Best Kid-Friendly Neighborhoods? (San Francisco, Orange, Richmond: rental, buying a house, buying) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

alcie27 · 07-23-2009, 09:33 AM

We may be relocating to the SF area sometime in the next year (depending on the economy) and I'm wondering if there are good areas for families with young kids that aren't terribly expensive. I know - in SF expensive is a given, but for us anything over 900k would probably be too much. We love the outdoors (bike paths, pools, hiking close by) and areas with a good sense of community. We want great schools and would love to have at least a 1 car garage and a yard. My husband would most likely work in or around the financial district and it would be nice if we could keep his commute under 45 min each way. Is this even possible in the bay area??

Edited to add: We would be open to either renting or buying a house and city or suburb living.

uptown_urbanist · 07-23-2009, 11:19 AM

Look into the RIchmond District of SF (but do rent first, wherever you go - that way you'll see what you like and get to know the neighborhoods). It's fairly affordable as far as SF goes, is filled to the brim with young kids, is bordered by Golden Gate Park, and depending on section, is either next to China Beach, Ocean Beach, Land's End, the Presidio, etc. There will be tons of great outdoors activities. The SF public schools offer some great choices, although the current system for signing up for one is a big hassle. Still, there's talk about reforming it to make it easier. There are express buses that go straight from the Richmond to the financial district, so your husband's commute would be easy. It's overall a great neighborhood for families, and well worth at least a consideration.

If you are thinking about the city and have young kids you should also know about the group Golden Gate Mothers Group (google it for the website); they have an extensive members-only email list, help arrange playgroups, run special events, and have some nice online resources like an illustrated guide to every playground in the city.

alcie27 · 07-23-2009, 12:54 PM

Thanks for the info! What's the best way to find a rental in SF?

uptown_urbanist · 07-23-2009, 01:23 PM

Everything seems to be listed on Craigslist, or at least that's been our experience. We found our place through a sign in the window, but it turns out the owner also put an ad on Craigslist. The San Francisco CL is great because you can search by price, size, and neighborhood (some of the other CL city sites don't let you search with that much detail).

aklein · 07-23-2009, 04:51 PM

Not sure if you are looking for suburbia, but you could find a 3bd 2 ba in Belmont or San Carlos which are chalk full of kids and have great schools. Go to www.greatschools.net for ratings of schools and if you need more info on purchasing a house just contact me.

Cookie66nbow · 01-01-2011, 05:26 PM

my partner and i are planning to move to SF mid 2011 and I am in the biotech field. We prefer to live in a quiet not too many kids neighborhood. What sections of SF do you think are good for us.

bmw335xi · 01-01-2011, 06:46 PM

I think Walnut Creek would be perfect for you, check it out next time you're in the area. It's a very nice community with highly rated schools. The scenery is beautiful and you can get a lot under $900k. There is a BART station in Walnut Creek that will take you straight to downtown San Francisco within your preferred commute time. I honestly wouldn't raise children in San Francisco, it's a great city, but once I have kids, if I choose to stay in the Bay Area, I'd move to Walnut Creek (as of now). There's too many homeless people in the city for me to feel comfortable allowing them to leave the house and private yards are very rare (in the city).

415_s2k · 01-02-2011, 10:36 PM

If you're looking to live in San Francisco proper, I'd say your best bets would be in the Richmond Disctrict (NOT to be confused with the City of Richmond, across the bay!). I live in the Inner Richmond and see plenty of families; every time I go to my favorite taqueria, there's at least one family there, which is quite different from areas like Nob Hill, Russian Hill, etc., where you almost never see kids.

OrangeCoriander · 01-03-2011, 12:31 AM

^^^
I live near the Nob Hill/Russian Hill border and I see a slew of kids everyday. Granted, I'm near a playground, so that may factor in, but there are a lot more kids here than I would have ever expected.

415_s2k · 01-03-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrangeCoriander

^^^
I live near the Nob Hill/Russian Hill border and I see a slew of kids everyday. Granted, I'm near a playground, so that may factor in, but there are a lot more kids here than I would have ever expected.

It must be the playground.

I work in Union Square and have lots of friends in your area so I'm there pretty frequently, and I don't see many. Maybe it just seems that way by comparison to where I am...