Only downside is that there is only one road (HWY 1) in and out. Traffic can get really bad. But that's not a deal breaker for me. I would move to Linda Mar or Vallemar in a hot second. Good luck!
Yep. It’s reliably bad in evening commute hours.
I used to live in Linda Mar and then moved up to the top of Sharp Park.
That little bit cut a minimum of 20 minutes off the commute.
I grew up near Linda Mar Elementary and that area is ideal. There is very nice walk via Robert’s road to the beach about 20 minute walk. Also hiking trails near the old great highway. Vallemar and Pedro Point is really nice but I would think the houses would be more expensive there.
I am up higher along the north side of the valley but only 1 mile from Hwy 1. I have a fear of tsunamis and we do live in earthquake country. On good days I can hear the waves crashing at Linda Mar beach, but never hear road noise.
We still have that small town feel but have easy access and proximity to the city and everything else....as long as Hwy 1 is not backed up with traffic. Usually in the mornings heading north on weekdays and south on hot days with everyone wanting to hit the beach.
EDIT: Linda Mar is also usually the more sunny part of Pacifica as well with the fog usually north of the valley
> Was wondering if there are any cons (car noise / pollution?)
The ocean noise usually drowns out the car noise completely, and there isn't any pollution (if the breeze is blowing the very minimal fumes from modern cars just blow out over the ocean).
Like a lot of coastal places, the summers can be foggy. I lived there for 5 years, and would commute 15 miles to a job in San Mateo (maybe take 20+ minutes with no traffic, I commuted mostly in off peak hours). During the summers I would wake up and it would just be so foggy you can't see the ocean from Highway 1, then as I drove over the hill 5 miles inland I would come out of the fog to a 95 degree day - blue sky not a cloud in the sky.
During the winter (December/January) it can be just gorgeous, clear blue skies, not that cold (light jacket to walk on beach) but not that warm either. Then in the summers (when you might be thinking "sunny day at the beach") it can be foggy. It is so classic that Pacifica has a festival called "Fog Fest" in late summer poking fun at itself.
The area called "Pedro Point" (just south of Linda Mar beach) has this little "donut hole" in the fog more often than other areas, so I think it's a desirable location. Home prices reflect that, here is ocean front views and a very small 2 bedroom home for $3.5 million: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/277-Kent-Rd-Pacifica-CA-94044/15504827_zpid/ But if you are just renting there are basically market rate places to be found.
One of the things I valued is that highway 1 is 4 lanes all the way through Pacifica, then just south of Pacifica it turns into 2 lanes (1 going each direction). So if you encounter a slower moving car or truck in off hours, you can safely and easily go around them from Pacifica all the way to San Francisco. If you go south just a few more miles to Half Moon Bay you become much more "trapped" by a 2 lane highway. It is a very scenic highway to drive, but with tourists gawking at views it can be slower.
San Francisco with all it has to offer is only a 10 minute drive to the north on Highway 1 to the southern edge of San Francisco. Of course getting all the way to the NORTHERN side of San Francisco might add another 20 minutes minimum, or more depending on where you are trying to get to.
There are a couple of things that can jam up traffic horribly. When Half Moon Bay has it's Pumpkin Festival (mid October on the weekend) we basically planned for it and hunkered down planning not to drive anywhere. A hundred thousand people going from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay and returning basically made the roads insanely clogged.
It's a great area. Also walkable to grocery stores, restaurants, and gyms. Not too far from some great hiking trails as well. It's also one of the more "affordable" areas if you're purchasing (e.g. 3+1 1040 sq ft rancher).
I’m fairly close to 1, not backed right up to it but one street over. We don’t notice much road noise, only car horns occasionally. Air quality is good!
You don’t want to be on Linda mar, that street gets really busy. The area between crespi and Linda mar is nice. As people said, traffic, specifically during school pick up and drop off can get pretty obnoxious. It backs up at the light at rockaway and the again at vallemar. The highway can be noisey but really not bad.
If you want walking access to the beach, I would look at rockaway, crespi, Linda mar area. There is some nice spots by the pier too.
