How is the East Palo Alto area, is it safe to live? (San Francisco: relocation)

[AA702]

Originally Posted by Coffee Mate

Here is a short list of the very dangerous places to visit...let alone LIVE in
the S.F. Bay area.
Going into ANY of these places is dangerous. How dangerous?.....Think Detroit, South Chicago, New Orleans.....or D.C. etc.
How do I know? Born and raised in the Bay Area....and have been to all the places listed on this post [save D.C.]....so yes...I know.
East Palo Alto. REAL BAD!
[At one point the per-capita murder capital of the nation]
Ravenswood. [Menlo Park] Bad, near EPA.
San Mateo East of El Camino Real. [dicey]
South San Francisco. [dicey]
Hunters Point / Bay view / Visitacion Valley Area. [pure death on a stick housing projects]
South Market. [more gross than bad during the day....death at night]
Fisherman’s Wharf area....and any of the Wharf/docks in the city...BAD esp. for tourists looking for cool places to go 'slumming'......if you do so at night esp. you are risking your life.
Any and all housing "projects" in the City of San Francisco itself. Bad.
The Tenderloin. [S.F.] Bad. Oceans of crazed drunks and whak-0-"homeless" sleeping on the sidewalk. You'd have to step over them to get in there...so don't bother. Do NOT go into the Tenderloin at night.
China Town. In daylight…O.K…..but not at night.
Golden Gate Park. Esp. at night. Don't go wandering off into the bushes....ever.
The Presidio. Dangerous at night.
Marin City.....[dead rappers come from here]
Richmond....now here is a place EASILY on par with Detroit....burned out cars....smashed windows....boarded up houses and businesses....Never...NEVER go in to Richmond! And MAKE SURE you have enough gas to get PAST these places....don't you EVER go into any of these areas to get gas.....do not do it!
Vallejo. Good place to get shot in the head.
South San Jose, East San Jose, Downtown San Jose....be very careful!
Then....there's OAKLAND.....Avoid West Oakland...and avoid East Oakland....which does not leave much Oakland left to see.....International Blvd. area is yet another, perhaps the best "good" place to get shot.....[seven dead in a weekend is NORMAL for Oakland]
So....to all those seeking the 'good' life in Khalifor-nya....be sure to do your homework....and get a real good hard look at your ‘new’ location before you make a move. Perhaps you should stay where your at.....
Unless your rolling in HUGE amounts of money.
Then....
Live in Pacific Heights, Burlingame, Palo Alto, Rockridge, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Sausalito, Strawberry, Tiburon, Danville, Blackhawk and Belvedere....all are good choices for places to live.....but again....you’re going to need lots of money....figure.....1 to 3 million per acre and 1 to 3 thousand per sq. foot......yup....no joke.......SO! ENJOY CALIFORNIA!
Oh...forgot the traffic.....Well...if you intend to use a highway to get to work.....your going to be stuck in traffic....so....get used to it...because it will happen far more often than not......

Good Post.. i grew up in the Bay Area also and those places are affordable but still expensive and they are not safe. People dont belive me when I say that there are a lot of Ghetto places that cost $$$ to live. Maybe thats why there is so much crime. I use to pick up my ex-girl in the Iron Triangle neighborhood of Richmond and I didnt even want to turn off my car. Just get in and pick her up and get on 580 as quickly as possible

[Alexus]

I know an older man (60s) who lives there alone and rents a home. He minds his own business and seems perfectly content in EPA. However, if you have kids, definitely not the place to be.

Personally, I would not move to EPA even if it were just me. I like to live in safe areas. EPA is generally not considered a safe place as others have correctly pointed out.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Coffee Mate

