apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Oh sweet, *only* 1.3 to 3.4 million for a house? Awesome, I'll run out and buy one tomorrow!

Also, I've read that the Tenderloin has the highest percentage of children in the city.

You don't need to be super-trendy and upscale to raise children, but I think you do to read 7x7.

They forgot:
Bernal Heights
Glen Park
and The Richmond
But its not possible unless both parents work or one of them has a REALLY GOOD job. I looked at a 1 bedroom guesthouse in Glen Park that was 500 sq ft. for 600,000. Plus a daily bus ride from the outer sunset or richmond to downtown is about a 30-45 minute ride. Might as well buy something in the east bay or peninsula because the commute is just the same. And being parents, Im sure you wouldnt be missing out on as much nightlife or events then if you lived in the city

There's a reason SF has the lowest number of kids per capita of any city in the country.

http://sf.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/090606/surveys/atsf-survey-got-kids-012220

My kid loves living in the Castro!

The Tenderloin has a high percentage of children, but these are children living in poverty, scared to use the local parks because of the drug dealing there. Having lived in that neighborhood -- and in many ways, I liked it or we wouldn't have lasted as long as we did -- it wouldn't be my first pick as a child-friendly alternative to the 'burbs.

With stories like the homeless encampments and syringes all over Golden Gate Park, I'm surprised we have any families left in SF. I wouldn't raise a family here, but it sure is fun to be single. Outer Sunset has houses with yards in front and back?? They exist in SF?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/26/BAGJPR75VD1.DTL

I'm really surprised Noe Valley isn't on there. Every time I go there I think "Here's where all the babies/kids are..."

I loved growing up in the Castro. I wouldn't it trade for the East Bay or Marin or the peninsular 'burbs for a second.

If you're a millionaire and don't have to worry about expensive housing, lousy-to-mediocre public schools, and a MUNI system that is decidedly anti-kid in its policies, SF is a *great* place to live!

7X7 is written by-and-for the Pac Heights/Laurel Village/Marina crowd. I doubt any of them have ever spent time in Noe Valley, the Mission, Glen Park or Bernal, all of which are much more family and community oriented...

That article is lame and superficial. It doesn't matter where you live, make the best of it. I enjoy living in an urban setting and I think it has a ton of benefits for my child, hence I'm raising my child here. It has its challenges but so does everything. Sometimes people think about things too much.

I hate the attitude that the city is some sort of Disneyland that's only for the post-collegiate set.

Oh and SF public schools aren't mediocre or bad. Come on people!

I loved growing up in the lower haight. Now I live in the Sunset. I absolutely love this City. Wouldn't live anywhere else. THIS IS HOME.

Pac Heights/Laurel Village/Marina crowd is definitely for the 7x7 crowd...little do they know that they are missing out on what a neighborhood is really about.

I guess that's why I never picked up a 7x7...it just didn't reflect the City I live in.

What an interesting insight umeboshi. The experience of having a child in this city, as challenging as it is, has actually solidified my attachment to the neighborhood we live in.

Um Etslee, I grew up here (in North Beach) and there is nowhere in the world I would rather have done it. I had the most incredible, enriched, magical, safe, beautiful, community-oriented, and educational childhood imaginable.

The city is a fantastic place to raise your children. There's fun and adventure around every corner. Our child loves all the excitement the city has to offer.

Folks -- there is so MUCH to do with kids in SF. You live in one of the most magical cities on the planet and your children are LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY to be growing up there. Sure there are drawbacks. Your kid may not have a big yard to play in or spend evenings running through the sprinklers. (An over-rated pleasure if I ever heard of.) Don't ever forget about the many pluses of childhood in San Francisco: so much color, culture,humanity, humor and those to-die-for views.

Signed, a former Bay Area Person Who's Dying To Move Back.

