Parkhaven / Southwood

If you are into white picket fences, you will probably like Parkhaven. There are a fair number of homes here that actually have white picket fences. Of course, these homes are so old that it is likely that the white picket fences were there from back when white picket fences were on the cutting edge of front yard décor.

Unfortunately this doesn’t really feel like a quaint neighborhood. It has kind of a rundown feel to it. Like in many South SF neighborhoods, the homes here date from the 1950’s and are on the smaller side: less than 2000 sq. ft. usually.

Homes here sell for between $350K and $500k. (Recently one went for over $600K but that feels more like an outlier.)
Foreclosures account for about half the sales here. In a sign of the depth of the financial crisis, there is currently a stretch of Fairway Drive where a cluster of 5 homes are all on the market at the exact same time.

This is not a bad spot for renters, either, as there are some apartments in the area. A 2-bedroom here goes for about 2k/month, which is okay for Bay Area prices.

Schools are okay and crime is low as well, so this might be an acceptable neighborhood for smaller families looking for an affordable Peninsula location to live.

In addition to the usual suburban amenities that you can find nearby, the neighborhood is home to the local public library on its northern end, and the California Golf Course on its western end.

This is not the best neighborhood in South SF, but for some it may be good enough for now.

Parkhaven/Southwood is a flat, anonymous middle-class neighborhood set in the greater city of South San Francisco. It is bounded by the California Golf Course to the west, Ponderosa Road to the south, El Camino Real to the east and Westborough Boulevard to the north. The district is small and only encompasses a few neighborhood blocks. Most of which consist of dull, plain suburban aesthetics.

The typical homeowner has a small, rough-looking, one-story home (many look like little boxes). These homes lay ground to small, grassy front lawns and narrow driveways. Moreover, properties are squished together in neat little rows along quaint, orderly streets. Along Southwood Center, you can find a couple bland rental homes. For larger accommodations, head towards Knoll Circle (there are a few two-story homes there with larger front yards). Public parking along residential blocks is a bit of a hassle. Most residents comb the streets for parking considering their is no room in their tight-fitting driveways.

For your commercial needs, Southwood Shopping Center lies on the busy intersection of Ponderosa Road and El Camino Real, but doesn’t provide much worth except a CVS pharmacy and a couple unknown, rarely busy dining places. Most residents travel down El Camino Real to the commercial hub next to the San Bruno Bart Station. For young families, Ponderosa Elementary School is located directly south of the district while the South San Francisco Public Library is perched along West Orange Avenue.

Despite some setbacks with communications and troubles with certain internet companies maintaining a strong wireless signal the Southwood area is pretty decent. All neighborhoods in San Francisco and the surrounding cities are somewhat safe. There is not really any place that you can't walk at night and feel like you are in fear of your life. Southwood is a very safe area as far as the crime stats are concerned. People walk around at night all the time. I see girls and guys walking solo and sometimes together. The occasional petty mugging does happen which is usually from people that stray over from the North Peninsula neighborhood. My advice would be to carry a thing of pepper spray or something with you. The houses for the most part are very San Francisco-esque. By that I mean they are piled on top of each other and often times supported by stilts with a double garage attached. There are plenty of restaurants, big name brand companies and quiet parks in the Southwood area. This is a good area for people that are looking to retire or young couples.