Editing San Carlos, California (section)

===1900–1941===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2023}}
[[File:San Carlos 1937.jpg|thumb|City limits and streets in 1937]]
The turn of the 20th century saw the layout of the initial town streets. While "Old County Road" east of the railroad track had been in use as a stage line since at least 1850, the present-day layout west of the railroad track was constructed in the first years of 1900. Cedar, Elm, Laurel, Magnolia, Maple (renamed [[El Camino Real (California)|El Camino Real]]) and Walnut were put down in this time.

Growth remained slow through the first fifteen years of the new century, but in 1918 the town had grown enough to build a school at 600 Elm Street. One year previously [[Frederick Drake]] ("The Father of San Carlos") had purchased {{convert|130|acres|0|abbr=off}} of real estate in San Carlos in foreclosure, and began marketing it. Growth came quickly, and the early 1920s saw Drake build an office at the southwest corner of Cypress (now San Carlos Ave) and El Camino Real, which is still existent, and {{As of|May 2023|lc=y}} is home to Drake's Restaurant dedicated to Frederick Drake.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lopez |first=Sierra |date=October 12, 2020 |title=San Carlos eatery will be a homage to city's history |url=https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/san-carlos-eatery-will-be-a-homage-to-citys-history/article_a5784cb0-0c32-11eb-b279-bf6514ea3073.html |publisher=[[Daily Journal Corporation]]}}</ref>
In the early 1920s, the cypresses along Cypress Ave. were removed, and the street widened and renamed San Carlos Ave. In 1923 the growing [[municipality]] founded a fire station, and in [https://sancarloslife.com/san-carlos-then-and-now-centennial-updates/ July 8, 1925] the founders voted to incorporate.

The [[Great Depression]] affected families in San Carlos, as it did everywhere, but growth continued, and population grew from approximately 600 at incorporation in 1925 to 5,000 in 1941.

In 1932, Charles Litton Sr. founded Litton Engineering Laboratories in San Carlos, revolutionizing vacuum tube production with his invention of the glass-blowing lathe. This innovation laid the groundwork for advancements in electronics and communications, making the company a key precursor to Litton Industries in 1953.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-11 |title=The Rich History of San Carlos, California {{!}} San Carlos Life |url=https://sancarloslife.com/history-of-san-carlos/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=sancarloslife.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

While services such as stores increased in this period, by the beginning of [[World War II]] San Carlos was still known in the Bay Area as a rural community. Most of the land in the municipality was still used for agricultural purposes, and photographs of the time show a landscape with few houses separated by large fields.