Community pride runs high in this tight-knit, ethnically diverse neighborhood. Residents come together to participate in urban gardening programs, including the Quesada Gardens Initiative, or to create in collaborative arts spaces. The area is also home to San Francisco’s oldest theater, the Bayview Opera House, which offers free and low-cost after-school programs and film screenings to residents.

Recent redevelopment projects, such as landscaping and new street lamps, have spruced up the community’s appearance. You’ll find locally owned, progressive businesses in Bayview/Bayview Heights, too. Examples include the Flora Grubb Gardens, Four Barrel Coffee and Radio Africa & Kitchen. And now that the neighborhood has its own light rail station, it’s more connected to the rest of the city.