Editing Millbrae, California (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of California before 1900}}
The [[oral tradition]] of the [[Ohlone#Present day|Ohlone]] people suggests they have been living in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] for thousands of years.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone |url=https://www.ramaytush.org/ |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=ThemeZaa |title=Muwekma Ohlone Tribe {{!}} American Indian {{!}} Native American Tribes |url=http://www.muwekma.org/ |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Muwekma Ohlone Tribe |language=en}}</ref> Anthropological evidence suggests Ohlone [[ethnogenesis]] occurred around 700 CE following a wave of migration from the [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]].<ref name=":7">For origin, arrival and displacement based on "linguistic evidence" in 500 CE per Levy, 1978:486, also Bean, 1994:xxi (cites Levy 1978). For Shell Mound dating, F.M. Stanger 1968:4.</ref> The local Ohlone people are today called the [[Ramaytush|Ramaytush Ohlone]]; however, this name is a linguistic designation that arose relatively recently. Prior to colonization, the Ohlone did not operate as a single consolidated unit; they identified more with their local tribe and village than with the [[nation]] at large. The several local tribes that lived in the area prior to colonization coalesced into the modern Ramaytush people following the [[California genocide|precipitous decline of their population]] in the 1800s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ramaytush Ohlone |url=http://www.ramaytush.com/ramaytush-ohlone.html |access-date=December 13, 2020 |website=Ramaytush Ohlone |language=en}}</ref> The closest villages to what is now Millbrae were located by the banks of [[San Bruno Creek]], and they are known as [[Ramaytush#Ramaytush tribes and villages|Urebure and Siplichiquin]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rancho Buri Buri {{!}} Resolute|url=https://resoluteoldwest.obsidianportal.com/wikis/rancho-buri-buri|access-date=August 15, 2020|website=resoluteoldwest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Milliken|first=Randall|url=http://www.muwekma.org/images/Ohlone_Costanoan_Indians_of_SF_Peninsula_NPS_2009.pdf|title=Ohlone/Costanoan Indians of the San Francisco Peninsula and their Neighbors, Yesterday and Today|last2=Shoup|first2=Laurence H.|last3=Ortiz|first3=Beverly R.|publisher=National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California|year=2009}}</ref>  A third nearby village—whose original name is unknown—is called [[Ramaytush#Ramaytush tribes and villages|CA-SMA-299]].

=== 1500s ===
Anthropological evidence and [[oral tradition]] indicate the [[Ohlone#Present day|Ohlone]] people were living in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] prior to the 1500s.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> The Spanish empire claimed much of what is now the United States during the early period of [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]]. In 1535, the Spanish empire established the [[New Spain|kingdom of New Spain]], which inherited the empire's claims to much of what is now the western United States.

In 1542, [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]] explored the Pacific coast near what is today Millbrae, though the expedition did not see the [[Golden Gate]] or the [[San Francisco Bay]], likely due to the [[Karl the fog|San Francisco fog.]] The Ohlone people may have met this expedition as they explored the [[Monterey Bay]], about 50 miles southeast of Millbrae.

In 1595, [[Philip II of Spain]] tasked [[Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho]] with mapping the west coast of the Americas. Soromenho set sail on [[Manila-Acapulco Galleon|Manila Galleon]] ''San Agustin'' on July 5, 1595, and in early November they reached land between [[Point St. George]] and [[Trinidad, California|Trinidad Head]]. The expedition followed the coast southward and on November 7 the ''San Agustin'' anchored in [[Drakes Bay]], about 40 miles northwest of Millbrae. In late November, a storm sank the ''San Agustin'' and killed between 7 and 12 people. On December 8, 80 remaining crew members set sail on the ''San Buenaventura'', a [[Launch (boat)|launch]] which was partially constructed en route from [[Spanish East Indies|the Philippines]]. Seeking the fastest route south, the expedition failed to notice the Golden Gate, arriving at [[Chacala|Puerto de Chacala, Mexico]] on January 17, 1596.<ref>Aker (1965)</ref>