Here is a short list of the very dangerous places to visit...let alone LIVE in
the S.F. Bay area.
Going into ANY of these places is dangerous. How dangerous?.....Think Detroit, South Chicago, New Orleans.....or D.C. etc.
How do I know? Born and raised in the Bay Area....and have been to all the places listed on this post [save D.C.]....so yes...I know.
East Palo Alto. REAL BAD!
[At one point the per-capita murder capital of the nation]
Ravenswood. [Menlo Park] Bad, near EPA.
San Mateo East of El Camino Real. [dicey]
South San Francisco. [dicey]
Hunters Point / Bay view / Visitacion Valley Area. [pure death on a stick housing projects]
South Market. [more gross than bad during the day....death at night]
Fisherman’s Wharf area....and any of the Wharf/docks in the city...BAD esp. for tourists looking for cool places to go 'slumming'......if you do so at night esp. you are risking your life.
Any and all housing "projects" in the City of San Francisco itself. Bad.
The Tenderloin. [S.F.] Bad. Oceans of crazed drunks and whak-0-"homeless" sleeping on the sidewalk. You'd have to step over them to get in there...so don't bother. Do NOT go into the Tenderloin at night.
China Town. In daylight…O.K…..but not at night.
Golden Gate Park. Esp. at night. Don't go wandering off into the bushes....ever.
The Presidio. Dangerous at night.
Marin City.....[dead rappers come from here]
Richmond....now here is a place EASILY on par with Detroit....burned out cars....smashed windows....boarded up houses and businesses....Never...NEVER go in to Richmond! And MAKE SURE you have enough gas to get PAST these places....don't you EVER go into any of these areas to get gas.....do not do it!
Vallejo. Good place to get shot in the head.
South San Jose, East San Jose, Downtown San Jose....be very careful!
Then....there's OAKLAND.....Avoid West Oakland...and avoid East Oakland....which does not leave much Oakland left to see.....International Blvd. area is yet another, perhaps the best "good" place to get shot.....[seven dead in a weekend is NORMAL for Oakland]
So....to all those seeking the 'good' life in Khalifor-nya....be sure to do your homework....and get a real good hard look at your ‘new’ location before you make a move. Perhaps you should stay where your at.....
Unless your rolling in HUGE amounts of money.
Then....
Live in Pacific Heights, Burlingame, Palo Alto, Rockridge, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Sausalito, Strawberry, Tiburon, Danville, Blackhawk and Belvedere....all are good choices for places to live.....but again....you’re going to need lots of money....figure.....1 to 3 million per acre and 1 to 3 thousand per sq. foot......yup....no joke.......SO! ENJOY CALIFORNIA!
Oh...forgot the traffic.....Well...if you intend to use a highway to get to work.....your going to be stuck in traffic....so....get used to it...because it will happen far more often than not......

Okay... I agree with most of your good vs. bad neighborhoods, but to say things like "murder on a stick" is a bit exaggerated. As I stated back when this thread was started (a LONG time ago), I have lived in East Palo Alto, and was quite happy there for 2 1/2 years. Now I live in one of San Francisco's "bad neighborhoods," and once again haven't had any problems. Oh, and I also grew up in the Bay Area (a good part, lol), and my family's been here since 1983. Of course if you're looking for the safest neighborhoods, it would be smart to avoid the ones you listed... but living in less-desirable areas is economical, and there are many safe "enclaves" that people don't even know about. Hey, that's fine with me, since I don't want my rent to skyrocket!

One thing you're definitely right about, though... the PROJECTS in Visitacion Valley (called Sunnydale) are incredibly dangerous, and getting worse by the day. But they're way up in the hills, and mostly stay in that corner of the neighborhood. I worked at Leland & Bayshore for a while, and the people there were wonderful - mostly older Chinese immigrants and Chinese families, who wouldn't hurt a fly. Quite honestly, I think it's a hidden gem which will eventually become a better neighborhood (outside of the actual projects). We need more patronage there, so please stop scaring people away!

[gizmo980]

Btw, since when is the Presidio dangerous at night? I'm not saying you're wrong, but I really had no idea... thought it was a nice neighborhood!

[DMenscha]

Make sure you never come out of the house at all, redo your windows with bullet proof glass. You'll be fine.

Or you could just go out and live life, i dunno.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

Make sure you never come out of the house at all, redo your windows with bullet proof glass. You'll be fine.

Or you could just go out and live life, i dunno.

Who are you talking to? Sorry, just not sure what you're implying here... but if it was related to my posts, I'm living life just fine - and don't have bulletproof windows, LOL. If you meant it the other way (not to worry so much about crime), I agree. It's always a good idea to be safe & aware, but we shouldn't let fear run our lives!

[marywhite54]

I moved to the Bay Area 30 years ago from Wisconsin and now I have retired from my job at the City of Palo Alto. I could not stay there and live on my pension, so I just moved to the outskirts of Charlotte NC. Actually I live right over the border in Lake Wylie SC. I was able to buy a new home & live off my pension. California is beautiful & the climate is great, but it is expensive. Housing is sky rocket high. This is still an affordable area and the people are so nice here.

