I\u2019ve responded to over a dozen emails from future SF residents asking me where they should move. The response always seems simple, and then I pause and realize that where they should live in SF depends on so many personal factors! I also find myself realizing that I\u2019m not yet a local and probably don\u2019t know enough to give a good answer so I generally describe to them the different parts of town.<\/p>\n
Here are places that I would like to live and why:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Tenderloin\u201d is where I first lived when I moved to SF. It has flavor and it\u2019s very real. What I mean is, people\u2019s lives are transparent because many families are living on the streets and with the small apartments, kids find themselves playing on the sidewalk because there\u2019s only one small park in the Tenderloin. It\u2019s an area of low income families, those with disabilities and those that, despite their hard work and perseverance, were never able to move to a safer part of town. There are a few people that live there by choice and they have their reasons. The Tenderloin is pretty noisy and not too safe at night, but there is an excellent selection of family owned restaurants and cafes. The neighborhood is bordered by a mall, two movie theatres and some of the best clubs in town. Despite everything, it\u2019s my favorite neighborhood because there\u2019s so much potential and has variety like no other neighborhood in SF.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mission\u201d is known for its Hispanic population, burrito joints and sidewalk markets. In the past 10 years, the young \u201ccool kids\u201d have invaded The Mission but its flair, architecture and cuisine remain the same. The Mission has cheap housing like The Tenderloin but many argue there are more families and thus it\u2019s a step up in terms of safety. Also, The Mission has more parks, more schools and apartments are larger because it\u2019s not as concentrated. I like The Mission for lunchtime burritos and afternoon naps in Dolores Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Castro\u201d is a relatively new neighborhood and was formerly known as Eureka Valley. The Castro is known as The Gayborhood as the 60s and 70s saw a rise in openly gay individuals and many of them found Castro to be their home. Today, the cafes, restaurants, bars and gyms are full of same sex couples living their lives without fear of persecution for being openly homosexual. I love The Castro for many reasons, but overall it\u2019s a great place to hang out with friends. the party never stops. It\u2019s a very clean neighborhood, full of friendly residents and you can walk the streets at night without fear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Haight\u201d is amazing and the most cultural neighborhood in town. I guess you could consider it a neighborhood of \u201chippies\u201d but that\u2019s not necessarily true by most people\u2019s definition of hippy. Haight Street is long and is lined with locally owned everything. You won\u2019t find a chain restaurant, cafe or clothing store here, the street is dominated by bicycles and the crowd is very young. It\u2019s hard to describe this neighborhood but a Flickr search of Haight will provide a pictorial description.<\/p>\n
\u201cSOMA\u201d (South of Market) is a neighborhood that starts at the east side of SF, south of Market Street, and continues along to 12th Street where The Mission begins. SOMA goes south to \u201cMission Bay\u201d so it\u2019s a pretty large area that was, for a long time, known for its industry. A few years ago, the dot com boom revitalized the area. SOMA has seen old warehouses transformed into million dollar lofts \/ offices and now it\u2019s home to some of the priciest real estate in SF\u2014but it\u2019s nothing compared to Pacific Heights or Nob Hill. SOMA is where you will find the highest concentration of startups and some fantastic (pricier) lunch spots. This is also where you can hop on CalTrain, see an SF Giants baseball game or look across the water to Oakland.<\/p>\n
\u201cPotrero Hill\u201d is one of my favorite neighborhoods. It is directly south of SOMA so you\u2019re just a bike ride away from The Mission, SOMA or The Tenderloin (less than 10 minutes on a bike). Potrero hill has some decent food (nothing breathtaking) but it\u2019s more suburban with larger houses, more parking and epic views of the city if you\u2019re up high enough. Personally, I love Potrero Hill but if you go too deep into the neighborhood (away from SOMA), you\u2019ll find yourself in the neighborhood, Bayview, which is notorious for high crime.<\/p>\n
There are just a few neighborhoods. There are certainly more options when choosing an apartment. North Beach, downtown, Financial District, Cole Valley and a few dozen others.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s an excellent site that I read every page of when I decided to move to SF. http:\/\/www.dreamworld.org\/sfguide\/ This guide has helped me TREMENDOUSLY and if you\u2019re serious about moving, read the entire site because it will help you with the most common questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve responded to over a dozen emails from future SF residents asking me where they should move. 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