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

[queen_bourica]

it is NOT that bad how everyone on here is making it seem, im from east palo alto..but i wouldnt move there if i were you...its not an area to start a new life and hope for the better

[onyva4]

Definitely NOT a good place to live. Stay away. Try San Jose instead or Redwood City.

[afraidofghettos]

vallejo is not that dangerous. i used to live there for 6 years, and nothing had happened. true, i have seen ppl go crazy there, but which part of vallejo is worst? I used to live in the neighboorhood nearby six flags. i heard that downtown vallejo is bad. im referring to the long reply about the dangerous cities at the bay at page 2??

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by afraidofghettos

vallejo is not that dangerous. i used to live there for 6 years, and nothing had happened. true, i have seen ppl go crazy there, but which part of vallejo is worst? I used to live in the neighboorhood nearby six flags. i heard that downtown vallejo is bad. im referring to the long reply about the dangerous cities at the bay at page 2??

What I've been told is that the area under the White Slough is no good, and east of 80 is generally better.

[marywhite54]

The movie was Dangerous Minds with Michelle Pfeiffer.

[GG74K]

what a shame man...i was born in burlingame in 1966,grew up in south sf and in pacifica
before we moved to texas(which by the way has 4 of the top ten cities to live in)..
i went back in around 88 and south sf looked so run down, even pacifica wasnt the same
the houses looked like cracker boxes...i bought a 1,700 sq ft brick home 6 miles outside of san antonio 2 yrs ago for 130k my txs are around 2k a yr...something has got to give in cali, people are leaving in droves, alot to denver, all over texas, nevada,wash.ore really sad cali used to be the ultra cool place

[wolframald]

It so sad and disappointing to see the racist commentary on this site. Obviously so little understanding of what it is like to live and work in a working class, diverse community. There is tremendous richness in the East Palo Alto community that I challenge you to discover and appreciate. Please refrain from casting such horrible and truly ignorant stereotypes upon such amazing community.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by wolframald

It so sad and disappointing to see the racist commentary on this site. Obviously so little understanding of what it is like to live and work in a working class, diverse community. There is tremendous richness in the East Palo Alto community that I challenge you to discover and appreciate. Please refrain from casting such horrible and truly ignorant stereotypes upon such amazing community.

Race isn't the problem in EPA - it's almost entirely Hispanic, but that's similar to Redwood City, eastern San Mateo and many areas more desirable than East Palo Alto. The problem is the poverty and the entrenched gang culture. People live there because they want to live like gangstas.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

Race isn't the problem in EPA - it's almost entirely Hispanic, but that's similar to Redwood City, eastern San Mateo and many areas more desirable than East Palo Alto. The problem is the poverty and the entrenched gang culture. People live there because they want to live like gangstas.

Well, I wouldn't go that far... I lived there for 2 1/2 years, not to be a "gangsta," but because I couldn't afford to live anywhere else. I actually had a great little 2-story apartment with a yard & very cool neighbors, for only $900/month. Can't beat that! But you are right that race isn't the problem, since other towns have similar demographics without the bad reputation. As much as I loved living in EPA, I would NEVER call it a safe neighborhood... we had 5 murders within a 2-block radius in the time I lived there, so obviously it ain't Nob Hill. I still remember the night I came home and couldn't drive up my street, because a dead body (covered by a bag) was laid out in the middle of it. Turned out to be a 16 year-old kid who got shot after a drug deal went bad, and he rode his bike 1/2 a block before collapsing in front of my complex. I don't see racism in this thread, just honesty and facts about the crime - you wouldn't want to tell a newcomer that EPA is safe, would you???

[Jeff Jarrett]

I would choose being a homeless bum living in golden gate park over living in East Palo Alto. Atleast in golden gate park I have a much lower chance of getting shot or stabbed.