Car-Free Lifestyle (Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond: insurance, neighborhoods, living)

[Wes927]

Is it common for residents of SF to live without a car? Rely on public transportations and walking? Which neighborhoods are known for this?

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by Wes927

Is it common for residents of SF to live without a car?
Rely on public transportations and walking?
Which neighborhoods are known for this?

Well, I've lived in SF for many years, without a car for nearly all of it.
It's easy, because the stores I use are all within a few blocks of my building.
And there are several good (i.e. frequent service) bus lines going through my neighborhood.

Not every SF neighborhood is as convenient as mine. In general, the northeastern neighborhoods
of SF are denser and have more transit service than those on the west side. Btw, carfree living
isn't limited to SF... several people I know in the Oakland/Berkeley area don't own cars.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by Wes927

Is it common for residents of SF to live without a car? Rely on public transportations and walking? Which neighborhoods are known for this?

Particularly relative to the (expanded) downtown area, as with most major/dense cities, yes it is common. Parking and insurance can be too expensive for some, and it’s simply nonsensical to drive relative to the inconvenience/hassle of such. That said, many own cars if they can afford to do so (while having access to secure parking) and they regularly leave the City.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Wes927

Is it common for residents of SF to live without a car? Rely on public transportations and walking? Which neighborhoods are known for this?

A slight majority of people live with a car. However, you can easily live without one too.

Inner Richmond
Inner Sunset
Pacific Heights
Russian Hill
Nob Hill
North Beach
South Beach
Embarcadero

[mattja]

It's certainly easier for single people; much more difficult for families. But it limits your options in a big way.

My brother lived in the Lower Haight in the 1980s. His car was broken into weekly, but he used to say, "Yeah, it sucks. But I have a car!"

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by mattja

It's certainly easier for single people; much more difficult for families. But it limits your options in a big way.

My brother lived in the Lower Haight in the 1980s. His car was broken into weekly, but he used to say, "Yeah, it sucks. But I have a car!"

Good point, I would never live in SF without a car if I had young kids. Way too many weirdos on public transit there.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by mattja

It's certainly easier for single people; much more difficult for families. But it limits your options in a big way.

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Good point, I would never live in SF without a car if I had young kids. Way too many weirdos on public transit there.

Less than 18% of the households in SF have children (and they tend to be concentrated in a few neighborhoods, such as Bayview). Personally, I wouldn’t live in SF if I had kids; it’s the second-most densely-populated city in the US, and ‘weirdos’ are to be expected i.e. having a car doesn’t change anything.

[JWilliams45]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

Less than 18% of the households in SF have children (and they tend to be concentrated in a few neighborhoods, such as Bayview).

Don't leave out Noe Valley (aka Marin South)! NV is remarkably family-friendly.

While the neighborhood is not particularly diverse, NV residents like it that way.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by JWilliams45

Don't leave out Noe Valley (aka Marin South)! NV is remarkably family-friendly.

I didn’t ‘leave it out’; it simply wasn’t necessary to present a breakdown of ‘family-friendly’ neighborhoods to establish my point relative to the thread. That said, offhand I know Bayview, Presidio and Glen Park have the highest percentage of kids, as a whole. Noe Valley is a bit misleading since what kids there are, they tend to be babies/toddlers and more visible during the day than elsewhere.

To my point, though, I don’t consider any major city ‘family-friendly’ nor is public transit (or walking) avoidable. From my perspective, it’s a professional/childless lifestyle.