How bad is Bayview/Hunter's point? (San Francisco, Oakland: sale, 2015, renters)

[dragontales]

Yeah it's true. HP is pretty frickin' ghetto. I know because my uncle has a house there and we visit sometimes. The streets are trashy and the houses are nasty. There are always shady characters hanging in the streets all day and all night. I wouldn't wander into 3rd street/BVHP unless you have to. The area around Candlestick park (they call it Candlestick Point) is much better than Hunter's Point. It's more quiet and you won't find corner stores with ghetto folks hanging around. But it tends to be very windy there. They've built new condos and townhomes in that area and most of those homes are sold out.

[veganwriter]

WHY are you asking about the worst part of the city? (Oakdale/Sunnydale ain't no picnic either...)

You seem to have a lot of info already.
I'm beginning to get curious about your motive.

My two cents on the issue is that HP is more mixed than people think. The cost of land in SF is extremely high and there's a finite amount of it. So... HP is on the slate to be gentrified.

If you're a hardy person who is capable of moving into the West Bank and turning it into a trendy travel destination for the well-heeled, then you should have no problems.

There are professional people who live in HP.
There area areas near and above it that are upper middle class and middle class. (SF is not for those with shallow pockets.)

I suggest you move to SF, and feel things out.

[dculross]

Originally Posted by goldenchild08

A lot of the ghetto areas of SF, including HP, aren't as half as wild as they used to be because of gentrification.

this is true. i remember back in the 90's my friend drove me through some of the housing projects in SF, like potrero hill and sunnydale. there were literally like 50 people standing on the corners, staring menacingly at us. i dont think those areas arent like that anymore.

[migol84]

Originally Posted by dculross

this is true. i remember back in the 90's my friend drove me through some of the housing projects in SF, like potrero hill and sunnydale. there were literally like 50 people standing on the corners, staring menacingly at us. i dont think those areas arent like that anymore.

if i were you back then i'd of smiled at all of them, rolled the window down, give them high 5's and then thrown them some candy. that's probably what they wanted.

in seriousness though, i lived near the Bayview on 3rd st but closer to Candlestick. It was crappy and probably the crappiest place I've ever lived in my life. I'd dare even say crappier than when my parents had us living under the Section 8 housing back in Houston. But it was crappy for entirely different reasons. In houston there was a community that looked out for each other and plus we were surrounded by stores and restaurants and we were near freeways and major streets which made it impossible to ever feel isolated. If you wanna feel isolated, live in the BV/HP area. There's just a sad and depressing feeling there.

But I really never felt threatened at all. I've walked down 3rd St quite a number of times even at night. Maybe it's because I'm a 6' and 210 lb male, even though i'm not menacing looking, but i've actually felt more unsafe in the Tenderloin more than anything. I mostly think that the violence that occurs there happens between gangs or people that are already into trouble.

When I moved from there I promised never to step foot in that neighborhood ever again. I feel terribly sorry for the people that live there and in a sense I can totally understand why there's so much violence. It's kind of unfair really.... and it's even more unfair that its more impossible to leave the "hood" for people who are born there. It's like every single aspect was designed to keep such a poor society locked outside of the common world with less opportunities for them to climb up in life.

The T-Line was a start, but boy, after having lived there, I can promise you that while the T-Line may help a bit it's still agonizingly lacking.

[dragontales]

Originally Posted by dculross

this is true. i remember back in the 90's my friend drove me through some of the housing projects in SF, like potrero hill and sunnydale. there were literally like 50 people standing on the corners, staring menacingly at us. i dont think those areas arent like that anymore.

I use to take the bus (15 third line) through the Sunnydale projects when I was younger. It was indeed some scary ***** sh1t!! I'm not exaggerating.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by dragontales

I use to take the bus (15 third line) through the Sunnydale projects when I was younger. It was indeed some scary ***** sh1t!! I'm not exaggerating.

These days, it is highly recommended that one put away the iPhone and/or laptop in such circumstances.

[dragontales]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

These days, it is highly recommended that one put away the iPhone and/or laptop in such circumstances.

Yep distracted folks are getting punched int he face and getting their devices jacked. So brutal, so scary. One must be aware of their surroundings at all times!

[aivlys54]

I grew up in the city. I went to school in Russian Hill, Outer Richmond, and Silver Terrace. I lived in Russian Hill, Inner/Outer Richmond, Pacific Heights, Bayview, and am currently living in Bayview-Hunter's Point neighborhood. I never thought I'd say this, but I LOVE living where I live right now on 3rd Street and Carrol. Fresh and Easy is right there, as is Limon and Corner Cafe. The freeway entrance is but 2 minutes away. If I wanted to get to the airport, it's a 13 minute drive. If I want to get to AT&T Park, it's a 20 minute T-line ride away. I can also get to Chinatown on the 8-Line in 20 minutes. The Cal-train station is a 5 min drive away with ample parking. I haven't had any issues whatsoever and I've lived in this neighborhood for the past 15 years after I graduated from UCLA. I think it's really about being aware of your surroundings and not playing with your expensive toys in front of other people while you're walking or on public transportation. I still get a bit scared when I'm on the T-line going through the heart of HP, but as long as I'm sitting in the front of the train, I feel ok. I'm telling you - in several years, this neighborhood will be drastically different. I feel it in my fingers and I feel it in my toes!=) I'm really excited to be a part of the growing community in the Bayview-Hunter's Point neighborhood!

[ccm123]

Honestly, I have never even been through there and have no reason to.

[Tomlcsc]

I've only had one occasion to go through Bayview once and my impression was sort of mixed.

On one end, I saw some pretty shady characters and also had the privilege of watching some kind lady take a dump on someone's front porch.

On the other hand, this sort of struck me as more of the exception rather than the norm. BV seems more like a working class neighborhood in SF that is beginning to gentrify. Saw lots of new apartments, Fresh and Easy, etc.

There was still definitely a lot of projects that looked legitimately shady and that type of stuff so I'm not saying everything is totally fine there.

All in all, I think I could live there but I'd probably only live there if I had to.