=== 1600s ===
In 1601, [[New Spain]] tasked [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]] with mapping the [[The Californias|California]] coastline in detail and locating safe harbors in [[Alta California]] for [[Manila-Acapulco Galleon|Manila Galleons]] to use on their return voyage to [[Acapulco]] from [[Manila]]. In 1602, members of Vizcaíno's expedition explored as far north as [[Coos Bay]], however like previous expeditions, they missed the [[Golden Gate]]. In 1603, this expedition landed in [[Monterey Bay]], about 50 miles southeast of Millbrae, leading to the first documented interaction between the Ohlone people and European explorers.<ref name=":10">Milliken, R., Shoup, L. H., Ortiz, B. (2009). Ohlone/Costanoan Indians of the San Francisco Peninsula and Their Neighbors, Yesterday and Today. United States: Archaeological and Historical Consultants.</ref> Little came of this expedition, and for the next 150 years, [[Alta California]] remained a distant [[frontier]] land, largely outside of the kingdom's control, despite its claims. Anthropological evidence and [[oral tradition]] indicate the [[Ohlone#Present day|Ohlone]] people were living in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] throughout this time.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

=== 1700s ===
The [[San Francisco Bay]] may have been explored and mapped in the early 1700s. José Cabrera Bueno's 1734 ''Navegación Espéculativa y Práctica'' describe it with the following:<blockquote>Through the opening in the center enters an estuary of salt water without any breaking of the waves at all, and by going in one will find friendly Indians and can easily take on water and wood.</blockquote>On November 4, 1769, the [[Portolá expedition|Portolà expedition]] climbed [[Sweeney Ridge]] and descended southeast parallel to [[San Andreas Creek]] before camping overnight near what is today [[San Andreas Lake]] and Millbrae's western border. The Portolà expedition continued southeast along the peninsula before turning back and returning to [[San Diego]].

[[Gaspar de Portolá]] returned to the Bay Area the following year, accompanied by [[Junípero Serra]], who established [[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo]]—the second [[Spanish missions in California|Spanish mission in Alta California]]—in what is today [[Monterey, California|Monterey]] on June 3, 1770. Between 1769 and 1824 a total of 21 missions were established across Alta California.

The sixth Spanish mission in Alta California, [[Mission San Francisco de Asís]] was established on October 9, 1776, in what is today [[Mission District, San Francisco|San Francisco's Mission District]], about 10 miles north of Millbrae. Over the next few decades, many of the Ohlone people who lived in and around what is today Millbrae relocated to Mission San Francisco de Asís, where they were baptized. Nearly all the Indigenous people of the area around what is today Millbrae were baptized between 1777 and 1783, and by 1793, the 8 village sites in what are today San Francisco and northern San Mateo county had been abandoned and most of the Indigenous people of that area had relocated to Mission San Francisco.<ref name=":10" />

The missions maintained authority over much of Alta California even after [[Mexican War of Independence|Mexico's independence from Spain]] 1821.

=== 1800s ===
The [[First Mexican Empire]] came and went with little change for residents of the area. The [[First Mexican Republic]] was established in 1824, and one of the most significant changes came when [[José María de Echeandía]], [[Governor of Alta California]], issued a "Proclamation of Emancipation" (or "''Prevenciónes de Emancipacion''") on July 25, 1826.<ref>Engelhardt 1922, p. 80, ''San Diego Mission'', "''The military district of San Diego embraced the Missions of San Diego, San Luis Rey, San Juan Capistrano, and San Gabriel.''"</ref> Following this proclamation, the Indigenous people within the military districts of [[Mission San Diego de Alcalá|San Diego]], [[Mission Santa Barbara|Santa Barbara]], and [[Monterey]] who were found qualified were freed from missionary rule and made eligible to become Mexican citizens.<ref>Bancroft, vol. i, pp. 100–101: The motives behind the issuance of Echeandía's premature decree may have had more to do with his desire to appease "...some prominent Californians who had already had their eyes on the mission lands..." than with concern for the welfare of the natives.</ref><ref>Stern and Miller, pp. 51–52: Catholic historian Zephyrin Engelhardt referred to Echeandía as "...an avowed enemy of the religious orders."</ref> In 1827, [[José María de Echeandía|Echeandía]] granted permission for sub-lieutenant José Antonio Sánchez to occupy Mission San Francisco's [[Rancho Buri Buri]]—which included parts of present-day Millbrae and [[Burlingame, California|Burlingame]]—for “grazing and agricultural purposes."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Igler |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oacwDwAAQBAJ |title=Industrial Cowboys: Miller & Lux and the Transformation of the Far West, 1850-1920 |date=January 28, 2005 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24534-1 |pages=46 |language=en}}</ref>

