Places to Live: San Francisco

San Francisco is a city of fog and hills, natural beauty and manmade marvels. And it's also one of the most booming and exciting real estate centers in the country.

Depending on the source, including DataQuick Information Systems, Trulia, and more, median sales prices for the Bay Area currently range from over $600,000 to $840,000. Typical monthly mortgages in the Bay Area run around $2900.

These high prices reflect a very high standard of living within San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. It has one of the highest median household incomes and the highest property values in the country. Tourism is booming in this area of the United States, and accounts for a major portion of the region's economy.

But despite high prices and standard of living, many people can't wait to sign up. San Francisco itself has approximately 800,000 people. The greater San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland metro area has approximately 7 million people, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the country. The city has a highly diverse population, with nearly 31 percent of the population Asian-American (principally Chinese) and additional large populations of Hispanics, African-Americans and other immigrant groups such as Russians. The city also is home to the highest percentage of same-sex households in the country.

The city benefits from California's Mediterranean climate, but surrounded on three sides and highly influenced by the Pacific Ocean's cool currents, the city has a very mild climate with little temperature variation. Fog is a constant fixture due to the mix of water and California climate. ERATE provides access to current California loan rates.

Mild and enjoyable weather means outdoor activities are popular here in the Bay Area, and the Golden Gate Park is the highlight. A massive urban oasis bigger than New York's Central Park, the park offers fields, trails, museums, and even wild bison. The park is named after the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most famous bridges in the world. Although the bridge is actually red-orange and not golden, it remains a major and popular thoroughfare in and out of the city.

Speaking of transportation, the city has many public options. From the famous cable cars and trolleys to regular busses, residents and visitors have plenty of options to get from place to place. Regional transportation is provided by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and other agencies. The city's unique geography made a large network of freeways impractical; thus the city is one of the few that have European-style arterial thoroughfares. The roads also stand up better to earthquakes, a common occurrence as the city is located near two main fault lines.

A look at some of the city's neighborhoods illustrates further the area's attraction for residents and tourists alike.

• Financial District/Union Square/Nob Hill: The California Gold Rush turned the city into the principal banking and finance center of the west coast, and the financial district is its epicenter. Union Square caters to the wealth with extensive shopping and hotels, and Nob Hill was once the home of the city's most successful business leaders.

• Russian Hill: A residential neighborhood near the city's historic center and one of many neighborhoods named for the massive and tiring hills throughout the city. It is also home to one of the windiest streets in the country, Lombard Street.

• Chinatown: The center of Chinese-American life in the city and country. Now highly touristy, various "New Chinatowns" have sprouted up over the city.

• Mission District/Haight-Ashbury/Castro: Working-class, bohemian, gay - all these areas boast unique populations and offerings. In recent years they have become heavily gentrified, but still show some local flavor. The Castro is the site of the world's most well-known Pride Parade.

• Beaches and Wharfs: Neighborhoods like Ocean Beach and Baker Beach are picturesque and neighborly, although swimming is not always safe in beach neighborhoods due to rip currents. The Fisherman's Wharf, near downtown, is a place to eat, watch sea lions, and catch a ferry to the famous Alcatraz Island.

World-class museums, sports, and cultural institutions are also part of the San Francisco scene. And if the city itself isn't enough, the Bay Area is easily accessible to Napa Valley, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Yosemite National Park, and more.

To learn more about San Francisco living and visiting, click on the following links:

OnlyinSanFrancisco.com
SanFrancisco.citysearch.com

ERATE provides home loans for properties located in San Francisco: