College of San Mateo - Location and Environment

Location and Environment

College of San Mateo is located on a 153 acres (0.62 km2) campus in the hills of San Mateo, about 30 minutes south of San Francisco and about the same distance north of San Jose. Two major highways, U.S. Route 101 to the east and Interstate 280 to the west, sandwich CSM. Both intersect with and feed Highway 92, which provides a direct exit to the college at West Hillsdale Boulevard. The campus was designed by internationally recognized architect John Carl Warnecke.

Through a capital improvement program, funded by $675 million worth of bonds approved by voters in 2001 and 2005, major new construction, renovation, seismic-retrofitting and improvements to the infrastructure have taken place at CSM. New facilities include the Center, which is home to the county’s police academy. Many classrooms have been upgraded with new technologies and converted into what are called “Smart” classrooms. Funded by local redevelopment agency funds, the school’s and complex are new, featuring synthetic turf fields. Over the next several years, more construction and renovation will take place, with the construction of a new multi-use building that will house the bookstore, food service, administrative, student support services, faculty offices and meeting rooms.