The [[Mexican Secularization Act of 1833]] opened the lands of nearby Mission Dolores to civilian settlement, and the small town of [[Yerba Buena, California|Yerba Buena]], which later changed its name to San Francisco, was established that year. [[Settler colonialism|Settlement]] was slow however; in 1847 San Francisco was said to have only 459 residents.<ref name="sfmuseum-early">{{cite web |last=San Francisco News Letter |date=September 1925 |title=From the 1820s to the Gold Rush |url=http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/early.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022224825/http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/early.html |archive-date=October 22, 2009 |access-date=November 11, 2024 |publisher=The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco}}</ref> Few people lived in what is now Millbrae at this time, likely only a few [[Californios|Californio]] families. California came under American rule in 1848 following the [[Mexican–American War]], the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]], and the [[Mexican Cession]] and California became the 31st state in of the United States in 1850. The [[California gold rush|discovery of gold]] relatively nearby in 1848 led to massive population growth, with San Francisco's population growing 5446% in just a few years, from 459 residents in 1847 to 25,000 in 1850.<ref name="1849pop">{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Rand |url=https://archive.org/details/historicsanfranc00rich |title=Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide |publisher=Heritage House |year=1992 |isbn=978-1-879367-00-5 |oclc=214330849}}</ref> San Francisco County was one of the state's 18 original counties established at California statehood in 1850,<ref>Report of Committee on Counties, January 4, 1850, revised to 27 counties on February 18, 1850 – {{cite book |last=Coy |first=Owen C. |title=California County Boundaries |publisher=California Historical Survey Commission |year=1923 |location=Berkeley |pages=1–2}}</ref> however in 1856, the California state government divided the county. A straight line was then drawn across the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula just north of [[San Bruno Mountain]], and everything south of the line became the new San Mateo County while everything north of the line became the new consolidated City and County of San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite book |last=California |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Statutes_of_California_and_Digests_of_Me/4a83AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA145&printsec=frontcover |title=Statutes of California and Digests of Measures |date=1856 |publisher=J. Winchester |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1860s, [[Darius Ogden Mills]] purchased a portion of Rancho Buri Buri from [[José de la Cruz Sánchez]] to build a country estate. The [[San Francisco and San Jose Railroad]], predecessor to [[Caltrain]], began operations in 1863, directly connecting Millbrae and other peninsula towns to [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]], with service extending to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] in 1864. In 1872, members of the Sánchez family built the original Sixteen Mile House, a historical restaurant and rest stop near the Mills estate, and direct link to Millbrae's early days. The Mills estate was bordered by what is now [[Skyline Boulevard]], [[U.S. Route 101 (California)|U.S. Route 101]] (the [[Bayshore Freeway]]), Millbrae Avenue and Trousdale Drive. The estate became known as "Millbrae" from "Mills" and the Scottish word "brae," which means "rolling hills" or "hill slope." Millbrae grew slowly during the 19th century; according to the 1890 US Census, the town had only 243 residents.

