Parkhaven / Southwood, South San Francisco

Parkhaven/Southwood is a flat, anonymous middle-class neighborhood set in the greater city of South San Francisco. It is bounded by the California Golf Course to the west, Ponderosa Road to the south, El Camino Real to the east and Westborough Boulevard to the north. The district is small and only encompasses a few neighborhood blocks. Most of which consist of dull, plain suburban aesthetics.

The typical homeowner has a small, rough-looking, one-story home (many look like little boxes). These homes lay ground to small, grassy front lawns and narrow driveways. Moreover, properties are squished together in neat little rows along quaint, orderly streets. Along Southwood Center, you can find a couple bland rental homes. For larger accommodations, head towards Knoll Circle (there are a few two-story homes there with larger front yards). Public parking along residential blocks is a bit of a hassle. Most residents comb the streets for parking considering their is no room in their tight-fitting driveways.

For your commercial needs, Southwood Shopping Center lies on the busy intersection of Ponderosa Road and El Camino Real, but doesn’t provide much worth except a CVS pharmacy and a couple unknown, rarely busy dining places. Most residents travel down El Camino Real to the commercial hub next to the San Bruno Bart Station. For young families, Ponderosa Elementary School is located directly south of the district while the South San Francisco Public Library is perched along West Orange Avenue.

Despite some setbacks with communications and troubles with certain internet companies maintaining a strong wireless signal the Southwood area is pretty decent. All neighborhoods in San Francisco and the surrounding cities are somewhat safe. There is not really any place that you can't walk at night and feel like you are in fear of your life. Southwood is a very safe area as far as the crime stats are concerned. People walk around at night all the time. I see girls and guys walking solo and sometimes together. The occasional petty mugging does happen which is usually from people that stray over from the North Peninsula neighborhood. My advice would be to carry a thing of pepper spray or something with you. The houses for the most part are very San Francisco-esque. By that I mean they are piled on top of each other and often times supported by stilts with a double garage attached. There are plenty of restaurants, big name brand companies and quiet parks in the Southwood area. This is a good area for people that are looking to retire or young couples.