[bigtallredhead]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Okay... I agree with most of your good vs. bad neighborhoods, but to say things like "murder on a stick" is a bit exaggerated. As I stated back when this thread was started (a LONG time ago), I have lived in East Palo Alto, and was quite happy there for 2 1/2 years. Now I live in one of San Francisco's "bad neighborhoods," and once again haven't had any problems. Oh, and I also grew up in the Bay Area (a good part, lol), and my family's been here since 1983. Of course if you're looking for the safest neighborhoods, it would be smart to avoid the ones you listed... but living in less-desirable areas is economical, and there are many safe "enclaves" that people don't even know about. Hey, that's fine with me, since I don't want my rent to skyrocket!

One thing you're definitely right about, though... the PROJECTS in Visitacion Valley (called Sunnydale) are incredibly dangerous, and getting worse by the day. But they're way up in the hills, and mostly stay in that corner of the neighborhood. I worked at Leland & Bayshore for a while, and the people there were wonderful - mostly older Chinese immigrants and Chinese families, who wouldn't hurt a fly. Quite honestly, I think it's a hidden gem which will eventually become a better neighborhood (outside of the actual projects). We need more patronage there, so please stop scaring people away!

Add parts of Hayward, Pitsburg and bay point, north part of Antioch, Ashland/Cherryland area to that.


How bout some places that are more "affordable" (By bay area standards lol.) that are RELITIVELY safe, -though less so than those wealthy communities mentioned? How about San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Newark, Pinole, Rodeo, Concord, Martinez, Livermore, Na pa, Santa Rosa and most of it's suburbs, Fairfield, Susan city, verious others etc..??? Some more "middle class" type communities that still exist in the bay area.
-Emil.

[ProLogic]

If you've heard this before, you'll hear it again. EPA is no where near safe to live.

[Coffee Mate]

Yes...murder on a stick...
While working on a ship that was home-ported in Redwood city I had to go to Hunters Point to pick up three consignments of specialized fuels and oils for equipment onboard.
I had to take three trips to Hunters Point using a company truck.
Each time I drove down the main drag....I saw funeral processions....[this is on week days]....All one has to do is read the news....
Rash of break-ins' in the Outer Richmond.. [S.F.].[this in the last several days]
A Stabbing in Golden Gate Park.....[in the last several days...oh and remember the Zodiac Killer?...Who was never caught….lived out his life in Vallejo…Well….the Park was one of his favorite hang-outs.....cut a cab drivers throat...nice dude huh....].....
East Palo Alto...in the news again....Shooting....stabbings...high-speed car chases...[over the last several days...]
Richmond....Stabbings...shootings....drug busts....
[I knew some guys who worked on a city power line crew....they had to send non-whites into Richmond to do jobs....because it simply was not safe to send anyone else...and even these guys....had to go in force....and had keep the trucks running...fix the power and split ASAP....]
Also...another friend was in the local fire department. He said to me one day......
What city around here has the most plasma-screen T.V.'s.?....."ummm?" I said....
...he answered....'RICHMOND'......
If a person likes to live on the edge...'KEWL'...that is that persons choice...
I don't find tagging and hypodermic needles and gangs everywhere in the least bit 'cultural' or interesting....
As for scaring people...on the contrary....My dream is to have all people who find that type of 'life' interesting move to California....please do.....for the betterment of the rest of the country....
As I've stated....I was BORN AND RAISED in the South Bay...in Palo Alto...have lived there my entire life....were talkin' almost 50 years.....and have seen it go from paradise.....to what it is now.....gentrified isolated islands of hypocritical extreme snobbery and wealth...surrounded with growing poverty.....and a widening gap in-between...People cut off by linguistic economic legal and social barriers...living on the scarp with out constitutional protection.......and no issue...NO ISSUE can be discussed without it degenerating into a twisted shouting match covered in politically correct glue.....dragging everyone and everything down with it....
So....to the new generation...that brave new world [order] , highly polished little corporate cogs....being cranked out of all the local 'universities'......to you I leave the wreckage.....good luck putting it straight again...I will be the first to congratulate you if you succeed...honestly....