Family Neighborhoods in San Francisco (Los Angeles, Fremont: houses, private school tuition, rooftop)

[noahp11]

Hi,
We're looking for a family friendly neighborhood in the Bay Area, 50 minute commute max to Downtown. We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and I am fortunate enough to say that money isn't an issue. Suggestions?

[mayorhaggar]

Can you afford a $2 million dollar house, and private school tuition? Or do you want your kids to go to public school? Do you want to live somewhere urban or somewhere suburban or somewhere rural and remote? How do you want to get to work, ride on BART with the plebs or sit in traffic in your car?

[beb0p]

Originally Posted by noahp11

Hi,
We're looking for a family friendly neighborhood in the Bay Area, 50 minute commute max to Downtown. We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and I am fortunate enough to say that money isn't an issue. Suggestions?

Within SF:

1. Noe Valley and surrounding area (expect to face stiff competition)

2. Anywhere north of California St. (except for North Beach, nice nabe but cater more to yuppies)

3. Others to consider - Potrero Hill, Forest Hill, Glen Park, etc


Outside of SF:

1. Tiburon (take the ferry)

2. Sausalito (anywhere further north you'll hit traffic, stay as south as possible within Sausalito)

3. Alameda (take the ferry. Neighborhood may not be rizzy enough for you)


If you live in SF, expect to send your kids to private schools. Keep in mind that there are many more family oriented neighborhoods if you up it to 60-90 mins away.

[US-Traveller]

If you are looking for a suburb, Burlingame and Hillsborough are popular communities with Financial District commuters. Both share reputable public and private schools and great town amenities. You also have easy access to 280 and 101 freeways, BART, Caltrain, and San Francisco International Airport. Caltrain and Light-rail from Burlingame/Hillsborough totals roughly 45 minutes to the Financial District. Other options on the Peninsula, with a longer commute would include Atherton, Menlo Park, and Palo Alto. All of these communities have very high property values, so be prepared to spend more than $1 million for a small starter home.

[u225615]

Originally Posted by noahp11

Hi,
We're looking for a family friendly neighborhood in the Bay Area, 50 minute commute max to Downtown. We have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and I am fortunate enough to say that money isn't an issue. Suggestions?

If money is no object live in SF and send the kids to private school. Many consider SF not very family friendly perhaps from the fact that it has the least number of kids per capita of all the major California cities (or some such statistic). More than likely it's the cost that drives families away.

However, lots of activities for kids...
California Academy of sciences with the aquarium, planetarium, biosphere, etc (of course at 1 and 3 years they may need to grow a bit to appreciate some of the attractions).
Golden Gate Park and the various playgrounds...My kids enjoyed Sharon Meadows Playground
Walks around Strawberry Hill Lake enjoying the ducks or a boat ride around the lake
The beach (something about kids, sand, and splashing around even if the water is ice cold)
Yerba Buena Ice Rink and playground next door (not your ordinary giant warehouse ice rink this one has style and a view).
etc, etc, etc....

Neighborhoods

Forest Hill (nice detached homes with charm)
West Portal family friendly and a "village" type shopping area
Stonestown (again detached houses with a local shopping area and next to Stonestown Mall)
Saint Francis Woods (Homes with character and a price tag to match)
Lakeside (close to a parochial school as well as Lakeshore Elementary). It's also close to Lowell (SF's top performing public school but students need to apply and take an exam)
Clarendon Heights (views and well kept neighborhood)
Forest Knolls
For the last two I'd recommend applying for Clarendon Elementary or Rooftop Elementary

Outside of SF...with good public schools...Fremont, California (BART station to ride into the city).

Tiburon, CA (you could take the ferry or drive across the Golden Gate into SF)

Check out the below link for school test scores, SAT scores, etc (your little ones have a way to go and things may change but here it is anyway)...

Top API Scores (2011) - California Schools Guide - Los Angeles Times

[ccm123]

I would look at Pleasanton also. Great, safe, family neighborhood and great schools. Though commuting into the city would
be longer than 50 minutes.

[gone down south]

Money is always an issue. And if it really isn't an issue, you're not getting life advice on city-data!

[clongirl]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned "Lamorinda" yet (Lafayette, Orinda, and Moraga). 20-30 minute or so BART ride into San Francisco, great schools, safe, family focused, houses on big lots, etc.

[sanfrancsicolove]

Twin Peaks, Forest Hill, Glen Park

Apply to Clarendon or Rooftop (might be lottery system now?) If money is not a big issue, SF Day school is another good option.

Hands down, Clarendon is the BEST elementary in the city (and i'm not just saying that b/c I went there )

[Robotdog]

Central Marin County has excellent public & private schools (Corte Madera, Ross, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Tiburon all feed into Redwood High School, the top HS). I'm biased because Marin weather is great & SF is 20 minutes by car. San Rafael also has some great neighborhoods & Marin Academy is a top private HS, located in Forbes area, 300 days of sunshine a year vs fog in SF, plus outdoor sports, swim teams, etc.
Even many UCSF doctors live in Marin for same reasons.