Original Daly City Homes and Neighborhood Guide
Daly City neighborhood guide
Original Daly City is the historic core of the city, around the Top of the Hill, the gap between San Bruno Mountain and the coastal hills that Spanish travelers called La Portezuela, the Little Door.
Dairyman John Daly owned about 250 acres here and later subdivided it after the 1906 earthquake brought refugees south from San Francisco. Daly City incorporated in 1911 by a vote of 132 to 130.
Today it is one of the busiest and most attainable single family markets in San Mateo County, a few minutes from the Daly City BART station and the San Francisco line.
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Top photo: Tim Adams, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Original Daly City is shaded. Borders follow MLSListings area lines. Zoom in for street detail, or browse all neighborhood guides.
At a glance
- Historic Top of the Hill core of Daly City
- Older homes on streets such as Castle, Citrus and Thiers
- Median house sale about $1.1M (85 sales) and condo sale about $670K (13 sales) over the last 12 months, MLSListings
- Close to Daly City BART, Mission Street and I-280
- Busiest single family market on my first time buyer list
Homes and Streets
Homes here are mostly older single family houses on small city lots, many built in the first half of the 20th century, with some newer infill and small condo buildings. Representative streets include Castle Street, Citrus Avenue, Thiers Street, Station Avenue and Vista Grande Avenue.
With 85 house sales over the last year, buyers usually have steady choice here, and the BART station makes it practical to commute to San Francisco without a car.
See current homes for sale in Daly City →
Video Tours
I have not filmed a walkthrough in Original Daly City yet. Want me to tour a home here for you? Send me the address, and see my other walkthroughs below.
Parks and Open Space
Public Schools Nearby
Jefferson Elementary School District assignments follow attendance boundaries; confirm the school for a specific address with the district.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Original Daly City FAQ
Where is Original Daly City?
It is the historic center of Daly City around the Top of the Hill, Mission Street and the Daly City BART station, just south of San Francisco.
Why is it called Daly City?
The city is named for John Donald Daly, a dairyman who owned about 250 acres at the Top of the Hill and later subdivided them.
What do homes sell for here?
Over the 12 months ending November 8, 2026, the median house sale was about $1.1 million across 85 sales, and the median condo sale was about $670,000 across 13 sales, per MLSListings.
How can I find homes for sale in Original Daly City?
Browse current listings in Daly City on Joseph Suarez's site, or join his off-market list to hear about homes before they are listed publicly. Thinking of selling? Request a free home valuation for a local estimate based on recent nearby sales.
Thinking about Original Daly City?
Whether you are buying or selling, Joseph Suarez can walk you through recent sales, street by street pricing and what is coming up before it hits the market.
See homes for saleWhat is my home worth?Get off-market listingsContact Joseph← Back to Daly City neighborhoods or browse all Peninsula neighborhoods
Updated November 2026 by Joseph Suarez, Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Burlingame, DRE 02085594.
Sources: Daly City, California (Wikipedia), Daly City station (Wikipedia), Jefferson Elementary School District (Wikipedia), MLSListings closed sales, November 9, 2025 to November 8, 2026. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed.