places in san francisco to live

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r/AskSF on Reddit: What is the best neighborhood to live in San Francisco?

June 17, 2025 -

I am considering a move to SF and want to go on an exploratory mission to find the right neighborhoods to review. I am here for a week and ready to put boot on the ground. I am a single woman in my 50s and have two small dogs. I want options for eating, nightlife and shopping views of the GG bridge, easy access to other areas -maybe the ability to walk to the water front. Do I have to rely on parks for green spaces? I toured Nob Hill and walked to Chestnut. Everywhere along the route taken was all concrete. There were lots of dogs but little places for them to relief themselves. (Surprisingly clean streets all things considered.) Thank you!

Budget is up to $5K, no roommates. commuting isn't a consideration. Open to all types of housing options (apartment, condo, house.)

Top answer

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There's no best neighborhood. They are all different and cool in their own way :)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/AskSF/wiki/index/ has an entire section devoted to moving here. Here's a good video explaining many of San Francisco's neighborhoods .

Redfin

redfin.com › home › 25 popular san francisco neighborhoods: where to live in san francisco in 2025

December 5, 2024 - Learn more about the Telegraph Hill neighborhood in San Francisco. ... Western Addition is home to several landmarks, including The Fillmore Auditorium and the African American Art & Culture Complex. This neighborhood includes the Fillmore District, where you’ll find one-of-a-kind bars, jazz clubs, and other vibrant nightlife options. You can also find numerous parks, like Raymond Kimbell Playground, and public art installations. Western Addition is another great place to live for those who enjoy walking and biking, as it has a Walk Score of 97 and a Bike Score of 91.

Extra Space Storage

extraspace.com › blog › city-guides › safe-affordable-neighborhoods-in-san-francisco

5 Best Safe, Affordable Neighborhoods in San Francisco in 2026

November 21, 2025 - Each area offers unique features, such as Bernal Heights' community events and Excelsior's diversity. Overall, San Francisco's crime rates are lower than the national average, making it a relatively safe place to live.

Discussions

Residents of SF! What is your favorite neighborhood in the city to live and why!

I’ve lived in Japantown, North Beach, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Inner Richmond and Noe Valley. I chose Noe to stay and raise a family, and that’s been great - quiet little Main Street, quieter central neighborhood, it’s literally in the center of a map of the city. But my favorite by far was North Beach in my 20s, it really feels like a city neighborhood - we ran tabs all over the neighborhood and paid them off monthly, we knew every liquor store owner, sandwich maker, bartender, it was just alive with nightlife and personality. More on reddit.com

r/sanfrancisco

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March 26, 2023

San Francisco transplant: Where to live in Oakland?

Hey, sorry your post got flagged before. Wikipedia outlines a few neighborhoods on their page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland,_California#Neighborhoods

I've been living here right through my mid 20s and here's what I'd suggest, depending on what you're into:

West Oakland
Pros: cheap, easy to find punk shows, diverse community, proximity to San Francisco, and more happening all the time. Community gardens are popping up, People's Grocery, Revolution Cafe, Ghost Town Gallery, Defremery Park. (Defremery Park even gets free hip-hop shows like Mos Def and The Coup every now and then.)
Cons: crime, pollution, pretty spread out.
Temescal/North Oakland
Pros: Still relatively cheap, plenty of cool bars, restaurants, galleries, etc. Art Murmur, Lansplitter, dive bars gallore. Proximity to Berkeley.
Cons: Can be a little spread out, but no problem if you like to bike. Some crime, safer than the Mission.
Rockridge
Pros: Shopping, walking, restaurants, bars, music, culture. College Ave has about anything you'd ever want. Nice houses and apartments.
Cons: expensive, a pain to drive and park
Lake Merritt
Pros: shopping, bars, restaurants, a kick-ass movie theater (though Temescal may get the reopened Parkway but Merritt still has the Grand Lake) pretty views of the lake, the hills, downtown, generally pleasant, lots of parks.
Cons: lake can smell bad sometimes, a little on the expensive side, but not as bad as Rockridge. Apartments are kind of stacked on top of each other, but not as bad as some areas of SF. Some crime.

Hope that helps. :)

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