The 7 Best Neighborhoods in San Francisco
Locating the city’s best neighborhood all depends on your priorities. We’ve pored over the numbers and done the homework for you, whether you’re a foodie or a family person, looking for a real-estate deal or just a piece of the sun. Now all you’ve got to do is decide which San Francisco you want most.
Best For Families: OUTER SUNSET
The farther south and west you go, the more kids the city has. But when you look at the percentage of homes with kids combined with proximity to good schools, the Outer Sunset wins, hands down. Thirty percent of its households have children, and of 20 schools with a “9” or “10” rating on greatschools.org (which rates both public and private schools), fully half of them are in the Outer Sunset (with two more nearby in the Inner Sunset). The Outer Sunset’s also got its fair share of playgrounds, parks and, of course, the ocean and the zoo.
Runner-Up: OUTER RICHMOND: 24 percent of households have kids; 3 top rated schools.
Best Transit: DOWNTOWN/SOMA
This is a no-brainer. If you’re a commuter, and you don’t want to drive or hop a bus, then live within walking distance of Market Street, where you can catch BART or one of six Muni underground lines from either the Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street or Civic Center stations—or Muni from the Van Ness station as well. Let’s say you lived at Fourth and Harrison streets; you could walk four blocks north (to the Powell BART) or south (to the Caltrain station) and be virtually anywhere, except Marin, quicker than you could drive. You’d never need to own a car—or ride a bus—again.
Runner-Up: CASTRO: 2 Muni stations, 5 Muni rail lines, and within walking distance to 16th Street BART stations
Best Restaurant Scene: MISSION (84 Zagat-rated restaurants)
Admittedly, this category demands subjectivity. Yelp lists the number of restaurants and their user ratings, while Zagat shows a more curated sampling of those that get the most buzz. And, of course, we here at 7x7 have been covering this scene for a decade. Turns out the numbers don’t lie: When you take Downtown (which necessarily has a large number of restaurants, not all of which are built to serve locals) out of the equation, the neighborhoods with the most Zagat-rated restaurants are the same three our food editors picked, in the same order. Your takeaway? From top-notch Italian to kill-me-now tortas, Michelin-rated California cuisine to the city’s best ice cream, the Mission is foodie ground zero.
Runners-up: SOMA: 65 zagat-rated restaurants; MARINA/COW HOLLOW: 48 zagat-rated restaurants
Most House for Your Money: NOPA ($243 per square foot, $635,000 median selling price) We all want to know where to buy. And SF’s newest neighborhood, replete with everything an urban dweller needs (Panhandle for grass and trees, Falletti Foods for groceries, Little Star Pizza and Nopa for restaurants, The Independent for music, Flybar and Madrone for drinks) shakes out at only $243 per square foot. Compare that to $712 in Pac Heights and $899 in Noe Valley. It’s not surprising that nearby Western Addition, with its gritty image, closely trails Nopa at $322 per square foot, but it is surprising that chichi Nob Hill comes in at only $346. (That $346 probably won’t get you parking or green space, but hey, you can’t have everything.)
Runner-Up: NOB HILL: $346 per square foot
Safest: PRESIDIO (19 crimes per half-mile radius)
Since the Presidio is, after all, a national park, it makes sense that it’s less crime-ridden than anywhere else in SF, along with its neighbor, tony Presidio Heights (29 crimes, including everything down to noise disruptions). But safety in Presidio Heights costs about $1.65 million, whereas two-bedroom rentals in the Presidio start at less than $2,000 a month. If you want to buy in a neighborhood that’s safe and affordable, look to the Inner Sunset, where houses go for $759,000 and there were only 75 crimes. (Compare that to the Mission, with more than 800 crimes during the same period, or the Marina, with 453.)
Runners-Up: RUSSIAN HILL: 61 crimes; INNER SUNSET: 75 crimes
Most Walkable: LOWER PACIFIC HEIGHTS (Fillmore Street)
Most SF neighborhoods score in the 90s on Walkscore.com, but for our money, the strip of Fillmore from Sacramento to Eddy has everything you could need within a few blocks. Eat at Pizzeria Delfina or SPQR. Buy groceries at the Japantown Safeway or high-end Mollie Stone’s. Hear music at the Fillmore, Yoshi’s or the Boom Boom Room. Shop for everything from midcentury furniture to designer labels to hand-me-downs. There are cinemas, coffee shops, bakeries, salons, bookstores, a drugstore, a gym, two nearby parks (Alta Plaza and Lafayette Square) and even a good hospital (CPMC) should you exhaust yourself, which is very possible.