=== 1900s ===
The early 20th century saw rapid growth in Millbrae's population, which increased 3692% from 243 in 1890 to 8,972 in 1950.<ref name="GR2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> [[Transport]]ation has shaped Millbrae's growth; [[Legislative route|Legislative Route]] Number (LRN) 2, which is today known as [[California State Route 82]] or El Camino Real, was established in 1909 largely parallel to the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad,<ref>{{Cite web |title=California Highways (www.cahighways.org): Route 82 |url=https://www.cahighways.org/ROUTE082.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.cahighways.org}}</ref> and in 1919, [[California State Route 35|Skyline Boulevard]], which runs along Millbrae's western boundary, was established as LRN 55, connecting San Francisco and [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]] via the foothills of the [[Santa Cruz Mountains]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=California Highways (www.cahighways.org): Route 35 |url=https://www.cahighways.org/ROUTE035.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.cahighways.org}}</ref> Construction on the [[Bayshore Freeway]], which runs parallel to El Camino and the SF&SJ railroad tracks, began in 1924 and by 1929, it connected Millbrae with the [[East Bay]] via the newly completed [[San Mateo–Hayward Bridge|San Mateo-Hayward Bridge]]. [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] double tracked the SF&SJ railroad in 1904 and by the 1940s, 26 trains ran between SF and SJ per day, with headways as low as 5 minutes (traveling north) in the mornings and 3 minutes (traveling south) in the evening.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Jose Evening News - Google News Archive Search |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dWsiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4272,5327 |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=news.google.com}}</ref> Additionally, until 1948, [[Muni Metro|Muni's]] #40 "interurban" [[Tram|streetcar]] traveled through Millbrae, providing passenger rail service between San Francisco and [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]].

Millbrae's [[Green Hills Country Club]] was built in 1929 and designed by famed golf course architect Dr. [[Alister MacKenzie]], who also designed other noteworthy courses such as [[Augusta National]], [[Cypress Point Club|Cypress Point]], [[Royal Melbourne Golf Club|Royal Melbourne]], and [[Pasatiempo Golf Club|Pasatiempo]]. The course was originally known as the Union League Golf Club of San Francisco (1930 to 1933) and Millbrae Country Club (1933 to 1945). The course provides a [[green belt]] in the center of the city that is the home of many animals, such as the [[Red fox|red-tail fox]], that otherwise would not be able to survive in the urban setting. It also may be the only area of the city where natural [[Stream|creeks]] still flow above ground.

In 1931, citizens organized a [[volunteer fire department]], which remained entirely volunteer until 1938. The [[police]] and [[fire department]]s were housed together for several years at Hillcrest Boulevard and [[El Camino Real (California)|El Camino Real]] before the vital services moved to their permanent location in Millbrae's [[civic center]], a few blocks west of El Camino. Millbrae used a private patrol financed by fees from merchants and residents until 1941, when the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors created the Millbrae Police District. Records of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] document the licensing of several Millbrae bars for gambling; only after incorporation were gambling laws enforced in Millbrae and not until the 1950s was gambling defeated.

In the 1940s, a hilltop was shaved away to produce [[Cut and fill|landfill]] for the expanding [[San Francisco Airport]], which received an "[[International airport|international]]" designation in 1954 with the completion of the Central Terminal. Spurred largely by the desire to secure the Mills estate for residential use and by the efforts of Millbrae's weekly newspaper, the ''Millbrae Sun'', residents heatedly discussed [[Municipal corporation|incorporation]] for over a decade before voting to incorporate. Finally, on January 14, 1948, residents of Millbrae traveled to [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] to present their new [[Municipal charter|city's charter]]. W.F. Leutenegger was elected mayor to represent Millbrae's nearly 8,000 residents. That year, Green Hills Elementary School opened as Millbrae's first new school in over 25 years, in anticipation of the educational needs of the post-war "[[Baby boomers|baby boom]]" children. The new city's chief industries were [[agriculture]], [[floriculture]], [[dairy]], and [[Porcelain|porcelain manufacturing]].

