Moving to San Francisco

San Francisco is an area of diverse cultures, incredible weather and fantastic employment opportunities.

Located on the West Coast of the United States at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and within its boundaries are significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay with numerous islands such as Treasure Island, Alcatraz, Red Rock, Yerba Buena Island, Alameda Island and Angel Island.

San Francisco is famous for its more than 50 rolling hills within the city limits. Nob Hill, Pacific Heights and Russian Hill are neighborhoods that are named after some of them.

A pair of hills resting at one of the cities highest points and forms a popular overlook area called Twin Peaks draws many tourists annually. Mount Davidson is San Francisco's tallest hill, standing at 825 feet and is capped with a 103 foot cross built in 1934.

The weather in San Francisco is one with a mild year round climate without much of a variation in seasonal temperatures due to the cool currents of the Pacific Ocean.

The months May through October is San Fransisco's dry period with high temperatures anywhere between 64 to 71 degrees and the lows between 51 to 56 degrees.

November through April is San Francisco's rainy period with high temperatures in the low to mid 60's and lows in the high 40's. It rains about 20.5 inches annually which averages out to be about 67 days a year of precipitation.

The Northeast quadrant of the city is bordered by Market Street to the South in the historic center of San Francisco. The Financial District is centered with Union Square. Tourists can catch a cable car for a ride up the steep incline to the Summit of Nob Hill and down to Fisherman's Wharf.

There are different kinds of neighborhoods to live in within the city of San Francisco. Having some knowledge about each of the areas cultures, conveniences and safety can be helpful with determining which one you would like to call home.

You will find the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods to be ones which are family oriented with more homeowners than there are renters. If you will be commuting into the central heart of the city every day for work you should take into consideration that the Richmond and Sunset areas are the furthest away.

The Haight neighborhood is an alternative counter-culture area with a large population of former hippies. There are also some safety concerns to this area and the shopping centers ten to be heavy with pan handlers.

Chinatown of San Francisco is one of America's oldest and largest areas, drawing more annual visitors than the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Marina area is one of the more expensive neighborhoods with a large yuppie population. Many professionals who are newcomers to San Francisco seem to gravitate to this area, especially those in the IT fields.

The Cow Hollow neighborhood located west of Van Ness Avenue between Russian Hill and Presidio is one of San Francisco's most nostalgic areas. Cow Hollow borders the Marina District on one side and Pacific Heights on the opposite side.

The regeneration of the Cow Hollow neighborhood began in the 1950's. Today you will still find a number of showrooms and antique shops tucked away in small coves. Many of the old and restored Victorian homes have doll size patios or verandas.

Make sure you visit the Octagon House at the corner of Gough and Union Streets as it is a well preserved Cow Hollow heirloom. The house is open for public viewing every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Once a stable facing the Washerwoman's Lagoon in 1884 at 1851 Union Street is today a fine Italian eatery. Charleston Court, a cul-de-sac on the south side of Unions 1900 block was once a milk wagon loading yard and today is one of San Francisco's finest preserved areas.

Cow Hollow with its seven blocks off Union Street has numerous antique shops, handcrafted galleries, show rooms, book and gift shops as well as several eateries.

It is an area that is best to see on foot. To get there take the Number 45 bus heading west from Sacramento Street along Columbus Avenue in North Beach. Exit the bus at Union and Franklin Streets and walk heading west to ride the bus to Steiner Street. Then walk east after exiting the bus.

The Castro neighborhood is mainly concentrated in the business district of San Francisco on Castro Street from Market to 19th Street, then extending down Market Street towards Church Street on both sides of the Castro neighborhood from Church to Eureka Streets.

Castro Street runs south through Noe Valley, crossing the business district of 24th Street and ends a few blocks south of Glen Park Heights neighborhood. The Castro neighborhood is bordered by Corona Height, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks and Height-Ashbury areas.

Make sure you stop by to see the well known Castro Theatre which is San Fransisco's most notable feature. The theatre was built in 1922. Many historical events, marches and protests took place at the major intersection of 18th and Castro in the 1950 and 60's.

The mansion built in 1891 by Alfred Clarke on the corner of Douglass and Caselli Avenues is another notable feature you don't want to miss.

Many Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish people lived in the Castro area from 1910 to 1920.

The North Beach Neighborhood is adjacent to China Town, Fisherman's Wharf and Russian Hill. It is often referred to as Little Italy because of the areas large Italian American population in past years.

DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe resided in North Beach for a short time during their marriage. North Beach is well known for its night life district and population of young urban professionals.

The American Planning Association named North Beach as one of the ten great neighborhoods in the U.S.

The main intersection of North Beach is at Union and Columbus as well as the southwest corner of Washington Square, Vallejo Street and Grant Avenue. It is bounded by the former Barbary Coast which is now known as Jackson Square and the district south of Broadway, to Chinatown to the southwest of Columbus and below Grant Street, Telegraph Hill to the east and Fisherman's Wharf to the north at Bay Street.

The San Francisco Art Institute is located at the north end of North Beach on Russian Hill.

Apartments at Lake Merced: 515 John Muir Drive, San Francisco, CA. 94132. Their telephone number is: 1-877-307-5116.

One bedroom start at $1,299 to $1,895. Two bedrooms with one bathroom start at $1875 to $2275 and two bedrooms with two bathrooms start at $1899 to $2525. The units are 540 to 1115 square feet in size.

