What SF neighborhood is for me? (Richmond, Marina: apartment, rental, neighborhoods)

[King0fthehill]

Hello everybody,

I'm moving to SF sometime during the month of August to attend my first 2 years of college at CCSF's main campus in Ingleside. However,I have a bit of a dilemma as I'm not too keen on living in Ingleside or any of the surrounding locales, and would much much prefer somewhere more urban and lively. A requirement of sorts would be proximity and access to mass transit, namely the BART and/or the MUNI J/K/M lines (not just these, but MUNI lines in general). I don't have to (or want to) live in a uber-ritzy neighborhood or anything, but I'd like to be in a area centrally located to not only the transit, but markets, cafe's, shops, parks/green spaces, etc etc. Lastly, I'd like to achieve this for less than $1,000/month. Is this possible? I don't mind having a roommate or similar to achieve this, either..not at all.

Do the neighborhoods of the Tendernob, Lower Haight or Mission sound too far fetched?

All input, suggestions and comments are welcome

[sonarrat]

You don't like Glen Park? That's a new one.

[Mr. Ozo]

The lower Haight would work, if you can land a room with someone, which is hard due to high demand. It's a short walk to the muni lines under Market and a cool neighborhood. The mission also would work if you are close enough to BART.

[redwoodlvr]

I don't blame you, if you think outer sunset gets frigid temps, it's freezing out there in Ingleside/Ocean Ave.

If you're dependent on public transit: Inner sunset, outer sunset, outer richmond, lower haight.

If you have a car: you can expand the above to bernal heights, noe valley, inner richmond, laurel heights.

Sharing rental space will increase your options in general, but you can also find private entrance in-laws in the avenues (sunset/richmond districts).
Living in the avenues will put you closer to CCSF. What's great about CCSF is the street car goes there which also increases your transportation options.

Good luck with your program and finding housing.

[King0fthehill]

What's surprising about me not liking Glen Park? Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about the place and only really passed through...what's over there?

Can you all tell me more about the Lower Haight? What transit is over there? Many people say its a tad bit shady...what's up with that?

Thanks again, guys.

[rah]

I can understand why someone wouldn't like Glen Park. It's a nice neighborhood and everything, quiet, has some nice restaurants and shops, and Glen Canyon Park...but it IS a little isolated, and if Muni has it's way with bus service cuts, it'll get even more isolated. The 26 line is going to be cut, and the 35 is going to be rerouted. That leaves Glen Park with only the 44 (which goes to the Sunset, Richmond, Hunters Point and Excelsior). You'll have to walk to BART or the J train if you wanna get downtown, to the Mission, CCSF, etc, once those other buses are cut.

As far as the Lower Haight goes, it's a nice area that's a little gritty in parts, but for the most part perfectly fine. There are some projects on the eastern end (Haight and Webster), and It used to be pretty shady back in the 90's, and there's still the occasional shooting, but it's much nicer than it was. It's not on par with SF's other shady hoods such as the Mission, Fillmore, Tenderloin, Hunters Point, etc. It has plenty of cool stuff to do too, restaurants, bars, stores, and there's tons of public transportation nearby including two 24 hour lines, the N train, and the 22 bus line. It's a really good location if you ask me.

The Tendernob and Mission are good too for a combination of urban environment, public transportation, amenities, etc. The mission wins though because it actually has parks, including Dolores Park which is one of the bigger ones in the city, and always has events going on. The mission can be variable though. It's all very urban, but to the east of Mission Street is more cheap, and also more sketchy. West of Mission is pretty heavily gentrified these days, is much less sketchy, more expensive, and is ground zero for SF's hipster scene (Valencia is the main drag for that part of the mission). Of course the tendernob is like that too, being right on the edge of Nob hill on one end, and the tenderloin on the other. Check out craigslist to see what prices are like in those areas. You should be able to find plenty of studios and maybe even an apartment or two for under $1000, but to be honest, most will probably be in the Sunset, Ingleside, Excelsior, Oceanview, Visitacion Valley, or the Bayview/Hunters Point. The mission, lower haight and tendernob/tenderloin are all pretty popular for people trying to live cheap in SF, so there might not be as many choices (and they won't be the cheapest either).

[redwoodlvr]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

What's surprising about me not liking Glen Park? Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about the place and only really passed through...what's over there?

Can you all tell me more about the Lower Haight? What transit is over there? Many people say its a tad bit shady...what's up with that?

Thanks again, guys.

Rah nailed it, but I think the complaints stem from the lack of activity thing going on in Glen Park as well. Students like to be closer to the action, whatever is defined as "action" these days. If you're more the studious type, it may suit you just fine and you may welcome the quiet in Glen Park. It also gets great weather, sunny and warmer climate...like the Mission.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by King0fthehill

Hello everybody,

A requirement of sorts would be proximity and access to mass transit, namely the BART and/or the MUNI J/K/M lines (not just these, but MUNI lines in general). I don't have to (or want to) live in a uber-ritzy neighborhood or anything, but I'd like to be in a area centrally located to not only the transit, but markets, cafe's, shops, parks/green spaces, etc etc.

I suggest checking out the Inner Sunset area near 9th and Irving. There are lots of cool restaurants and shops there. You can take either the 43 or 44 Muni lines to Forest Hills station to connect to the K.L or M lines. The rarely seen 36 line also goes to City College from Forest Hills station. You can take the 44 north to Inner Richmond/Clement St. or take the 43 to Trader Joes,Haight St. or the Marina. The 43 also goes to City College and the 44 goes to Glen Park Bart. The Muni N line also runs on Irving for connections to Cole Valley,Church St. and downtown. This area is also very close to Golden Gate Park.

[rah]

I'll second the inner sunset. That's a really good area that's cheaper, has tons of good food and all kinds of other amenities and public transportation (the N, and the 44, 43, 6, 66, 71. The N and 71 are 24 hours too). And then you have golden gate park right next to you as well.

[King0fthehill]

Thanks, guys. Your advice was of great benefit to me!

Here are some photos, accompanied by my opinions on the places.

prettyugly.: SF, yo