7.2 out of 10

Serramonte

Ranked 3rd best neighborhood in Daly City
37.6628494316005 -122.467155900684
Great for
  • Shopping Options
  • Eating Out
  • Neighborly Spirit
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Safe & Sound
Not great for
  • Pest Free
  • Cost of Living
  • Resale or Rental Value
  • Parking
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Singles
  • Retirees
  • Hipsters

Reviews

3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 3/5
  • Peace & Quiet 3/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 2/5
  • Shopping Options 5/5
2yrs+

"1970's small, boxy homes and Daly City's commercial haven"

Serramonte is not known for much. In fact, it is a model of middle-class transparency. The district is located directly south of San Francisco and within the lessor known Daly City. It is also situated along the San Francisco peninsula, with close proximity to both the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. However, the area is regularly foggy with misty (seaside) mornings.

Serramonte’s residential area is made up of little boxes on a hillside. Each house, for the exception of small house front designs here and there, is exactly the same as the one sitting directly next to it. They are typically boxy, well-groomed, two-story residences that sit on small, thin properties. Houses are clustered together in tight rows, situated on long, newly-paved streets that curve around the hillside. At the peak of some hills, you can get a panoramic views of the surrounding Daly City. And for nicer homes, they are predominately grouped around Callan Boulevard and towards the southwestern portion of the neighborhood.

Serramonte Shopping Center is one of Daly City’s largest commercial areas. It is located on the southern edge of the neighborhood and boasts everything from large department stores (like Target and JC Penney) to a couple smaller boutique stores. For your dining options, the shopping quarters also provides a couple chain restaurants and fast food joints (the typical commercial facilities you’d expect in a bland middle-class mall).

For commuters, residents typically take Interstate 280, which reaches up into busy downtown San Francisco. Other options include Daly City Bart and Colma Bart Station, which are both nestled at the north and south corners of Serramonte respectively. The neighborhood is also adjacent to a plethora of cemeteries in Colma. The district is eerily called “the city of the silent” because the number of dead drastically outweigh the number of the living.
Pros
  • Good For Commuting to SF
Cons
  • A Bit Out of the Way
  • Weak Nightlife
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Beach Lovers
4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 4/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 2/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 4/5
  • Shopping Options 5/5
  • Gym & Fitness 4/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 5/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"Boxy Homes, Box Stores and Underground Boxes"

If you like to shop until you drop, then you have definitely found heaven. Or at least a place to house your earthly remains after your orgy of materialism. With Colma’s graveyards just next door this is one neighborhood that can really offer you complete cradle to grave services.

All joking aside, Serramonte and its eponymous mall, has definitely become a destination for south SF residents looking for some retail therapy and good deals. The large suburban style mall has everything from a JC Penny and Macy’s to staple mall restaurants like the Elephant Bar and Outback Steakhouse. If you are into the big mall experience like it is 1985—then welcome to the Serramonte Center.

Serramonte is not just the mall, however. You may not know that the Chinese Cemetery, for example, is actually in Serramonte and not Colma.

Serramonte also has a fairly big residential area just to the south of the Serramonte Center. The area—filled with fairly nice boxy homes with ground floor garages and second story bay windows—has been really hit hard by the Foreclosure Crisis. Four of five homes in Serramonte are on the market due to foreclosure right now. (That might actually be a conservative estimate.)

The homes here are actually fairly nice—not jawdropping, but very solid for the most part. The majority date from the 1970’s and you can also find a number of condos up on the northeastern end of the neighborhood. With the median price being around $425K, they are relatively reasonably priced as well.

One of the benefits of this section of Daly City as well is that nearby El Camino High School is a really strong school with above average academics and programs. (Though you will want to make sure this will be the school your kids attend and not Daly City’s Jefferson High School whi is pretty terrible academically. )

Overall, this is probably the most family friendly neighborhood in Daly City.
Pros
  • Nice Homes
  • Good Schools
  • Good For Commuting to SF
Cons
  • A Bit Out of the Way
  • Weak Nightlife
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 4/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 4/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 4/5
  • Gym & Fitness 4/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 4/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 5/5
  • Medical Facilities 5/5
  • Schools 5/5
  • Childcare 5/5
2yrs+

"Chaotic Life In a Neighborhood City"

Serramonte is a great place to live especially if you love living in the heart of an vibrant and active city. Serramonte incorporates a lot of great neighborhoods which have access to plenty of shopping malls and the smaller strip malls with the mid size stores. The most prominent shopping center being the Serramonte Center which has over 130 stores. There are plenty of car dealerships, a main public library and other big named retailers. Interstate 280 passes through Serramonte which already adds to the chaotic traffic levels. During times like rush hours and certain times during the weekends, traffic can reach volume levels which can be frustrating at times. Houses in the area vary from the low 300,000 range towards the million dollar mark. The people that live in this neighborhood are definitely an active group of people who have become accustomed to the fast pace of life living in the city.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
3/5
2yrs+

"Shopaholics' Best Friend"

This is the best neighborhood for a shopaholic to live in. It has so department store, malls, shopping centers, and plazas. The houses here are big and spacious, and the streets are clean and organized here in this neighborhood. As for grocery shopping and food, there are many supermarkets and numerous restaurant in this area. I come here at least 3 or 4 times a month.
As for the transportation in this area, the most convenient would be cars and the second most convenient would be the BART. There is a third option of SamTrans buses, but I don't recommend them unless it's your last resort. I took the SamTrans buses from San Francisco to go to Daly City twice before, and they are both negative. The last bus from Serramonte back to San Francisco is around 5pm and if you miss that ride, the BART is the only resort home unless you find someone to pick you up, and that's what happen to me once. As for the second experience, I end up stranded in South San Francisco with 2 of my friends and didn't get home until 12AM.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees

Unranked Streets in Serramonte

Callan Blvd

2.5/5
"A Not Scary Cementery Road"
37.6625989139726 -122.471886978106

Hickey Blvd

2.5/5
"Watch Some Rappers Dance"
37.6640236123754 -122.467661435858

I-- 280

2.5/5
"Decent"
37.6672435413836 -122.465502550574

Serra Ln

2.5/5
"Sadly the Serramonte Neighborhood is Caught up in the Real Estate Crush. "
37.6606632448137 -122.465680297023

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