The most ghetto parts of SF are Hunter's Point and Bayview. It is hard to end up in those neighborhoods unless you have a reason to go there (maybe to buy some

The most ghetto parts of SF are Hunter's Point and Bayview. It is hard to end up in those neighborhoods unless you have a reason to go there (maybe to buy some discount siding?) so I wouldn't worry about them. If you are looking to actually live in the hood, that is where to go. Now if you have to commute to your yuppie startup job from these places, it's going to suck, because the public transit to these areas sucks. The tenderloin is the most ghetto in the middle of the city. Personally I feel the danger in this area is overrated but it definitely seems sketchy. The 2nd sketchiest seeming part of the city is 6th and Market. It's like a zombie movie after midnight. In the city I had more trouble from roving bands of drunks looking for fights in North Beach than I have from either crazy people or muggers. I have been mugged in both Oakland and Berkeley near the Ashby stop. There are many more spaces where you can be walking around in the dark with nobody around in the East Bay. You generally need a credit report but the last 2 apartments I rented in SF, the landlord did not ask for one. If it is being rented "by owner" it is up in the air. If it is a management company they will usually want a credit report. If you have no credit report (like, you're from overseas) you can often get by if you pay for a number of months up front.