Does Anybody know if The Excelsior district in San Francisco is a good area for a family?

I've only lived in the city for 1 year and we are moving for the first time. we founf the perfect house, but its in the excesior district. like i said i haven't been here long so i don'y know if its a good ares or not. i have a 5 year old and a 13 and i need to know if it would be safe for them to go out and take the bus for my 13 year old or just walk to the park. please tell me all u know

It certainly wouldn't be my first choice. I disagree with the first person... there are many great areas to raise a family in San Francisco. Having kids in the city exposes them to much, so many different people, and develops so much *humanity*. The Peninsula/suburbs is boring and sheltered, and while you may have a yard and a 2 car garage for SUVs, they'll be missing so much the city has to offer.

That said... Excelsior does have a fair amount of kids, as it's cheap and largely Hispanic (...Note before anyone jumps on that: yeah, stereotype... Hispanic people have lots of kids, blah blah blah. But it's true... and I'm part Hispanic and grew up around that side of the family most, so...). However, it also has a fair amount of crime, and it directly borders the WORST area in the entire city (Visitacion Valley/Bayview/Hunter's Point). Lots of gang activity, especially the past few years. The majority of the city's homicides happen in that general area (favoring the Bayview/Hunter's Point side).

But... some areas are better than others. The further West you get from McLaren Park, the better. Some areas are very nice and family-centric, and are actually really rad. Others... not so much.

Basically... Excelsior itself isn't the best area, but it's not so bad, either. But some of the areas bordering it can be really bad... and even in the neighborhood itself, I wouldn't wanna walk down the wrong street at night.

SF is not considered a good city for a family, excelsior is no3 to no 4 worst area in the city, most residents are black and asian new immigrants.

If you want to good for your family, try peninsular area and san ramon valley in east bay.

It's a district of modest wealth by SF standards, but there is lots of home ownership and lots of children.

However, certain sections can be sketchy, crime-wise. And avoid the park at night.

I live in the Excelsior and have done so all my life. It has one of largest populations of families in SF. I believe it is safe, but stuff does happen as it does in the rest of the city. It's all about being proactive. Like anywhere you go, you have to watch your kids. Anything can happen anywhere.

All buses in the city are ify. I've seen more security on them in recent months. For younger kids, I'd advise them to sit near the driver. I take the buses everyday and have never had a problem or seen any major incidents. I go to park often too to walk my dog. It's cleaned up a lot in the past few years but I leave before sundown.

If you are looking to send your kids to public school here, I'll be honest and say many are not the best but check www.sfusd.edu for more info.

I really do love my neighborhood and couldn't imagine living anywhere else in the city. It has wonderful diversity and many families. These are the things quickly disappearing from the rest of San Francisco.