About Atherton, CA

Atherton () is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 7,188 as of 2020. Atherton is known for its wealth; in 1990 and 2019, Atherton was ranked as having the highest per capita income among U.S. towns that have with a population between 2,500 and 9,999, and the area covered by its zip code is regularly ranked as having the highest cost of living in the United States. == History == The entire area was originally part of the Rancho de las Pulgas. During the 1860s, Atherton was known as Fair Oaks. In 1923, it was decided to rename the town in honor of Faxon Dean Atherton, a former 19th century landowner on the south peninsula. === Lawsuit against the electrification of Caltrain === The town has been involved in lawsuits to block or delay the introduction of high-speed rail in California. Atherton was an early and vocal opponent of the electrification of the U.S. commuter railroad Caltrain, which serves cities in the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley. Residents opposed electrification and the proposed high-speed rail route because the overhead electrical lines would require tree removal and the town could potentially be divided by the closing of the two grade crossings at Fair Oaks Lane and Watkins Avenue.In February 2015, shortly after the project received environmental clearance from the state, Atherton sued Caltrain, alleging the agency’s environmental impact review was inadequate and that its collaboration with the CHSRA should be further vetted. In July 2015, the suit proceeded after Caltrain’s request to the Surface Transportation Board to exempt it from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines was denied.