In the 1950s, Millbrae residents united to resist efforts to divide the city by the planned [[Junipero Serra Freeway]] (I-280), which was later routed parallel to Junipero Serra Boulevard, then through a canyon in [[San Bruno, California|San Bruno]] up to Skyline Boulevard. The streetcar line that connected Millbrae with San Francisco and San Mateo was dismantled just after Millbrae's incorporation in 1948, leaving the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] as the only railway linking Millbrae with surrounding areas. Millbrae's high school students rode the streetcar to attend [[Burlingame High School (California)|Burlingame High School]] until [[Capuchino High School]] opened on September 11, 1950. The original Sixteen Mile House was located where Millbrae O'Reilly Auto Parts stands today, at the intersection of El Camino Real and Center Street. The Millbrae estate mansion burned down in June 1954.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Niekerken |first=Bill Van |date=October 10, 2017 |title=When the Peninsula's most lavish 19th century mansion went up in flames |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/chronicle_vault/article/When-the-Peninsula-s-most-lavish-19th-century-12262867.php |access-date=August 15, 2020 |website=SFChronicle.com |language=en-US}}</ref> After the fire the estate was subdivided and sold, with the bulk of the land going to the [[Paul Trousdale|Paul W. Trousdale]] Construction Company in 1953 and eventually becoming the location for [[Mills High School]], Spring Valley Elementary School, and [[Mills-Peninsula Medical Center|Peninsula Hospital]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Millbrae History Walk |url=http://www.millbraehs.org/millbrae-history-walk.html |access-date=August 14, 2020 |website=Millbrae Historical Society}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Van Niekerken |first=Bill |date=October 10, 2017 |title=When the Peninsula's most lavish 19th century mansion went up in flames |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/chronicle_vault/article/When-the-Peninsula-s-most-lavish-19th-century-12262867.php |access-date=August 14, 2020 |website=SFChronicle.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

An unsuccessful effort to save the original Sixteen Mile House in the 1970s led to the birth of the Millbrae Historical Society and eventual successful crusades to save the Millbrae train station and the historic building that has become the Millbrae Historical Museum. Such challenges, though inevitable, have only strengthened Millbrae's resolve to preserve the city's unique character and rich history.<ref>{{Cite web|title=City News {{!}} City of Millbrae|url=https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/Home/Components/News/News/558/24?arch=1&npage=4|access-date=July 5, 2020|website=www.ci.millbrae.ca.us}}</ref>

Millbrae's population skyrocketed for decades, increasing 10728% from 195 residents in 1880 to just shy of 21,000 in 1970, however the population decreased 4.1% between 1970 and 1980, and Millbrae would not reach its 1970 peak again until after the 2000 census.<ref name="GR2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" />

=== 2000s ===
Following its population loss in the 1970s, and its negligible growth in the 1980s and '90s, Millbrae's population began to rebound in the early 21st century. The population of Millbrae was 20,718 at the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], 21,532 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], and 23,216 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="GR2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> This growth may be attributed to a recent shift towards constructing [[transit-oriented development]]; in 1998, Millbrae created an area-specific plan for the Millbrae station area,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://ci.millbrae.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/577/MSASP-FINAL-March-2016-Amended-October-2022-PDF |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240224095235/https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/577/MSASP-FINAL-March-2016-Amended-October-2022-PDF |archive-date=2024-02-24 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=ci.millbrae.ca.us}}</ref> in 2007, a lot near Millbrae station with surface parking and a large single story retail building was redeveloped into the condo buildings at 88 S. Broadway,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/573/5th-Cycle-Housing-Element-2015---2023-PDF |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240224084009/https://www.ci.millbrae.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/573/5th-Cycle-Housing-Element-2015---2023-PDF |archive-date=2024-02-24 |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.ci.millbrae.ca.us}}</ref> in 2010 a large surface parking lot with two small retail buildings across El Camino Real from Millbrae station was redeveloped as the Belamor Condo Buildings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diener |first=Kyveli |date=2008-11-15 |title=Millbrae housing project under construction |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2008/11/15/millbrae-housing-project-under-construction/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=East Bay Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-20 |title=A Tour of Belamor Development |url=https://patch.com/california/millbrae/a-tour-of-belamor-development |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=Millbrae, CA Patch |language=en}}</ref> and in 2023, three large surface parking lots adjacent to Millbrae station were redeveloped as the Gateway at Millbrae, which maintained some surface parking, and created a new hotel, a new office building, and two new apartment buildings—one of which features ground-floor retail space.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Andrew |date=2023-04-25 |title=Gateway at Millbrae Officially Opens in San Mateo County |url=https://sfyimby.com/2023/04/gateway-at-millbrae-officially-opens-in-san-mateo-county.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=San Francisco YIMBY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gateway at Millbrae Station – Building Innovation |url=https://gatewayatmillbraestation.com/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> Several [[Chain restaurant|chains]] including [[Chick-fil-A]], [[Panda Express]], [[Crumbl Cookies]], and [[Starbucks]] have signed leases to move into the new retail space at the Gateway.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waxmann |first=Laura |date=2023-11-26 |title=Chick-fil-A to open dine-in-only outpost at new Bay Area 'transit village' |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/transit-village-chick-fil-a-18507638.php |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rusch |first=Holly |date=2024-01-05 |title=Millbrae Station development's retail filling fast |url=https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/millbrae-station-development-s-retail-filling-fast/article_6f5e7380-ab7a-11ee-84be-fbc6374b6c68.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=San Mateo Daily Journal |language=en}}</ref>

