San Francisco w. kids

[anomaly]

This is a big deal, as Fausto lead a group ride out of the shop a couple of years ago. Says a lot about what the local riders want.

It really isn't their market. You can buy a Dogma w/ DI2 at 30 other shops in the Bay Area but you can only get a Baum at one.

[rebelvox]

Like most places, the more expensive the neighborhood, the better the schools. On the penninsula, Palo Alto and Menlo Park are both extremely expensive, have excellent schools, and is a convenient commute to both SF and Silicon Valley. Other areas like San Carlos and Belmont are a bit less expensive, have good but not great schools, and offer an even shorter commute to SF. I commute from Palo Alto to SF, with my bike on the train. Door to door, it takes about 50 minutes to get to the office.

Not that familiar with the East Bay. My impression is it is less expensive, but the commute to SF is probably easier with BART. Forget about commuting into Silicon Valley. Have no idea on the schools. Marin is a great place to live. Can commute by ferry. Don't know much about the schools.

[crimson]

My wife and I both work in the East Bay (Orinda & Walnut Creek), but live in San Francisco. We have a 10 y/o son…and absolutely love our neighborhood (Castro).

[GregJ]

This is a broad-stroke generalization, as obviously there are exceptions. But people who want really good public schools live in Marin, Piedmont (separate school district from Oakland), Orinda/Moraga/Lafayette and farther eastward, or the peninsula (Palo Alto, etc.) People with kids who can afford private schools and proximity to SF live in the nicer neighborhoods in SF, Oakland, Berkeley, and obviously any of the aforementioned areas. Many people feel that SF is not all that family-friendly, and many move out to the East Bay, which is really very close (15-30 minutes drive without traffic or on BART). Oakland and Berkeley do have pretty good schools, but it can be inconsistent depending on the neighborhood and school. SF has good schools, but as someone posted earlier, I think there's a lottery system. Berkeley does too, but it only has one big high school so that's not an issue in that age group.

[acotts]

If I learned anything from Saved By The Bell, its that you want to keep you kids away from those Asshats at Valley. Nothing good comes from that school.

[jitahs]

This is a broad-stroke generalization, as obviously there are exceptions. But people who want really good public schools live in Marin, Piedmont (separate school district from Oakland), Orinda/Moraga/Lafayette and farther eastward, or the peninsula (Palo Alto, etc.) People with kids who can afford private schools and proximity to SF live in the nicer neighborhoods in SF, Oakland, Berkeley, and obviously any of the aforementioned areas. Many people feel that SF is not all that family-friendly, and many move out to the East Bay, which is really very close (15-30 minutes drive without traffic or on BART). Oakland and Berkeley do have pretty good schools, but it can be inconsistent depending on the neighborhood and school. SF has good schools, but as someone posted earlier, I think there's a lottery system. Berkeley does too, but it only has one big high school so that's not an issue in that age group.

Thas what we all said, yo.

[BryanF]

WAIT a sec. This isn't really right at all. We live in the Inner Sunset and send our kids to a perfectly wonderful public elementary school about 10 min away. This place makes the school I went to in the 70's look like a dump. Amazing, active parent community, good resources, great teachers. There is a huge range of economic strata in the city, and frankly the schools reflect that fact. There are great schools throughout the city...moreso concentrated west of Divisidero where there are actual "middle class" (and I say that knowing the SF middle class income = living large anywhere else). Yes, the admissions process is bit of a mess but it is currently being overhauled to put more of an emphasis on neighborhood areas. No question that there is more demand for the good schools than can be accommodated. The switch to middle and high schools is still a bit more tricky, but there are some great schools around (Sh*t...look at Lowell...I think that was one of Newsweek's top ten hight schools in the country). With some luck, the new "feeder" system that they're trying to implement will mean that the strong PTAs will migrate with the kids. The PTA at my school is a fantastic community that is absolutely dedicated to getting the kids the resources they need...and we're not talking about a necessarily affluent group...just committed.

I have two kids. With one we could have afforded private...when we decided to have a second we more or less made a commitment to public. Knowing what I know now I can't imaging dropping $15k-$25k for a private elementary school...we'll evaluate things again when our kids get older but for now the city absolutely works.

Anyway, if you want to hear more about any of this, feel free to PM me. Clearly I'm a bit of a booster, but I really feel there's a good reason.

[joosttx]

Well, headed to the Bay area. Probably early Jan.

[maunahaole]

I lived in the inner Sunset (9th & Kirkham) many years ago. Art's Cafe is the bomb.

[zetroc]

Art's is the bomb for sure. Sunrise still has my favorite falafel. Good ol' inner Sunset.

[54ny77]

24th & Noriega here at one point in life. Fun times. Bat shit crazy landlord though.

I lived in the inner Sunset (9th & Kirkham) many years ago. Art's Cafe is the bomb.

[joosttx]

We are targeting Mill Valley to homestead. Be out there the week after christmas. There are some homes around on the west side near Muir national Monument that look interesting. What is the fog situation. Do I need to be concerned about a place we buy will be covered in fog?

[jitahs]

Yup. Leeward side towards the Bay is better. Of Mt. Tam that is. It's super micro-climatey here. Talk to the prospective neighbors.