© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 94121
The
Richmond District, one of the largest residential neighborhoods in San
Francisco, is located just north of Golden Gate Park. Middle class housing,
considered a step-up address for first- and second-generation Americans. www.mccormacks.com
First residents included Russians,
refugees from the Revolution. Russian church with onion domes on Geary
Boulevard.
Just north
of Geary Boulevard is the small neighborhood of Seacliff, which is sometimes
included in descriptions of the Richmond District.
Click for regional or detailed map
Sea Cliff
sits on a high bluff overlooking the Golden Gate, not the bridge but the
entrance to San Francisco Bay. Spectacular views. And housing that often
follows such views: custom, large, beautiful. Lovely section of the city. Even
the homes without views are handsomely done. Drive Del Mar and Sea Cliff
Avenue.
Until
residents protested, tour operators routed their buses through Sea Cliff. These
buses now forbidden but the neighborhood still draws many visitors.
The
Richmond District has fairly modern condos near the ocean and the Great Highway
(shore road) but for the most part the neighborhood was built between 1900 and
1940 with most of the homes going up in the 1920s and 1930s. www.mccormacks.com
Designs
favored the single home, two and three stories, garage in front, directly below
the living room, which had a large view window. Row houses, no space between
them. Many exceptions to this pattern, including four- and five-story apartment
buildings.
Richmond
district looks a lot like the Sunset District, which was built about the same
time.
Many of the
homes have been remodeled and often include mother-in-law units.
The
Richmond district has its old families that spread across several generations
but in the jargon of city planners it is considered “transitional.” Newcomers,
often immigrants, start out in Chinatown or the Mission, make some money and
buy up in the Richmond District and then move to the suburbs.
History
sometimes repeats itself. The first Russian colony had just about disappeared
when it was revived by a second wave of Russian immigration in the 1990s. www.mccormacks.com
Streets
clean. Homes generally well-kept. Most the shops are located along Geary
Boulevard. Library. Police station.
Low in
crime but concerned about crime
and social conditions, especially in Golden Gate Park. Trying to help the
addicted avoid disease, health authorities gave them free hypodermic needles.
In 2007, big hullabaloo when it was revealed that addicts had taken to the
bushes, shot up and dropped needles all over the park. The cops were called out
to roust the homeless and a clean up was ordered.
About a
half dozen small parks but three giant parks that are the envy of the City:
• Golden
Gate Park, which has the city’s largest museum (recently rebuilt), a glass
house conservatory, a science museum, an aquarium, a golf course, a merry-go-round
and many fields. Very popular.
• Lincoln
Park, on the north side. Golf course, Palace of the Legion of Honor (art
museum), trails, great views of Golden Gate. www.mccormacks.com
•
Presidio. Old Army base converted into a park. Big and gorgeous; ocean views.
Several
ocean beaches, one stretching for miles. Fishing, swimming and surfing. Water
quite cold.
Restaurant
row along Clement Street, great variety of food. Also many restaurants along
Geary.
By no
means least, the University of San Francisco, one of the cultural ornaments of
the City, a large Catholic campus just east of Golden Gate Park.
The
drawbacks:
•
Congestion. More irritating than time consuming. The downtown and its jobs are
5 to 7 miles to the east and no matter how slow the traffic, 15 to 25 minutes will get you to the job. But at times, drive gets on nerves. Geary for the
most part is two lane and often double parkers and delivery trucks obstruct one
of the lanes. www.mccormacks.com
• Parking.
As they say in the pirate movies, arrrgggh! One of our researchers driving the
neighborhood in 2007 tried to lunch at a Clement Street restaurant. After cruising
the streets for 15 minutes, he gave up.
• Fog. If
you can’t take the summer sock in, which sometimes lasts for weeks, seek ye the
East Bay or beyond or a neighborhood sheltered by the hills.
Miscellaneous:
• Large
Kaiser medical center on east border.
• Transit
officials would like to dedicate one lane of Geary Boulevard to buses. Makes a
lot of sense, works great in Los Angeles, but has Richmond merchants worrying about congestion. To win their favor, the city is
hinting it might crack down on double parking.
• On the
ocean, the ruins of Sutro Baths, in its day the largest bath house in the
world. The owner, Adolf Sutro, built a rail line from the baths to the
downtown, opening the sand dunes to development. www.mccormacks.com
• Watch
the tides. Many cross currents. Dangerous!
• When
talking about the Richmond and Sunset Districts, City residents will sometimes
lump them as “The Avenues” because many of the North-South streets have avenue
names, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue, etc. East of Van Ness, toward the downtown,
the streets have street names, Post Street, Larkin Street, etc.
• During summer, Golden Gate Park is closed on Saturday to cars.
• Among new inhabitants, a family of coyotes in Golden Gate Park. Animal control, trying to be reassuring, said, avoid, don't feed, don't leave out small pets (yum! yum!) at night, bungee cord the garbage can. And don't worry. Residents not sure they like or want their new neighbors.
