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Every American city has rough parts (some more than others, including SF). There are definitely some very miserable and dangerous parts of San Francisco: Tender

Every American city has rough parts (some more than others, including SF). There are definitely some very miserable and dangerous parts of San Francisco: Tenderloin, SOMA, Civic Center. But as someone who has lived here a while, I think this narrative that it's nothing but homelessness and crime is misguided. If you go West of Van Ness, there are so many beautiful and lively neighborhoods. Haight Ashbury, Hayes Valley, North of Panhandle, Pacific Heights, Japantown, Castro, Golden Gate Park, Inner/Outer Sunset, Inner/Outer Richmond, etc. The problem is that tourists mostly see the bad parts, probably because they're most accessible by public transit. The northern-most Caltrain stop is not in a nice area for example. There's a reason it's so enormously expensive to live here: demand.

femiagbabiaka 5y ago
Yes. It’s honestly a shame that the most trafficked parts of SF are the most dangerous, I’ve always thought that the narratives about crime were overwhelmingly because of this.
bertjk 5y ago
Golden Gate Park? Only if you have something against intact car windows.
Damogran6 5y ago
But isn't it the parts that the tourists go to that set the tone for outside perceptions? It's got a chilling effect (I don't take mass transit to Downtown Denver, and I pay for my son to park on-campus at Metro, specifically due to similar crime happening on the light rail systems.)
scoofy 5y ago
Ehh... i live by the panhandle, and many of the common concerns are present here as well. People are just used to the idea of never leaving anything in their car, ever, and that smashed windows are just part of the costs of owning a car. I call 311 to report used needles laying on the sidewalk multiple times a year. My gf lives near Castro, and she got her rear window smashed (nothing stolen because nothing in the car), and had to clean up a pile of human shit on her lower stoop, both this year alone. I love SF, but I'm not one of those people who pretends this is normal. This biggest misconception is danger. It's a very safe city, that said, the anti-social behavior is really, really totally unbelievable to me. Only comparable to other west coast cities really.

femiagbabiaka 5y ago

Yes. It’s honestly a shame that the most trafficked parts of SF are the most dangerous, I’ve always thought that the narratives about crime were overwhelmingly because of this.

bertjk 5y ago

Golden Gate Park? Only if you have something against intact car windows.

Damogran6 5y ago

But isn't it the parts that the tourists go to that set the tone for outside perceptions? It's got a chilling effect (I don't take mass transit to Downtown Denver, and I pay for my son to park on-campus at Metro, specifically due to similar crime happening on the light rail systems.)

scoofy 5y ago

Ehh... i live by the panhandle, and many of the common concerns are present here as well. People are just used to the idea of never leaving anything in their car, ever, and that smashed windows are just part of the costs of owning a car. I call 311 to report used needles laying on the sidewalk multiple times a year. My gf lives near Castro, and she got her rear window smashed (nothing stolen because nothing in the car), and had to clean up a pile of human shit on her lower stoop, both this year alone. I love SF, but I'm not one of those people who pretends this is normal. This biggest misconception is danger. It's a very safe city, that said, the anti-social behavior is really, really totally unbelievable to me. Only comparable to other west coast cities really.