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My husband has convinced me to move to San Francisco to be closer to his parents. We have two daughters, 8 and 14. Ive heard the public school systems aren't so hot and Im also hearing that most families with children move OUT.
Is there anyone out there living in the city with kids? Almost everything my husband and I do include the children so I know theres lotz to do out there but Im wondering what are the reasons why families tend to migrate to the suburbs?
Hi there. I used to live in San Francisco for 15 years and had two of my four children there. There are many positives about San Francisco and to be honest, my 10 year old boy has many wonderful memories of the place- Of course, with anything this depends on which part of the city you are moving to. For schools, there are several good ones (West Portal, Lawton and some other public schools that I cannot remember the names of..sorry- most were in the Sunset/Richmond Districts). For private Catholic schools, look into St Gabriel's and St. Thomas More (my son went there and I thought it was very good). There is plenty to do for children in SF and they will learn to be accepting of many different types of people and cultures. Don't listen to the clod that posted before me- he is probably thinking of the Tenderloin/lower Polk street. The food culture is fabulous. your kids will be exposed to every conceivable type of food imaginable and will appreciate and know the difference between Vietmanese noodle soup and Japanese noodle soup!! Of course the downside is the cost of housing, lack of parking and traffic- which is a big reason why we left- we had a two bedroom apt. and no driveway, and no winning lotto ticket to purchase a house. The ridiculousness of the situation really got me stressed! If you are already familiar with living in a biggish city, don't worry. If you are coming from a small town in Iowa, you might be in for a shock. Good luck.
My husband has convinced me to move to San Francisco to be closer to his parents. We have two daughters, 8 and 14. Ive heard the public school systems aren't so hot and Im also hearing that most families with children move OUT.
Is there anyone out there living in the city with kids? Almost everything my husband and I do include the children so I know theres lotz to do out there but Im wondering what are the reasons why families tend to migrate to the suburbs?
need something positive- asap please.. and thanks
I have friends in SF with a kid -- and the kid has LOTS of friends close by. They live in Noe Valley. I have dinner with them often and they almost always have four or five of the kids friends to feed, too.
The kid is in sports and music stuff. And he and his dad surf. Keep in mind, you're a drive away from all sorts of family stuff like skiing and hiking, so there lots of weekend stuff to do.
People migrate to the suburbs for the same reasons they have always migrated to the suburbs. City housing stock is older and tends to be smaller and not HGTV up to date -- an old Victorian isn't likely to have a big granite laden kitchen with attached family room. And a lot of people think that they can have an urban city life when they first get married, but when the kids come, they feel it's time to get the house in the suburbs and the minivan, because that's how they grew up and they like the idea of the kids riding their bikes in the streets...
I suppose one way to look at it is by comparing the way you live now and how you will be living in SF. SF is a very, very metropolitan city complete with many people who are also very metropolitan minded. I've never lived there myself and actually live in a nearby east bay town. As someone who grew up in a rural area, SF feels cramped, crowded, somewhat dirty, and trafficy. The streets are often very narrow and STEEP. Parking is a nightmare unless you live in the Sunset. So for me the city feels uncomfortable. But that's mainly because I am not a metropolitan person by nature. I have friends who LOVE SF and would never live anywhere else, think that the East Bay is boring, and love being in the mix of action at all times. If you grew up in NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc etc... then SF will probably feel right at home.
As far as expense, well look for yourself. Not sure what your financial situation is, but a house of any size in SF the city itself will set you back at least 7-800k. Prices are falling a bit, but it'll probably be a few more years before price declines become worth the wait. The east bay is cheaper, but still pricey. I live in an east bay town that looks straight out of storybook 1950's America. There are TONS of kids here. Then again- the town is not the happenin' place that SF is. A bit slower.
If I were considering a move to a city I wasn't familiar with, I'd probably move there and rent for at least a year to gauge how you and the family like it, and whether or not you are willing to fork over the cash to buy. Right now is NOT a good time to be buying anyhow, so you could sit tight and test it out.
Is Lowell High still what it used to be? If so, it's excellent. I think it's theoretically public but real hard to get into... but if you can swing getting your kid in, you're golden.
I've been grappling with this issue lately so my post may be a bit TMI but ... my husband and I moved to SF 10 years ago and now have a 2 1/2 child. There are pluses and minuses about raising children here. I think having older children will make it much more enjoyable for you and you kids. We have said that the first five years raising a child here is tough but afterwards it would be lovely. The reasons it's tough are changing rapidly though. There seems to have been a baby boom in 2004 plus a lot of people with kids seem to be moving here from NY.
The negatives:
-The biggest issues are housing costs and size. We have a postage stamp lawn (can't complain because we actually have one). Our postage stamp sized lawn and attached home (where you can hear your next door neighbor turning over in bed every night) is worth 1.3 million. Just think what that would buy you outside a city.
-You sometimes feel like a rare breed as I think SF has the lowest number of children per capita in the US. That seems to be changing but it also depends on what neighborhood you're in.