Think about it this way: people are always moving into the city after college because they want to live here do those same kids flock back to the suburbs because they really want to live there? How many kids hate growing up in the suburbs? Yeah, I can understand why parents might think it's best and communities that are largely composed of other parents looking to raise their kids does often promote good schools (though it has the side effect of promoting NIMBYs, shrill concern over anything that might be bad for children, and homes associations), but it's rarely what the kids really want.

I wish I had grown up in the city rather than some bland, boring, cookie-cutter suburb in the Midwest where it was absolutely impossible to go anywhere without driving (hey, I complain about Muni constantly, but at least it does theoretically show up).

At the same time I'm child-free and the less kids in my neighborhood the better.

another Former Bay Area Person Who's Dying to Move Back here (grew up in Berkeley) - we are tryingg like hell to figure out how to move back to the city from Austin (an overrated town if there ever was one). It basically comes down to the cost of housing - we are willing to pay a lot, but we still can't find anything we can afford. and we don't need much! The city, to me, seems like a perfectly fine place to grow up - the suburbs, NEVER!

Sally, why is Austin overrated?

sally -- we like where we are (central denver) but still want to eventually return to BA. There's simply no other place like it on earth. And i've seen much of the earth, i know of what i speak ;) the only thing stopping us from moving back right now is the cost of housing. i don't mind living in a little hobbit house even though it'd be a major adjustment after our spacious two-story craftsman on a double city lot which we bought for a price so low i'm embarrased to share it here. Sadly, little hobbit houses in the area i'm looking at start at 700K... paradise doesn't come cheap.

well, overrated might be too harsh. it's not for me. it's very very car-centric, though there are a couple of sort of walkable neighborhoods. the summers are long and miserably hot and humid. i don't think there's a whole lot to do for small children. there is lots of live music, it's true, but that doesn't do too much for me personally. there is *some* charming architecture, but for the most part it's a lot of 80's blah and many, many, parking lots. it's not a very integrated city and is known for not being particularly attractive to black people, generally. making a rash generalization here - austinites can't get over themselves and how "weird" austin is. there is no good bread. the cost of housing has gone way up.

to be fair: there is fantastic, inexpensive, mexican food and bar-b-cue all over the place. and good margaritas.

As the parent of a two year old I can tell you that I can't imagine him growing up anywhere else. Yes there are some bad schools here but there are also some great hidden gems. I've found Muni to be child friendly.

Yes it is expensive and no you don't have to be a millionaire to afford it. You just have to look at the other neighborhoods i.e. Sunnyside, Mission Terrace, etc..

We live off of Polk Street and I my son loves our walks. There are so many people who know him, we visit the shops, play in nearby parks, and interact with people from all over the world.

As a child-free person, I look forward to having kids in the city, having scoped out a lot of neighborhoods that aren't too "city", with room to play (basically my criteria for a house to have a kid in is the same as one to have a dog in :) ), but Bacchus hit on my main concern--schools. I have never wanted to send my kid to a private school, but with applying (!) to public school, kindergarten, pre-school in the city, I am discouraged. It's unfortunate the people like me flee the city when they have kids for the access to quality public schools you don't have to apply for--I know that just promotes a vicious circle. Sigh.

good to see posts from people who grew up here, remain, and love it.
(as it's been foul to see it tip, rapidly, toward a city of upscale owners, mostly caucasian...while households with kids, non-upper incomes, and Latino and Black residents have decreased; but hey, don't get some of us started on that...the city is swinging again--Elle Decor last year wrote a charming little story about the new ranks of young, moneyed taste and culture makers thriving here again, as if we've all been holding our breath waiting for them, to become fully alive again.)

ps
decrease in gay households too, with a rise in other bay area cities...so, whither SF? gooooooo Bay Area!
(the Castro is said probably to be the AIDS eviction capital of America-- who knows if it's largely het or homo land lorded-- while the # of young affluent families are on the rise there.
not to bemoan my dear queer people losing foothold here-- as i said, go bay area! and allkindsa gays here there everywhere else, but it's been a decade of snickers cringes at anyone still espousing platitudes about our fair city of Saint Francis, ravishing place that it still is...).