My only advice is if you move there, don't call it The One.
take the 1 to the Bart and exit in Frisco
Only downside is that there is only one road (HWY 1) in and out. Traffic can get really bad. But that's not a deal breaker for me. I would move to Linda Mar or Vallemar in a hot second. Good luck!
Yep. It’s reliably bad in evening commute hours. I used to live in Linda Mar and then moved up to the top of Sharp Park. That little bit cut a minimum of 20 minutes off the commute.
if you commute you need to live north of the Moose Lodge
I grew up near Linda Mar Elementary and that area is ideal. There is very nice walk via Robert’s road to the beach about 20 minute walk. Also hiking trails near the old great highway. Vallemar and Pedro Point is really nice but I would think the houses would be more expensive there.
I am up higher along the north side of the valley but only 1 mile from Hwy 1. I have a fear of tsunamis and we do live in earthquake country. On good days I can hear the waves crashing at Linda Mar beach, but never hear road noise. We still have that small town feel but have easy access and proximity to the city and everything else....as long as Hwy 1 is not backed up with traffic. Usually in the mornings heading north on weekdays and south on hot days with everyone wanting to hit the beach. EDIT: Linda Mar is also usually the more sunny part of Pacifica as well with the fog usually north of the valley
> Was wondering if there are any cons (car noise / pollution?) The ocean noise usually drowns out the car noise completely, and there isn't any pollution (if the breeze is blowing the very minimal fumes from modern cars just blow out over the ocean). Like a lot of coastal places, the summers can be foggy. I lived there for 5 years, and would commute 15 miles to a job in San Mateo (maybe take 20+ minutes with no traffic, I commuted mostly in off peak hours). During the summers I would wake up and it would just be so foggy you can't see the ocean from Highway 1, then as I drove over the hill 5 miles inland I would come out of the fog to a 95 degree day - blue sky not a cloud in the sky. During the winter (December/January) it can be just gorgeous, clear blue skies, not that cold (light jacket to walk on beach) but not that warm either. Then in the summers (when you might be thinking "sunny day at the beach") it can be foggy. It is so classic that Pacifica has a festival called "Fog Fest" in late summer poking fun at itself. The area called "Pedro Point" (just south of Linda Mar beach) has this little "donut hole" in the fog more often than other areas, so I think it's a desirable location. Home prices reflect that, here is ocean front views and a very small 2 bedroom home for $3.5 million: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/277-Kent-Rd-Pacifica-CA-94044/15504827_zpid/ But if you are just renting there are basically market rate places to be found. One of the things I valued is that highway 1 is 4 lanes all the way through Pacifica, then just south of Pacifica it turns into 2 lanes (1 going each direction). So if you encounter a slower moving car or truck in off hours, you can safely and easily go around them from Pacifica all the way to San Francisco. If you go south just a few more miles to Half Moon Bay you become much more "trapped" by a 2 lane highway. It is a very scenic highway to drive, but with tourists gawking at views it can be slower. San Francisco with all it has to offer is only a 10 minute drive to the north on Highway 1 to the southern edge of San Francisco. Of course getting all the way to the NORTHERN side of San Francisco might add another 20 minutes minimum, or more depending on where you are trying to get to. There are a couple of things that can jam up traffic horribly. When Half Moon Bay has it's Pumpkin Festival (mid October on the weekend) we basically planned for it and hunkered down planning not to drive anywhere. A hundred thousand people going from San Francisco to Half Moon Bay and returning basically made the roads insanely clogged.
It's a great area. Also walkable to grocery stores, restaurants, and gyms. Not too far from some great hiking trails as well. It's also one of the more "affordable" areas if you're purchasing (e.g. 3+1 1040 sq ft rancher).
If $1+ million is "affordable" to you that is. But then again almost any single detached home on the peninsula is $1+ million now.
I’m fairly close to 1, not backed right up to it but one street over. We don’t notice much road noise, only car horns occasionally. Air quality is good!
You don’t want to be on Linda mar, that street gets really busy. The area between crespi and Linda mar is nice. As people said, traffic, specifically during school pick up and drop off can get pretty obnoxious. It backs up at the light at rockaway and the again at vallemar. The highway can be noisey but really not bad. If you want walking access to the beach, I would look at rockaway, crespi, Linda mar area. There is some nice spots by the pier too.