Which neighborhood for a family with 3 young children and easy access to the Embarcadero (San Jose: crime, neighborhoods)

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by capoeira

For an easy commute to Embarcadero and easy access to shops etc. I suggest renting a house in South San Francisco that is within walking distance to the SSF Bart Station. Houses in this area should rent in the 4,000's.

West Portal would be a good choice in SF with three muni trains going downtown quickly but houses in that neighborhood will be in the $6,000's/month if you can find one. The Midtown Terrace neighborhood would be an excellent choice for kids in the city since it has a nice playground. However it is about a hilly 15 minute walk to Forest Hill station. Houses there will be in the $5,000's/month.

How about the forest hill neighborhood?
I think it is a really pretty area with mature trees. How is commuting from there?

It's helpful that you put probable rental amounts

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by ssmaster

How about the forest hill neighborhood?
I think it is a really pretty area with mature trees. How is commuting from there?

It's helpful that you put probable rental amounts

I think Forest Hill would be the best option for commuting. One has the K,L and M trains for a 15 commute to Embarcadero station. That is when the trains are not backed up but with the recent improvements in the Twin Peaks tunnel the backups do not seem as bad now.

The chances of finding a good rental house there are slim. Here is the only one I saw listed and its $6,800/month in the Forest Hill extension. Its almost equidistant between the Forest Hill and West Portal stations

I would take something like this and use the extra money for a home purchase or college savings.

I would not commute on Bart to the East Bay from Embarcadero because the Bart trains going east are very overcrowded at the evening rush hour.

[Ines6375]

Thank you!

To rent we will look for a 2BR apartment, that should be enough for a year. We would rent a bigger place or even a house only in a cheap neighborhood.

To buy I had said that I would have liked a house with a garden but we might choose to live in a 3BR apartment without garden if we really liked a neighborhood in which we could not afford a house.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by Ines6375

Thank you!

To rent we will look for a 2BR apartment, that should be enough for a year. We would rent a bigger place or even a house only in a cheap neighborhood.

Looking for an apartment gives you a lot more options near Bart. For a very convenient apartment look at the Avalon apartments across from Union City Bart. Your husband could take the crowded Bart train to downtown.

https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ca...lon-union-city

Avalon San Bruno is also walkable to San Bruno Bart but it is also across the street from a big shopping mall.

https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ca...no/floor-plans

[Ines6375]

A friend recommended the marina and Pacific height.
What do you think of those options?

I see that most listing say “no pets”.
We have a small dog, clean and well behaved.
Do any of you know if the landlords are strict regarding the no pets policy for rentals?

[twins4lynn]

The marina and pacific heights are very nice (if you can find something within your budget). Some landlords are strict regarding their no pet policy, others aren't. I allow pets in my apartment building but it's made very clear that costs to repair any damage caused by the pet will come out of their deposit.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by Ines6375

A friend recommended the marina and Pacific height.
What do you think of those options?

The Marina is great if one is a frat bro and wants to walk to the best bars. It would be one of the last locations in the city that I would consider living in with small children.

https://theculturetrip.com/north-ame...rina-district/

Pacific Heights?! LOL. It would be a great workout pushing a stroller up those hills!

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Br...4d-122.4349435

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by capoeira

The Marina is great if one is a frat bro and wants to walk to the best bars. It would be one of the last locations in the city that I would consider living in with small children.
]

If you can afford to live near the Chrissy field/palace of fine arts/presidio area of the Marina is pretty nice for kids. Clean w.ith trees and back yards etc

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...15079935_zpid/
5 beds 5 baths 3,945 sqft

FOR SALE
$5,188,000
https://www.mommynearest.com/edition...n-the-presidio
25 Things to Do with Kids in the Presidio

[SFNative415]

Originally Posted by Ines6375

Thanks!
Our budget would be < 1.5 M for a 3+ BR, ideally 4 BR, possibly more if I can get a job in a year or two.
We are going to rent at first I guess but the goal is to buy as soon as possible.

Hi Ines6375,

First off, welcome to San Francisco and if your budget allows, it's a great place to live. Based off of what your budget is (which helps fine tune the search) there seems to be a couple of neighborhoods that might fit your needs such as:

1. Central Richmond
2. Outer Richmond
3. Outer Parkside
4. Parkside
5. Central Sunset
6. Inner Sunset

These are the "quieter" neighborhoods and are pretty safe to walk at any time. My fiance lives in the Outer Sunset area and her parents which are in their 60s and 70s, still take night walks every day with no problems at all. I still see plenty of people walking their families to parks, walking their dogs or going to the mains hot spots to hang out at the local eateries.

Most of these neighborhoods have public transportation that will take you to the downtown area and/or even drop off in the Embarcadero area such as the 38 bus line in the Richmond or the M and N Metro train lines from the Sunset depending on where you are at.

If you're in the Outer Richmond area, you have Ocean Beach and various small parks in the area.

In the Central Richmond, you have more restaurants to go to.

In the Parkside and Sunset areas, depending on where you are at, you are in a close vicinity to Golden Gate Park, Stern Grove, Stonestown Galleria (shopping mall) that has Trader Joe's for grocery shopping and much more.

Most of these areas also will most likely have the back yard that you want. Unfortunately in San Francisco, front yards are a scarcity and you'll notice that many homes have decided to cement the front of the house and you won't see much greenery. The reason I found for this is to create more parking space which is a scarcity in San Francisco.

I hope this helps and good luck with your search!

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by Ines6375

Hi,

We are planning to move to SF relatively soon.
Which neighborhood do you think would be best for our family?

My husband will work near the embarcadero.
We have two children age 1 and 2 and I am currently pregnant with a third.
Safety and a convenient commute are our primary concerns.

My husband would need easy access to the embarcadero for his work. The commute would need to be 100% by public transportation as I am the main driver in our family.

Let me see - affluent young family with two kids and a baby on the way... say no more. Just look in Noe Valley. Done.

If you don't find anything in Noe, then expand gradually from the center of Noe until you find what you like - to Castro, Glen Park, Mission Dolores, Duboce Triangle, etc.

Don't worry about Richmond, Sunset, Forest Hill, Potrero Hill, Telegraph Hill, etc. Those are nice area for sure; but I've seen this movie too many times - rich family transplants do all the research, visit all the neighborhoods, and at the end they just end up in Noe Valley or surrounding nabes or wish they could afford Noe Valley or surrounding nabes.

Just save the time and energy - focus on Noe. If you don't find what you like, come back and I can offer more options (because 4/5 times people cross Noe off the list not because they don't like, but because of the price. So then we can focus on a more price aligned neighborhood. ). And if you do decide to settle in Noe, get a Labrador to add to your collection of kids and a stroller; and you'll fit right in.

Disclosure: I DO NOT live in Noe.
.