Ambiance
Walking through The Villas Parkmerced is a small escape from busy city life. The well-kept lawns and quiet sidewalks leave little room for blaring sirens or heavy traffic noise. The neighborhood in SF State’s backyard seems less inhabited by the hustle and bustle of a college.
Most of the residents at The Villas Parkmerced are surprisingly not SF State students. The neighborhood has many families with young children.
"When I first moved here there were more students living in the Villas, however since rents went up less students live here," said senior business management major, Erica Dill, 21.
Commute
Sitting in rush hour traffic, commuter students hope they don’t come in to class after the teacher calls attendance, or miss that quiz at the start of class.
Pulling up closer to campus SF State students try to figure out where to park. Not wanting to pay for the lot, many search the nearby Parkmerced neighborhood for parking.
That neighborhood is where Dill is most likely still asleep. Dill lives in The Villas Parkmerced, just a short walk from her classes.
"I don't have to get up too early and can pretty much roll out of bed and walk to class," says Dill.
Muni bus #17 has stops throughout The Villas Parkmerced neighborhood and ends its route at the West Portal Station. Muni M line has a stop at the top of the neighborhood at 19th Avenue at Holloway Avenue, which runs through the city and into downtown.
Convenience
Academically, living close to campus has its advantages.
"Living close to campus is great because when your study group is going to meet on campus you can get there quickly. You can also offer your place to study at since it is so close for everyone. And I have a library with computers and study rooms whenever I want," says Dill.
Satisfaction
But it may be difficult going to school and living within a few block radius.
"You live close to campus, and you're near all of the hoopla and what not of campus life, making your life almost entirely school related rather than developing the San Francisco city life you hear so much about," says senior Industrial Arts major Jeremy Borkat, 21.
“I know a few people in the Villas, but most of us restrict ourselves to Villas life. We party in the Villas, eat food near it, and live around it. The Villas kind of feels like an isolated community rather than an integral part of San Francisco," says Borkat.
The neighborhood is in the southern most part of the city away from a lot of activity.
"[The] down side of living close to campus is dealing with the time and effort to get into the city to visit the sights and eat at more variety of places," says sophomore Business Accounting major Andrea Johnston, 19.
In relation to SF State
Living so close to a campus of over 30,000 can make it difficult for The Villas Parkmerced residents.
"Parking is not so great, not like it is anywhere, but during school hours it's almost impossible to find a spot," says Borkat.
Cost
Students often share apartments with a few other students.
“I live with three other guys in a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom house,” says Borkat.
Rent varies from each unit, but Borkat pays $600/month and lives with other students in order to afford the $2756 rent for their unit.
“It's not so bad for my rent, but we'd be getting a lot more bang for our buck in the Sunset or Daly City,” says Borkat.
Recent Headlines
The Villas has been the target of recent legal troubles and resentment toward overpriced and illegal rents.
"We are one of the people in a lawsuit with the Villas over the illegal rent increase that took place about a year ago," says Dill.
Necessities
Laundry
Coin-operated laundry 1227 Taraval St. 759-8005
Gas Station
Gas, service and repair 1490 Ocean Ave. 526-0265
Groceries
Park Plaza Foods 111 Cambon Dr. (415) 587-7075
Dry Cleaning
Parkmerced Cleaners (415) 587-6882
47 Cambon Dr.
Men’s shirt: $13
Childcare
Montessori Children’s Center
80 Juan Bautista Circle
(415) 333-4410
Hair
Parkmerced Barber Shop
65 Cambon Dr.
(415) 334-5776
Men’s haircut: $25
Lee’s Hair Design
69 Cambon Dr.
(415) 334-5776
Women’s haircut and blow dry: $45
Shopping
Nearby Stonestown Galleria at Winston Dr. And 20th Ave. offers a large array of stores in apparel, home furnishing, specialties, and many food options.
Farmer’s Market
Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday from 10am until 2pm and offers many booths of fresh local fruits and vegatables. Live music and concession stands also are offered.
Recreation
Tennis & basketball courts
Both the tennis court and basketball courts are available at a fenced area on Font Blvd. at Arballo Dr.
Several playgrounds
Located throughout the neighborhood. One behind the tennis and basketball courts at Arballo Dr. and Pinto.
Lake Merced
Lake along the back of the neighborhood can be seen frequented by joggers and bicyclists. The area also has an easily accessible parking lot for people visiting from other neighborhoods.
Harding Park Golf Course
Located adjacent to Lake Merced
Juan Bautista Park
Located at the center of Juan Bautista Cir.
Know your Government
Representative on the Board of Supervisors: Sean Elsbernd 554-6516
Fire Station: Station 19: 90 Buckingham Way 558-3200
Police Station: Taraval 2345 24th Ave. 759-3100
Post Office: Parkside Station: 1800 Taraval St. 759-0150
Public Library: Merced 155 Winston Dr. 355-2825
Banks
Washington Mutual 926 Taraval St.753-3711
Bank of America 245 Winston Dr. (650) 615-4700
Wells Fargo 599 Buckingham Way 682-2424
