© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 94134
Bedroom
neighborhood on southern border, east of McLaren Park. About 16,000 residents.
Named by Franciscans in 1777 when they sighted the valley on the Feast of the
Visitation. Also called "Vis Valley." www.mccormacks.com
Historically, a transitional
neighborhood for immigrants or people on the way up from some of the poorer
sections and it still seems to be following that path. In recent years, Vis
Valley has attracted many Asian and Pacific-Island immigrants and because of
rising home prices become more middle class.
Click for regional or detailed map
Younger
working-class people are buying older rental homes, remodeling and occupying
them. Single homes, row on row. Stucco. Living room over the garage, a common
pattern in San Francisco. Zero side yards.
Near the
county line, off Geneva Street, you’ll find townhouses and apartments. In 2005,
more housing was added, about 100 apartments.
Neighborhood
that requires map. Many streets deadend at McLaren Park or Highway 101.
Visitacion
Valley had two public housing projects: Sunnydale and Geneva Towers. The
latter, a complex of 20-story buildings, was notorious for crime. In 1998, it
was dynamited and replaced with apartment complexes. A police substation was
opened in Sunnydale project, in a community center. www.mccormacks.com
Police and
social agencies keep a close watch on Sunnydale and other public complexes and
it was hoped that this attention and the new housing would greatly reduce crime.
For a few
years, incidents were down but in recent years they have crept up, despite
extra efforts by the city. The projects are somewhat removed from most of
Visitacion Valley but wariness is called for. This is a situation where
incidents will vary sharply within a few blocks.
Shopping
done at small stores, many family owned. Views from some hill locations.
In 2005,
work began on a two-year project to spruce up the neighborhood by planting
flowers and shrubs in median strips and gardens in empty lots, installing
benches and streetlights, and redesigning traffic lanes to make the streets
safer. The hope is to attract more businesses, elevate the morale of residents
and discourage crime.
Buses to
downtown. You can pick up BART a few miles east, on Geneva, and Caltrain (to
downtown and SFO) near Highway 101. Short drive to downtown and to airport, one
of the biggest employers on the Peninsula. Candlestick Park, home field of the
Forty Niners, is located east of Highway 101. www.mccormacks.com
Cow
Palace, which hosts sporting and recreational events, is just across the border
in Daly City.
McLaren
Park, which has a golf course, is one of the biggest in the City. Vis Valley
has added a skate park for the kids.
When money
is available, the City intends to replace the older public apartments.