Transportation continues to be a large driver of Millbrae's growth; [[San Francisco International Airport|SFO]] has become one of the [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|busiest airports in the world]], [[Junipero Serra Freeway]], [[California State Route 82|El Camino Real]], and the [[Bayshore Freeway]] remain major thoroughfares between San Francisco and San Jose, and since 2003 [[Millbrae station]] has been the only station served by both BART and [[Caltrain]]. Millbrae station is also the only planned [[California High-Speed Rail]] stop between San Francisco and San José. In 2023, [[SamTrans]] announced that it would move its headquarters from San Carlos to the new office building at the Gateway at Millbrae, and in 2024, Caltrain, whose headquarters was in the same San Carlos building as SamTrans, announced that they would join SamTrans in relocating to the new office building at the Gateway.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caltrain |date=2024-12-05 |title=Caltrain to Move Headquarters to Millbrae {{!}} Caltrain |url=https://www.caltrain.com/news/caltrain-move-headquarters-millbrae |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.caltrain.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=SamTrans |date=2023-12-18 |title=Board of Directors greenlights acquisition of new headquarters building {{!}} SamTrans |url=https://www.samtrans.com/news/board-directors-greenlights-acquisition-new-headquarters-building |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=www.samtrans.com |language=en}}</ref> Millbrae nevertheless largely remains a [[Commuter town|bedroom community]] whose residents commute to jobs in various industries throughout the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commute Time - Vital Signs - SF Bay Area |url=https://vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov/indicators/commute-time |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=vitalsigns.mtc.ca.gov |language=en}}</ref>

In addition to the increasing awareness that came with becoming a BART terminus in the early 2000s, the city gained notoriety in the early 2020s following spats with the [[California High-Speed Rail Authority]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Browning |first=Corey |date=2022-06-01 |title=Litigation looms over California high-speed rail, development access in Millbrae |url=https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/litigation-looms-over-california-high-speed-rail-development-access-in-millbrae/article_63333648-e161-11ec-80d3-eb78ae377810.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=San Mateo Daily Journal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-07 |title=Will the BART/Millbrae deal force California high-speed rail underground? |url=https://www.rtands.com/track-construction/will-the-bart-millbrae-deal-force-california-high-speed-rail-underground/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=Railway Track and Structures |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]] government,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-21 |title=Opinion {{!}} By rejecting state money and denying the homeless, this city ignited a firestorm |url=https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/08/21/millbrae-homeless-betrayal/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rusch |first=Holly |date=2024-10-04 |title=Millbrae residents demand county drop La Quinta purchase |url=https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/millbrae-residents-demand-county-drop-la-quinta-purchase/article_0e4c9b2a-81fe-11ef-8f4c-7fd5e63901da.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=San Mateo Daily Journal |language=en}}</ref> as well as a possible hate crime targeting then councilmember Anders Fung.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-13 |title=Millbrae Councilman Struck by Concrete Block While Hiking in SF |url=https://sfstandard.com/2022/06/13/millbrae-councilman-says-he-was-struck-by-concrete-block-while-hiking-in-san-francisco/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-13 |title=Cement block dropped on head of San Francisco councilman in apparent hate crime |url=https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/san-francisco-councilman-hate-crime-b2099830.html |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Conejero Saab |first=Ginger |last2= |first2= |date=2022-06-12 |title=Millbrae City Councilman Attacked With Concrete Block in San Francisco |url=https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/millbrae-city-councilman-attacked-with-concrete-block-in-san-francisco/2917494/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |website=NBC Bay Area |language=en-US}}</ref>