Pacifica
With mountains at your back and the ocean at your feet, Pacifica is the California
dream. The small, quiet community of about 40,000 is perched along Highway 1,
15 miles south of San Francisco.
Pacifica is a relatively young city, incorporating nine coastal communities in 1957.
The city a nice option for people who want to be close enough to San
Francisco or Silicon Valley (about 45 minutes to an hour south) to work and
are willing to put in some commute time and put up with the fog.
Surrounded by ocean and green hills, Pacifica is away from the city lights. The stars are visible, as are the outlines of Mount Tamalpais the
Farallon Islands and even the Golden Gate bridge.
Pacifica residents have a growth cap that keeps a good part of the area development-free.
Rockridge
Rockridge frequently makes it on the best places to live list among
neighborhood pundits'. Located in north Oakland, Rockridge mixes lovingly restored bungalows and cottages on verdant sidewalks
with a sunny and warm microclimate. Residents find an atmosphere of cafes,
gourmet restaurants, independent bookstores and antiques shops compelling,
too, as well as excellent access to public transportation.
Neighborhood Details
Cost of Housing
Large lots are often part of the appeal of the area. Though the homes here
are less charming than the Victorians of San Francisco or the Craftsman-style
houses of Oakland, there are some nice, early 1930 homes and some modern one-story,
Ranch-style
options that resemble angular, 1950s modern homes. A typical two-bedroom,
1,500-square-foot home built in the 1960s averages $490,000, but some larger
houses can be cheaper, depending on the location.
Rents are among the lowest in Bay Area beach towns. Small one-bedroom
apartments with a view go for as little $700. New condos with gourmet
kitchens and beach access can rent for $2,300 and up.
The Pacifica school district includes Oceana High School
and Terra Nova High School;
the latter boasts a dropout rate of less than one percent. Private schools
include the Alma Christian Academy.Skyline College is inland, to the east,
in adjacent San Bruno.
Entertainment
The community is big on activities due to trying commutes making it easy to
stay put in the tiny, isolated hamlet. The ocean, of course, is the main
draw. Surfers of the Pedro Point Surf Club and spectators converge at Rockaway
Beach at Quarry Cove, a couple miles south of Pacifica
on Highway 1. There's also fishing off Pacifica Pier. San Pedro Valley Park
offers picnic areas and barbecue pits to prepare meals. Ravenous appetites
are generated on the spidery network of hiking trails. The charming museum offers
nature displays. The Fitzgerald Marine
Reserve, home to deer, coyote, fox, raccoon and the rare mountain lion, as
well as golf courses are nearby. Other activities include bird and wildlife
watching, swimming, sunbathing, beach trekking and cycling as wells a skate
boarding the inline skating at the Pacifica Skatepark, one of the few in the
nation with an ocean view.
The Sanchez Art Center is home of the Art Guild of Pacifica's 19 artist
studios and a concert hall sponsored by the Pacifica Arts and Heritage
Council., Point Montara Lighthouse (and youth
hostel) and the Pacific Coast Fog Fest in mid-autumn.
From the Octopus Lounge in the Eureka Square Shopping Center to the Taco
Bell on Linda Mar Beach and Shopping Center, tiny Pacifica is big on
retail-for-everyone with three major shopping centers, two business business
districts and a host of smaller malls and shopping areas. The shopping styles
range from utilitarian to seaside resort kitsch.
Transportation
The BART (San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit) line doesn't go all
the way to Pacifica, so many residents drive 10 minutes to the first BART
station in , park and hop on the train for a
short ride into downtown San Francisco.
Only 15 miles away, the drive to San Francisco can take as few as 20
minutes when traffic is light on Highway 101 and Highway 1, however can take
as long as an hour when traffic is heavy.San Francisco International Airport is about 20
minutes away.
