Woodside, a rural home to many lavish estates and more than two thousand horses, is a town criss-crossed with bridle paths with a unique, park-like setting.

The area now called Woodside was gradually developed starting in the 1830’s, first as sawmills that supplied redwood to build San Francisco, later as farms, small cattle ranches and vineyards. By the 1880s, prosperous San Franciscans began building country estates in the area. Their ranks included coffee tycoon James Folger, lumber baron C.F.A. Talbot, heirs to the H.M. Newhall land and cattle fortune, as well as millionaire spice magnate August Schilling.

But it wasn’t until the post World War II building boom brought more than 500 new houses to the area that local residents decided to get together to protect the rural nature of their community. In 1956, the Town of Woodside was incorporated, bringing road maintenance, management, planning and zoning under local control.

The town has encouraged the development of equestrian trails. A relatively small commercial area serves some of the needs of the residents. There is no chamber of commerce and law enforcement is handled by the County Sheriff’s Office.