Near North Beach, San Francisco, CA 10 Apartments for Rent

The oldest street and the oldest bar in San Francisco, Grant Street and the Saloon respectively, are located in North Beach and so is the oldest Italian restaurant in the whole of the USA.

Today Little Italy meets Chinatown in a neighborhood of rich history right in the heart of the city. North Beach is overflowing with colors, sounds, scents, flavors and amusements of all sorts. Vibrant nightlife, the best dining scene in San Francisco, quaint shopping offers and a spot in the heart of the city with good transportation to all other parts of town make it very alluring to rent an apartment in North Beach.

Prepare: Demand is just as high as prices in this much desired part of town. You will have to put in the extra effort to get ahead of the competition in every way possible. First off, get all of your paperwork sorted out well in advance and have it ready and tucked under your arm during the every viewing. References, credit check, IDs, anything else you might or might not need plus money ready to pay a deposit. Try to appear smart, confident and composed and you will impress the landlord. Show enthusiasm and commitment by telling them you have stable income and want to sign documents and pay deposits as soon as possible. Do your best and you can get an apartment in North Beach.

Picking a home: The architecture of North Beach is dominated by the quintessential San Franciscan building - the three-storey Victorian house. Offers in the area range from studios to three-bedroom apartments with a smattering of single-unit townhouses. The apartment complexes, among which is the luxurious Coit Tower, along the bay offer a contemporary and highly priced alternative to anyone looking for something a tad more modern and upscale. The oceanfront apartments in this area offer fantastic views of the bay area and the Golden Gate Bridge, which only adds to their appeal and increases both demand and rental prices. North Beach is a neighborhood so San Francisco, so you won't be finding any neighborhoods here.

Rental Prices: The good news is you have a plethora of choices as more than 80 percent of local properties are on the rental market. The bad news is that the prices are the highest in this neighborhood of altogether pricey San Francisco. The average-sized rental apartment comes at the heftiest price anywhere in the city, so if you really must live in the very throbbing heart of San Francisco then you'd better be prepared to splurge, splurge, splurge.

Ignore the crowds of tourists and commuters, the noise from the numerous local businesses and night venues that goes on well into wee hours and North Beach is easily one of the most exciting places to live in the city. There is a plethora of boutiques and entertainment galore, so many top-notch restaurants, cafes and delis that you can never stay hungry. Plus, you can easily get anywhere you want from North Beach via the MUNI.

Mouth-watering cuisine: Find an apartment locally and you will never have to cook. North Beach, home to Little Italy, has the highest concentration of authentic Italian restaurants, delis, bakeries and countless coffee shops. Legendary Fior d'Italia and the Stinking Rose, are institutions of excellent dining. Fior d'Italia, which bears the title of the oldest Italian restaurant in the country, has been serving clients since the 1800s. The area is also filled with many other places and Chinatown is also nearby so you can always sample the best of Eastern and Western cuisine. The coffee shop culture is just as vibrant and lively as anywhere else in San Francisco. The only problem will be finding an empty table on the weekend, but once you know your neighborhood you will figure a way around this.

Party till dawn: Beside the numerous dining offers, North Beach boasts a vibrant nightlife brimming with bars, nightclubs and venues where you can listen to live jazz music just as in the good olden days. What is more is that you will quickly get to know your neighbors, so there isn't much to worry about in terms of safety in this part of town.

The strategic location of North Beach right in the heart of the city and within close proximity from crucial areas such as Chinatown, the Financial District, Russian Hill and the Marina District makes it really easy to commute around town. Forget about driving or even owning a car though. Commuters and tourists make this impossible. North Beachers walk, cycle or use public transport. Plenty of buses and the cable car connect to virtually any part of the city. Trust MUNI or local taxis to get you all over town, yet if you absolutely must drive, get a residential parking permit, unless you can fork out for an overpriced private parking lot.

Soak the history: North Beach has been an Italian enclave as far as San Francisco history goes back and home to the oldest Italian restaurants this side of the Atlantic. Yankee's legend Joe DiMaggio lived here and wed Marilyn Monroe in front of St. Peter and Paul Church - today you can join the congregation or simply admire the women working out in the morning in front of this beautiful temple. Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti found inspiration while cradling cups and glasses at Caffe Trieste, which is still open for business today. You, too, might find inspiration at one of the local hangouts.