San Carlos is a city of almost 30,000 people, located almost exactly halfway between San Francisco and San Jose, that combines a small-town atmosphere with the perks of sophisticated living. When San Carlos calls itself the “City of Good Living,” it’s not bragging. Good living is easy to find here.

San Carlos’ oldest neighborhoods, White Oaks and Howard Park, are now among the city’s most desirable, with tree-lined streets, easy access to downtown and schools ranked among the best in California. Looking for an example of San Carlos’ community spirit? Search no further than Eucalyptus Street in Howard Park, where residents go all-out for Halloween and the Holidays. Each year the street closes October 31; each December, visitors come from hours away to see the holiday lights.

Eucalyptus Street is within walking distance of downtown’s Laurel Avenue, where you’ll find unique family-owned shops, boutiques, services and a variety of restaurants including destination spots like 888 Ristorante, Spasso and Town. Like many cities, San Carlos has recently turned its focus toward its downtown, encouraging new businesses and creating a full slate of annual community events. You’ll find plenty of fairs and festivals there, including Hot Harvest Nights, a farmer’s market running every Thursday between May and October and the Friday downtown Summer Concerts series.

San Carlos is a place of diverse neighborhoods. Secluded Devonshire Canyon, with its narrow, winding roads and funky homes, couldn’t be more different than classic pre-war White Oaks. The modest cinderblock homes of the Murphy Tract don’t have much in common with some of the western hills’ spectacular newer construction.

So maybe there is something for everyone in San Carlos, halfway between two of the biggest job hotbeds in California, a place that delivers a little bit of small town and a little bit of big city. San Carlos doesn’t lie; it is truly a “City of Good Living.”