5. Geography
San Mateo County is divided into four major geographical
subareas. These subareas are North County, Central County, South County and Coastside.
North County is the most racially and ethnically diverse
subarea. It has the greatest number of children 17 years and younger, which represents
38.4% of all the children living in the county. It has the highest percentage, 39.6%, of
the county's female headed households and the highest percentage of the county's
population living in poverty.
The Central subarea has 30.5% of the county's population,
but 37.2% of the county's elderly population. Although the elderly population need social
services, it is a population perceived as having less of a need for services than children
and youth.
In East Palo Alto, South County, a perceived geographical
barrier to services exists, which is compounded by lack of transportation. This barrier is
highway 101. This community feels they lack the social services they need. The
transportation needed to reach the places where the services are offered is lacking. Many
residents are forced to travel by bus, which takes a long time. In transportation.
Black/African Americans and Hispanics in East Palo Alto
need assistance in dealing with the tension and conflict that exist among them. This seems
to be caused in part by a language barrier and lack of cross-cultural understanding. Also,
the demographics are changing: The number of Hispanics and Pacific Islanders is
increasing. The number of young African American males is decreasing; they are dying or
moving out.
The Coastside subarea has to deal with a geographical
barrier that hinders access to social services: the Santa Cruz Mountains. Many of the
social services the Coastside population needs are offered on the other side of these
mountains. The commute time to the services can be very long, especially if public
transportation is used. |