Foster City Historical Society

Random events from the history of Foster City, CA. Maintained by the members of Foster City Historical Society.

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

@David_Alan_Gay @Matt_Pinner David, you are very welcome to Foster City! We have awesome weather any time of the year. If you have plan to come, sign up for Historical Boat tour:
https://t.co/S3YdWJ6jy1

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Fast-forward to his international success — including co-writing Mariah Carey’s timeless holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and producing classics like Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic and Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”.
https://t.co/xMDNidHKvj

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Grammy Award–winning producer, songwriter, and composer Walter (Vladimir) Afanasieff — whose work spans global hits with artists like Mariah Carey and Celine Dion — began his musical journey right here in Foster City?

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Forty years later, members of The Blessed Realm reunited to celebrate their shared musical roots and the enduring friendships that began right here in Foster City.
https://t.co/JaPN2VdJMl

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Today, it’s more than a bell — it’s a symbol of resilience, tradition, and the deep roots of our community. 🎭💛

#FosterCity #HillbarnTheatre #CommunityTheatre #TheatreHistory #SanMateoHistory

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

The Hillbarn Theatre bell was cast in 1908 and first rang for Grace Chapel in San Mateo. It was donated by the Borel family, one of San Mateo County’s early pioneer families who left their mark on local history (you may recognize the Borel name from schools and streets)

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

When Grace Chapel closed, the bell found a new home at Hillbarn Theatre, where it called audiences back from intermission. In 2004, the bell was stolen — but after six years, it was miraculously recovered just in time for Hillbarn’s 70th season!

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

40+ yrs ago, tragedy struck Foster City: 5 San Mateo High girls—Cherie & Christine Branston, Kelley Butcher, Tina Dias & Dawn Sievers—died in a crash off Skyline Blvd. Their deaths in April 1979 remain one of the darkest moments in the city’s history.

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

@winishkoitwitty @pravdapi @savagden Инженерное. https://t.co/HTLtpqDvmX

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

@inagi_jr_chorus https://t.co/qvXbtIGxOA

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Foster City and Inagi City in Japan became sister cities following a signing ceremony between the two mayors Monday, solidifying them as partners promoting cultural, educational and economic exchange moving forward.
https://t.co/0G5FKaEniM

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

On August 3rd, Inagi Boys and Girls Chorus joined the welcoming ceremony for a Little League team from the sister city of Foster City, California. After a warm welcome from Inagi city students, chorus sang to celebrate the occasion! #InagiCity #FosterCity @inagi_jr_chorus

[Bay area nostalgia @professorbay]

foster city water sports 1992

[Epic Maps 🗺️ @theepicmap]

6. Foster City, San Mateo 🇺🇸

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Thank you everyone who stopped by Foster City Historical Society booth during the Summer Days! We enjoyed sharing fascinating stories with you about our beautiful city 🎉

[BART @SFBART]

Congrats Caltrain!

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

"Stilt Walkers" by Dennis Smith were installed in 2005 in Foster City's Leo Ryan Park. The sculpture captures what it means to be young as nothing else: to be able to dare to stand high enough to look beyond the horizon of now by wondering what will be. What will I do?

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

@ThinkFosterCity @amasad Welcome! Awesome story about our beloved city! Please follows up to get updates from Foster City Historical Society here.

[Amjad Masad @amasad]

Replit left San Francisco for Foster City.

The "why" we're leaving is boring, sad, and predictable (crime, dysfunction, etc), so instead let me tell you why we chose Foster City.

Foster City embodies the American post-war optimism and the long-lost California pro-growth mentality.

in 1958 businessman Jack Foster set out to build "a master-planned community concept"; in 1960 bought Brewer Island, a largely undeveloped land used for salt evaporation and dairy farming; in 1961 started building, and in 1964, the first family moved in. By 1966, more than 5,000 people were living there. Can you imagine how long it would take to build such a project today?

The city is also known for its innovative engineering, particularly its "Venice-like" lagoon system. Instead of employing massive landfills to elevate the terrain for development, engineers devised a system of lagoons that provided essential drainage and a super cool aesthetic landscape.

Finally, the city is super livable. When Haya and I moved to California, we first took residence there and, in fact, incorporated Replit here. Our first bank was Wells Fargo, a few steps from our new office.

It's relatively affordable compared to the rest of the Bay Area and has a healthy mix of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces. Downtown San Mateo is a bridge away, a fun place to hang out or live.

Finally, in the Bay Area, almost every town has an associated iconic tech company. When you think of Mountain View, you think of Google; when you think of Cupertino, you think of Apple. My hope is that in the future, when you think of Foster City, you'll think of Replit.

[Foster City Historical Society @fostercitylife]

Foster City Historical Society is organizing boat tours on Foster City lagoon to educate local citizens about our short but rich history of the city.