Runners-Up: RUSSIAN HILL/NOB HILL (Polk Street); MARINA (Chestnut Street)
Most Luxurious: SEA CLIFF (Median Selling Price: $2.4 million)
While Pac Heights may have the widespread reputation of being the city’s most luxurious neighborhood, it’s definitely Sea Cliff, the tiny patch of land tucked between the Presidio, Lincoln Park and the ocean, that ranks as SF’s most exclusive, outlandish real estate. Pac Heights’ list prices average out to around $2.8 million just like Sea Cliff’s, but its actual selling prices can’t touch the astronomical amounts the wealthy plunk down for SC’s sprawling Mediterranean-style villas perched above the Pacific, and the chance to be neighbors with Robin Williams and (it’s rumored) Tom Cruise.
Runner-Up: ST. FRANCIS WOOD: $1.63 million median
More Neighborhoods by the Numbers
Best Rental Deals: Outer Sunset ($1,946 average for a two-bedroom)
Most Access to Nature: Richmond (bounded by two national parks and an ocean)
Priciest per Square Foot: Financial District ($1,018/square foot)
Youngest: Mission (average age 34)
Oldest: Chinatown (average age 48)
Most Singles: Castro (66 percent single), followed by Marina (62 percent single)
Most Diverse: Bernal Heights, Downtown, Richmond, SoMa, Western Addition
Most White Folks: Marina (85 percent white)
Most Foreclosures: Bernal Heights and Mission Bay (at press time, both had 61 foreclosures listed on Trulia)
Biggest Price Dip: Diamond Heights (median down 41 percent from last year)
Biggest Price Spike: Tenderloin (median up 57 percent from last year)
Sunniest Spot: According to meteorologist Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services—who’s been tracking SF weather patterns for decades—the warmest, sunniest patch of SF theoretically lies in the southern Mission, away from water, hills and wind patterns. “Right around Garfield Square,” he says. Debate over.
*NOTE: Information gathered from 511.org, Craigslist, City and County of San Francisco, Crime Mapping, Golden Gate Mothers Group, Great Schools, Trulia, Yelp, the US Census Bureau, Zagat and Zillow.
Curious about NOPA homes for sale and if the price per square foot metrics are true?
http://homes-for-sale.jacksonfuller.com/i/8989/NOPA
By on October 05, 2011
In reply to By Anonymous (not verified) on April 26, 2011:
to Most White Folks? ...Noe Valley, Castro and Marina
Really? Why did you ask that?
What about Most Black Folks? ...Hello, Tenderloin!
What about most Asian Folks? ...Double hello, China Town and the Richmond
What about most Hispanic Folks? ...Hola, the Mission.
What about most Money? ...Russian Hill and Sea Cliff
Crime? ...Tenderloin and Hunters Point
Clean? ...Noe Valley
Most Homeless? ...Tenderloin
Most Pitbulls? ...the Mission
Really, if you live in SF don't ask silly questions and expect PC answers.
By on August 30, 2011
I've always wanted to live in California and raise my kids there. My top priority would definitely be to make sure they have great private schools there to pick from. It's good to see that some of these neighborhoods do!
By on August 11, 2011
Most White Folks? Really? Why did you ask that? What about Most Black Folks? What about most Asian Folks? What about most Hispanic Folks? What about most Money? Crime? Clean? Most Homeless? Most Pitbulls?
By on April 26, 2011
Just came across this survey and I have to say, it's too bad ... you missed a real opportunity.
While I acknowledge any survey will be subjective and I'll give you points for trying to broaden the basis for comparisons by laying out catagories, this survey still is left with a pervasive stench of elitism. There is a whole swath of the city running east and south of the "Mission" that your critics appear to be uninclined or maybe even fearful, to venture into.
I noticed that others have commented about the absence of two such neighborhoods, Potrero Hill and Dog Patch, but an assortment of other vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, ie Portola, Excelsior, Bayview, Glen Park and OMI, that mind-boggingly did not even register mention in your survey. Even in such benign catagories such as 'Sunniest Spot', how could you miss Portola and Bayview, both regularly bask in the sun.
But I have to comment, that your questionable catagory of 'Most White Folks' - really? Are you kidding me? - speaks volumes about the surveyors themselves. Such a shame!
By on April 21, 2011
Just came across this survey and I have to say, it's too bad ... you missed a real opportunity.
While I acknowledge any survey will be subjective and I'll give you points for trying to broaden the basis for comparisons by laying out catagories, this survey still is left with a pervasive stench of elitism. There is a whole swath of the city running east and south of the "Mission" that your critics appear to be uninclined or maybe even fearful, to venture into.
