Raising kids near Hillcrest/Bankers Hill? (San Diego, San Francisco: low income, condos, homes)

[passingcowpatties]

Hi, we are a late 30s couple with young kids considering a move from the 'burbs to an area south of Hillcrest. We like the quasi-urban vibe of this place for us as grownups, but does anyone know if there are families in this area or is it, as our realtor put it, the "gays and the grays"? (Only love for the gays and the grays) Our kids would go to the small public elementary school which looks highly rated, and there must be some other families in the area to sustain a school. Just curious on the local take. Can this area be "family friendly"?

[NORTY FLATZ]

Welcome to the site!

[Astral_Weeks]

^I've heard the demographics of Palm Springs described the same way (gays & grays).

That said, I agree I love the urban vibe of Banker's Hill & Hillcrest...two of my favorite parts of San Diego. Would put both of those areas at the top of my list if I were to move to San Diego.

Will have to let the locals opine on the crux of your post regarding raising kids in the area.

[T. Damon]

Bankers Hill with its meandering finger canyons, suspension and rickety wood bridges over them, a mix of the oldest and newest buildings in the city and a great San Francisco-like urban neighborhood vibe is one of the most magical areas of the city. I would imagine that once you’ve got the schooling thing figured out it could be a fantastic place to raise kids.

It is a geographically constrained area though and the south Hillcrest portion of it is chock full of medical offices and retirement mid-rise towers along with the Victorians and Craftsmans so, like all neighborhoods has better and more challenging parts, not the least of which is the airport noise corridor. Also, of course, expensive as all core SD areas are now.

I don’t have kids but know I would like growing up in an area with canyons to explore along with historic blocks and city activities. Being directly across the park with SP’s urban village vibe I can see this similar neighborhood thriving with kids especially in the last decade or so.

[joosoon]

Originally Posted by passingcowpatties

Our kids would go to the small public elementary school which looks highly rated, and there must be some other families in the area to sustain a school.

If you mean Washington Elementary, you might see if they have a PTA and pump them for info.

[kettlepot]

Since you didn't specify the particulars of where south of Hillcrest is, I'll assume it's somewhere between Upas on the north, Balboa Park to the east, and the freeway on the west and south.

I think it depends on whether your are east or west of First Avenue, roughly speaking. East of there with it's high rise condos and medical offices isn't really kid friendly, but if you are west of Reynard Way there are lots of quiet nooks and crannies, with single family homes, some with kids.

I wouldn't consider the area south of Laurel to be a good place to raise kids.

[NYSD1995]

very few families with children in the area. Schools have been turned into magnets which let them import kids.... they have been doing this for decades in that area and most are low-performing. Schools are full of the kids of the service workers who don't live in the area. If it wasn't for them, those schools would have closed 20+ years ago.

There are some wealthy parents who live there and send kids to private school. From my perspective possibly the worst area in SD to raise kids. No friends, park is unsafe for kids to go solo, adults are partying hardcore, lots of druggies and homeless everywhere, especially in the adorable canyons. Im talking full on homeless encampments down in there. Washington Elementary has poor test scores and is 74% low income. 5/10 rating - you should not settle for anything less than a 9. https://www.greatschools.org/califor...entary-School/

Might want to take a look at Kensington or South Park, neighborhood is full of kids and the elementaries are good, although you will have to figure out alternatives for middle and high school as local options are are basically prep schools for prison. Also would consider University Heights, Alice Birney. Still too much partying and no decent high school but if you really want to live in an urban setting it's a compromise.

[sfosyd]

Originally Posted by NYSD1995

very few families with children in the area. Schools have been turned into magnets which let them import kids.... they have been doing this for decades in that area and most are low-performing. Schools are full of the kids of the service workers who don't live in the area. If it wasn't for them, those schools would have closed 20+ years ago.

There are some wealthy parents who live there and send kids to private school. From my perspective possibly the worst area in SD to raise kids. No friends, park is unsafe for kids to go solo, adults are partying hardcore, lots of druggies and homeless everywhere, especially in the adorable canyons. Im talking full on homeless encampments down in there. Washington Elementary has poor test scores and is 74% low income. 5/10 rating - you should not settle for anything less than a 9. https://www.greatschools.org/califor...entary-School/

Might want to take a look at Kensington or South Park, neighborhood is full of kids and the elementaries are good, although you will have to figure out alternatives for middle and high school as local options are are basically prep schools for prison. Also would consider University Heights, Alice Birney. Still too much partying and no decent high school but if you really want to live in an urban setting it's a compromise.

Agree with these comments but only to an extent. If you are coming from a wealthy suburb in the Bay Area or New Jersey or Boston it will be a huge shock. If you are coming from San Francisco, urban Boston or Queens not so much.

My guess is that this is a person who lives in the suburbs and strongly prefers the suburbs. If you want to raise your kids in an urban, walkable environment, you really cannot do better in the US than the uptown neighborhoods in San Diego. It is so much better than almost any other urban environment in the USA. Statistically, for an urban US environment, it is Disney Land safe. There are caveats and uptown is certainly not the suburbs. But Birney is a great elementary option as is Florence. There are great high schools like High Tech High and Catholic options; I know kids who went to San Diego high school and are doing great. It is safe and yes the homeless population is higher due to our great weather but it is nothing like SF, Portland or Seattle not to mention LA. I see solo kids all the time in our local park, Trolley Barn so I’m not sure what this poster is talking about.

It all depends on what you are looking for, but I wish you luck.

[92greenyj]

Originally Posted by NYSD1995

very few families with children in the area. Schools have been turned into magnets which let them import kids.... they have been doing this for decades in that area and most are low-performing. Schools are full of the kids of the service workers who don't live in the area. If it wasn't for them, those schools would have closed 20+ years ago.

There are some wealthy parents who live there and send kids to private school. From my perspective possibly the worst area in SD to raise kids. No friends, park is unsafe for kids to go solo, adults are partying hardcore, lots of druggies and homeless everywhere, especially in the adorable canyons. Im talking full on homeless encampments down in there. Washington Elementary has poor test scores and is 74% low income. 5/10 rating - you should not settle for anything less than a 9. https://www.greatschools.org/califor...entary-School/

Might want to take a look at Kensington or South Park, neighborhood is full of kids and the elementaries are good, although you will have to figure out alternatives for middle and high school as local options are are basically prep schools for prison. Also would consider University Heights, Alice Birney. Still too much partying and no decent high school but if you really want to live in an urban setting it's a compromise.

I agree with all of this. No way in hell would I raise my kids anywhere near that area. I don’t want them exposed to all of that at a young age. Also, almost all CA public schools are trash. That’s why mine go to a good private school.