-schools. If you can afford private and get lucky on the public school lottery, there are good ones. I think these are changing times regarding schools. It's VERY competitive here. For preschools, you apply to 10 and feel lucky if you get into one. I can't speak for the K-12 schools but I hear they are just as competative. Just because you live across the street from a fantastic school, doesn't mean you can send your kids there.
-The weather. I think this depends on where you live. The fog can really get you down as there is a lot of it. And basically throw away your short sleeve shirts and buy lots of polarfleece. You'll be running your heater all year here.
The pluses:
-What scenery! To be able to take walks with your kids at Crissy Field with the GG bridge is incredible. So many fun things to show and share with your kids that they will probably remember for a lifetime.
-Cosmopolitan life. Your kids will be surrounded by diversity and open-mindedness.
-colleges. there are quite a few excellent ones in the bay area.
-The new baby boom. there has been quite a bit of money being poured into the city to finally address the residents needs, not just the tourists. revitalized playgrounds, improved public schools, new museums that locals can really utilize, many more kid-friendly restaurants.
I think the main reason people with kids leave is the desire for the kids to have a little more freedom and space and a bigger home and yard. Also, if you have more than one child and have to send them to private schools, it's just too expensive for most people. Commute time might be an issue as well.
Ya know, I keep hearing about this supposed "human defecation"... but in my 20+ years here, I've yet to actually see that on the street. It might be a tad sticky on the ground in certain neighborhoods, but not ONCE have I seen human doo-doo. Lots of dog stuff, though - yuk.
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homeless..
blatent swearing..
Homeless? Yup, we've got plenty of those... but I'm assuming this family would live in a nicer part of town, like the Richmond or Presidio, where the homeless aren't a big presence. Anyway, most are nice enough, and I've actually become "friends" with the ones near my work. As for swearing, I think you'd find more of that in certain southern & eastern cities!
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large homosexual population
Oh, heaven forbid!! Sorry, but I'd rather raise my kids around the gay community than certain others I can think of. How exactly is this a negative aspect??
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theft..
car break-ins..
(etc)..
We do have a lot of car break-ins, but I've been lucky enough not to experience that yet... well, I have had my car broken into twice, but both times were in the suburbs.
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and ...THE SCHOOLS!
We still have some excellent schools here, and you're not stuck to the one in your district/neighborhood... I work with the schools in my part of town, and could recommend some good ones if you're (the original poster) curious.
So to answer the original question, I think most of the other posts have covered it... this is a terrific city, but obviously expensive & has the issues of most other big cities. In my opinion, you should simply be asking - "do I want to raise my kids in a city environment?" If the answer is YES, I think San Francisco is a darned good one to pick.
Ya know, I keep hearing about this supposed "human defecation"... but in my 20+ years here, I've yet to actually see that on the street. It might be a tad sticky on the ground in certain neighborhoods, but not ONCE have I seen human doo-doo. Lots of dog stuff, though - yuk.
Occupational hazard (we own a janitorial company) -- I get to see a lot of it. And deal with it.
I'm an 18 year old living in the city, currently with my family, and I've lived in the same house my entire life. I was raised fine, I have no complaints, and I'm proud to say I was raised in San Francisco, which yes, seems to be a rare thing these days. I attended Catholic Private schooling from Kindergarden through 12th grade, and I'm now a freshmen in college at San Francisco State.
Most all of my friends live in San Francisco, although, like we all know, many of them are leaving. Throughout my life I've seen atleast two dozen families I know move to far-flung places like Vacaville, Stockton, or Petaluma, and the sad thing is, all of them still go to school in San Francisco, and their parents still work here, and they commute up to 3 hours a day, and come to class late all the time, so you don't want to get stuck in that boat.
Now my parent's situation is much different than what is out there these days. In 1975 my parents bought a house in the Excelsior District, the current one we still live in, for only 60,000$, and now it's worth around a million. But we still choose to live here because it's our home, it's close to school, and my father's job, and we hate the idea of commuting.
My father is an X-ray technician, and he's been at the same post for over 30 years, and therefore makes around 120,000$ a year. Which was enough to send me and my older sister to private school our whole lives and live pretty comfortably, atop the fact our house payments were small, and it's now paid off. With him making enough money, my mother stayed a "housewife" and had all the time to take me and my sister out and watch us all the time as children, I only know one other family that could afford to live with only one paycheck in the city, everyone else had their grandparents taking care of them, had to go to afterschool programs, but they all still grew up okay.
Don't worry about crime, it's just as bad in the suburbs, and homeless, don't even worry about them, that's not an issue that you deal with on a daily basis unless you're downtown all the time, and still, it's common sense on how to deal with them.
I hope my story helped a little, I can't offer much more on that, but good luck, only move here if you can afford to!
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Loads of Positives
Raising kids in SF
As for swearing, I think you'd find more of that in certain southern & eastern cities!