I noticed that others have commented about the absence of two such neighborhoods, Potrero Hill and Dog Patch, but an assortment of other vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, ie Portola, Excelsior, Bayview, Glen Park and OMI, that mind-boggingly did not even register mention in your survey. Even in such benign catagories such as 'Sunniest Spot', how could you miss Portola and Bayview, both regularly bask in the sun.
But I have to comment, that your questionable catagory of 'Most White Folks' - really? Are you kidding me? - speaks volumes about the surveyors themselves. Such a shame!
By on April 21, 2011
All I want from my neighborhood is a good preschool program, close proximity to dependable law enforcement, and the ability to tend my lawn in peace. It's a shame these things have become so difficult to come by. Great article!
By on March 29, 2011
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By on March 27, 2011
I agree with Margie above. How could you not list Potrero Hill/Dogpatch? It's hands down my favorite neighborhood (walkable to grocery stores, fab restaurants, a bookstore, and little boutiques, excellent coffee). One of the sunniest neighborhoods with amazing views and very little crime. It's bordered by the design district, soma, and the mission. Easy access to the freeway and East Bay. It's not rare to encounter movie sets and photographers lining the hill. Finally it's got a real neighborhood feel that some of the more popular neighborhoods do not have. It's definitely a special place and should be on your list.
By on March 24, 2011
Now this makes San Francisco a more inviting place to live in.
By on March 21, 2011
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By on February 24, 2011
Anon- Sept 20- "Two national parks in the Richmond?"
Those would be the Presidio and Lands End. Baker Beach, China Beach and Ocean Beach are also considered part of GGNRA- Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
See the SF close-up map for Golden Gate National Parks a little less than half-way down the page:
http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/maps.htm
By on January 28, 2011
I love San Francisco and I agree with about half of the neighborhood titles, but I didn't see any mention of two wonderful areas: Potrero Hill and Dogpatch. Both of these have some hidden gem restaurants (Serpentine, Chez Mama, Chez Papa, Hard Knox, etc) which are absolutely delicious. I can understand why these might have been left out as I used to live in SOMA and never wandered over to this area. I moved about 5 months ago to Potrero Hill and love it in this part of SF. I considered NOPA because of the low cost but got scared off by the higher amount of crime in nearby areas. Living and moving green in San Francisco is also important to me and I would have liked to see a classification for greenest neighborhood in San Francisco.
By on January 05, 2011
I'm curious about your price per square foot calculations for NOPA (controversy about name aside). I looked at the San Francisco MLS data, and it gives significantly higher prices (both median sales price and price per square foot). By my calculations, the average residential sale in NOPA for 2010 was $837,000 with a price per square foot of $703. Could you explain where your data is coming from?
More details and calculations on my blog at:
7x7 Mag says NOPA is most house for your money, but...
By on January 05, 2011
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By on December 22, 2010
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By on November 15, 2010
NOPA is not a neighborhood unless you want to sound like a gentrification-loving idiot.
By on October 22, 2010
I am happy to live near NOPA/Divisidero. It has really become more trendy over the past few years. I live in an area that no one seems to know - ANZA VISTA. Tiny quiet residencial area but so centralized! I walk to the Panhandle and restaurants in NOPA all the time. Plus, I have a garage - whoo hoo!
By on October 22, 2010
Where's the North Beach love?! We weren't mentioned once on this list. Best food, best entertainment, oldest neighborhood in SF, snap walk to work, short bike ride to the Embarcadero, romantic night picnics by Coit Tower, minimal crime, and only mom and pop stores are allowed to survive. And as a 20-30 something that lives and works in the city, there is no way in hell that when I have a family they are going to public schools.
By on October 12, 2010
- Most Access to Nature: Richmond (bounded by two national parks and an ocean)
What "two national parks" are you referring to?? The Presidio is on the only national park here.
If you're also referring to Golden Gate Park - it's a municipal park.
By on September 20, 2010
"Check the recent law. The old lottery system has changed for the 2010 school year."
The new system is not scheduled to begin until fall 2011.
By on September 16, 2010
"School location has nothing to do with school assignment. Maybe hire writers a bit older who knows how things work in this city."
Check the recent law. The old lottery system has changed for the 2010 school year.
Besides, in the old system, location was a variable, as well as money, education level, and other 'diversity' standards.
By on August 21, 2010
School location has nothing to do with school assignment. Maybe hire writers a bit older who knows how things work in this city.
By on July 15, 2010
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