.5 miles per square mile1.00.4
1.2%
conserved · 3 of 273 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve—2

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

HousingCost of living grade C+

Homes in Ladera sell for about $3.75M

Only 5 of the 848 California towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Ladera.

$3.75Mmedian sale price
1
homes sold in April

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ladera

16pages on Ladera
After high school

Colleges nearby

16 within 15 miles of the center of Ladera

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Ladera for work

Where Ladera’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

9% → San Francisco San Francisco 9% 8% → Palo Alto Palo Alto 8% 7% → Stanford Stanford 7% 6% → Menlo Park Menlo Park 6% 6% → San Jose San Jose 6% 5% → Sunnyvale Sunnyvale 5% Ladera · 1% stay
381jobs based in Ladera
1%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Ladera

Census-designated place in California, United States

Ladera is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Mateo County, California, United States, adjacent to Portola Valley. Primarily a residential community, it comprises approximately 520 homes, governed by the Ladera Community Association. The ZIP Code is 94028 and the community is inside area code 650. The population was 1,557 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
0.5 sq mi
Elevation
315 ft
Area code
650

Questions about Ladera

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Ladera, CA expensive?

The typical home is worth about $2,000,000, 163% above the California typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.