The apartment's have contemporary interiors for a elegant lifestyle with spectacular lake and golf course views. Features include: Free garage parking, dishwasher, garbage disposal, spacious walk-in closets, cable television available, high-speed Internet access available, frost-free refrigerators, wall-to-wall carpeting, private patio / balcony and cats are allowed.

Amenities: Heated swimming pool, spa / hot tub, lighted tennis court, racket ball courts, fitness center with dry saunas, steam room and fully equipped gym, gas BBQ and picnic area, on-site laundry facilities and dry cleaning, playground, gated entrance, elevators, clubhouse and large grass areas.

Edgewater: 355 Berry Street, San Francisco, CA. 94158 in the Mission Bay area. Their telephone number is: 415-912-1215.

Studios, one and two bedroom apartment homes with a premiere address. Located just blocks from AT&T and just minutes from the 101 and 280 freeways. Edgewater apartment's feature bright and spacious floor plans with wonderful views of the Bay. Amenities include: State-of-the-art fitness center, courtyard and placid promenade. Rental rates start at $540.00 to $1,240 per month.

Avalon at Nob Hill: 965 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA. 94109. Located in the downtown, lower Nob Hill area. Their telephone number is: 415-813-4941.

Avalon at Nob Hill is a fabulous downtown location with apartments offering vibrant landscaped gardens and courtyards with redwood seating areas and park benches.

Studios range in size from 371 to 441 square feet and start at $1,811 to $2,300 per month. One bedrooms range in size from 528 to 842 square feet and start at $2,212 to $2,982 per month. Two bedrooms with two baths range in size from 866 to 929 square feet and start at $3,118 to $4,023 per month.

North Point Vistas: 2351 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94133. Their telephone number is: 415-992-7166.

North Point Vistas apartment community is located in the North Beach area and is close to the Financial District, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 and AT&T Park.

The views are stunning of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay and Russian Hill.

A studio apartment home starts at $1,895 to $2,800 and one bedroom's start at $2,100 to $3,890.

Amenities include: Cable ready, dishwasher, elevator, microwave, new/renovated interior's, over-sized closets, some with paid utilities, vaulted ceilings, covered parking, extra storage, fitness center, garage, gated access, high speed Internet access, laundry facility and public transportation.

Furnished apartments are available. Dogs under 30 pounds are allowed and short term lease's are available.

The dot-com boom that nearby Silicon Valley experienced in recent years as well as in the heart of San Francisco created a high standard of living in the city, attracting many white collar workers from all over the globe.

The property values and household incomes have risen to be one of the highest in the nation creating a large and upscale retail, restaurant and entertainment scene.

According to a 2008 quality of life survey of global cities, San Francisco has the second highest quality of living of any United States city.

The Museum of Modern Art houses contemporary and 20th century works of art. It now attracts more than 600,000 annual visitors after being moved to its current location in the South of Market neighborhood in 1995.

The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum which also hosts the Steinhart Aquarium. The longest major professional sports franchise in San Francisco is the 49er's where they play football at the A T & T Park. The Giants also play at the park which opened its doors the mid-part of 2000.

San Francisco has ample resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory recreation and sports with its ideal climate for outdoor activities as there are over 200 miles of bicycle paths and lanes throughout the city limits.

For those interested in outdoor skating, the Embarcadero and Marina Green are favorite spots for skateboarders. Residents in San Francisco are among the fittest according to a recent University study.

The Golden Gate Park and Dolores Park have numerous tennis courts opened to the public. Boating, windsurfing, kite-surfing and sailing are among the most popular activities on San Francisco Bay. The Marina District is an excellent choice for docking any water craft you may own and is worth checking out.

Located on the Main Post in San Francisco's Presidio is the inspiring and fascinating story of Walt Disney that's been brought to life through animation, interactive exhibits, music, movies and much more. There is also a gift shop and nice cafe.

Hours of operation are: Wednesday through Monday 10a.m. - 6p.m. Admission for adults is $20.00, seniors are $15.00 and students ages 6 - 17 are $12.00. Children under six years of age are admitted free.

The museum is located at The Presidio, 104 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA. 94129. Their telephone number is: 415-345-6800. You can also access their web-site at: http://www.waltdisney.org.

At San Francisco's only waterfront aquarium there are over 20,000 interesting marine animals to see as you take a walk through the 300 feet of crystal clear tunnels. There are opportunities to touch sting rays and sharks.

It is located at Pier 39 on the Embarcadero at Beach Street. Their telephone number is: 415-623-5300. You can also access their web-site at: http://www.aquariumofthebay.org.

San Francisco State University is located near Lake Merced and is part of the California State University system. The school awards undergraduate and master's degrees in more than 100 disciplines and enrolls 30,000 students annually.

The City College of San Francisco is one of the largest two year community colleges in the country with its main campus in the Ingleside District. The college enrolls about 100,000 students each year and offers a large selection of continuing education programs.

The University of San Francisco is a private university that is situated on Lone Mountain and is one of the oldest west of the Mississippi River.

Golden Gate University is a private and coeducational establishment located in the Financial District. The institutions main focus is on professional training in business and law.

The Academy of Art University is the largest institution of art and design in the nation with an enrollment of 13,000 students annually.

The California Culinary Academy offers programs in culinary arts, hospitality and restaurant management, baking and pastry arts and is also associated with the Le Cordon Bleu program.

Elementary Schools

The oldest public high school in the U.S. west of the Mississippi is Lowell High School in San Francisco. The School of the Arts is a San Francisco high school and is a magnet for secondary educational levels.