Tyler,
It is really up to you where and when you feel safe. You can only know by going tot he area on different days and times. You could feel safe and me as a 56 year old man with bad knees wouldn't.
Dogpatch is a really cool part of San Francisco. There are some really good resturants there now and more coming. It is so close to the Mission Bay biotech ans UCSF developmnets that it can't help but become better.
Not so long ago it was very different. Very little housing, what there was wasn't always showing pride of ownership. Lots of warehouses, heavy industry and it was the location of the lsat two ship builders in SF. It still is the location of a drydock facility. Pretty cool to see one of the big luxury liners sitting there. Historically it was the area where the slaughterhouses and tanning factories were.
Now it has some of the nicest retrofit residential buildings like Esprit Park which will house a new destination resturant from the owners of A16 on Chestnut St. Shopping will be done at the Safeway across Mission Creek or at the Whole Foods on Potrero. You can cross 280 on 18th or 20th and get to the Whole Foods and all the resturants, coffee shops, book stores along 18th.
One the Mission Bay development is complete and the areas beyond Dogpatch are redeveloped Dogpatch will be a very different area than it is now.

Hi, Tyler.

"Safe" means different things to different people. I tell the buyers I'm working with to visit the nighborhood they're interested in at different times of day and night and on different days of the week to get a sense of it. Also, for statistics, you can go to the sfpd website and search on a particular area. This link will take you to the beginning of the interface; just follow the prompts.

http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=23813

As for stores, the Whole Foods is located at 17th and Rhode Island, and a huge Safeway is at 16th and Potrero. There's also the Safeway by the ballpark. Many of the condos and lofts in the area have in-unit or in building laundry.

Drop me a line if you have any additional questions! My contact information is listed on my website.

Libby Kelly-McMahon
Herth Real Estate