Avalon Park / Avalon Pines / Francisco Terrance, South San Francisco

Part of the greater South San Francisco, Avalon Park is a small, bland and middle-class community located smack dab in the middle of the San Francisco peninsula. The neighborhood is densely packed and bounded by El Camino Real, California Golf Club, Highway 280 and Northwood Drive. Its almost completely residential, with homes typically two-stories in size and plotted on a steep hillside. More specifically, houses have an old style look to them, but still maintain a sense of charm and quaintness. Yet, their closely packed along streets with shallow, grassy front yards.

Avalon Park’s shopping quarters are anything but glamorous. Its only commercial area is fitted along its eastern edges: Southwood and Brentwood Shopping Centers. They are small commercial areas that only host a few shabby neighborhood restaurants (i.e. pizza place and a boutiques) and a CVS Pharmacy. Most residents do their department store shopping a couple blocks down El Camino Real, considering it hosts a Target, a JC Penney and a century Theaters Multiplex. Avalon Park’s southerly neighbor is the large Golden Gate National Cemetery and the San Bruno Bart Station.

For young families, South San Francisco High School skirts the neighborhood’s eastern edge while Ponderosa Elementary School is located on Ponderosa Road. Both of which are considered above average schools across greatschools.org and other such review websites. And for outdoor recreation, California Golf Club lies directly north of the neighborhood. The private club offers 18-holes of golfing and was recently added in Golf Week’s Top 100 Classic courses.