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District 1 - Northwest |
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Postcard scenery and world-class recreation are a matter of course in the Richmond. You’re never more than a San Francisco minute from a hike at Land’s End, a walk with the dog at Ocean or Baker Beach, a stroll through exhibits at the De Young Museum, or dinner at the landmark Cliff House restaurant.
• The Inner, Outer, and Central Richmond neighborhoods are bisected by the east-west Geary business corridor, where the area’s diverse population abounds. Russian bakeries, Middle Eastern delis, Irish bars and French restaurants are filled with families, young urban professionals and students from the nearby University of San Francisco on Lone Mountain. As the Asian population has grown and Clement Street exploded with dim sum houses and Chinese restaurants, the district has been nicknamed "Chinatown West".
• The Jordan Park neighborhood consists of mostly single family homes and offers coveted views, excellent transportation and easy access to shopping and dining.
• Laurel Heights is a soccer mom’s haven, an upscale mix of apartment buildings and large homes in a sunny setting. Laurel Heights Village on California Street is a favorite shopping area for all ages with its coffee shops, supermarket, bakery, kitchenware and clothing stores. Second-hand shops, antique stores, and boutiques can be found on nearby Sacramento Street.
• The Lake Street neighborhood boasts easy access to the Presidio Golf Course, as well as the tennis courts, basketball hoops, duck pond, and children’s playgrounds of Mountain Lake Park. Many of the area’s Edwardian-style single family homes, flats and apartments have been renovated. Parking is comparatively easy. Shopping and dining are just minutes away at California or Clement streets.
• Sea Cliff is one of the most picturesque and desirable residential areas in the country. Spanish architecture dominates these magnificent homes, perched on the cliffs just east of the Golden Gate Bridge. Lincoln Park borders the neighborhood on the west along with, at its highest point, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor museum, home of Rodin’s "The Thinker".
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Disrtict 2 - Central East |
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These ethnically diverse neighborhoods, originally settled by Irish families migrating from downtown, and in recent years by Asian-Americans and Russian immigrants, are bordered by the zoo on the south, Ocean Beach and the Great Highway on the west, and Golden Gate Park on the north. The progressive UCSF Medical School, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and world-class exhibits at the Asian Art Museum and Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens contribute to the district’s rich cultural heritage.
• Golden Gate Heights rise above the vast, relatively flat terrain of the Sunset and offers stunning, panoramic views of the city. Pastoral, foggy, and remote, Golden Gate Heights Park is worth the uphill climb for a quiet game of tennis or an afternoon at the playground. Parking is plentiful and the workday commute to downtown is effortless.
• An interesting mix of families, retirees and students from San Francisco State University reside in the row houses of the Parkside neighborhoods. The Stonestown Galleria mall is minutes away.
• The Outer, Central and Inner Sunset areas constitute a suburb within the City with tidy streets, excellent schools, and family-owned businesses. With a population of about 40,000, the Inner Sunset maintains a low profile with its mellow atmosphere and somewhat exaggerated reputation for fogginess. The Outer Sunset, home to an additional 65,000 residents, is a great place to have a drink in one of many cozy Irish pubs or to watch the local surfers at Ocean Beach.
Shopping is plentiful on Noriega Street from 19th Avenue to the beach, Taraval Street from Forest Hills to the beach, and Judah and Irving streets. Life in the Sunset isn’t complete without at least one family outing to a free summertime concert at beautiful Stern Grove, a natural amphitheater in the midst of a 33-acre public park.
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District 3: Southwest |
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Lake Merced’s fresh water supply keeps the Harding Park Municipal Golf Course’s fairways green and its marshy shores attract a wide variety of birds. You can rent a boat at the Lake Merced Sports Center or join the ever-present throng of young and old taking advantage of the lake’s excellent fishing. The 700-acre Harding Park surrounding the lake offers picnic areas and hiking and bike trails. This district includes plentiful parking, detached, single family houses, middle-to-upper-middle income families, the San Francisco Country Club, and the San Francisco City College.
• The Lakeshore area around Lake Merced was developed just before and after World War II as a "model community," complete with single family houses, apartments and townhouses. Like Park Merced, the real estate was state-of-the-art when built. A quick walk west from the lake to Fort Funston shows you what most of San Francisco looked like before it was developed: vast sand dunes with a few sturdy flowers and trees dotting the landscape.
• Basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts abound in friendly, family-oriented Merced Heights and Ocean View.
• The Pine Lake Park enclave of upscale family residences is adjacent to Stern Grove. The park itself, at 19th and Sloat, has picnic and playground areas.
• Most homes in the Ingleside neighborhood were built between 1900 and 1940. A variety of local restaurants and shopping areas are located on Ocean and Sloat Avenues.
• Stonestown Galleria, a full-service, enclosed mall on 19th Avenue, is the centerpiece of the Stonestown area. This neighborhood was developed by brothers Henry and Ellis Stoneson, at the same time as nearby San Francisco State University.
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District 4: Twin Peaks West |
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Under the Tuscan Sun, is now renovating another house — this time in San Francisco’s St. Francis Wood. In a recent San Francisco Examiner article, Mayes says St. Francis Woods’ Spanish style architecture makes her "feel a little more connected with the Mediterranean." An assortment of little villages make up this district west of Twin Peaks, which was fairly inaccessible until the Twin Peaks Tunnel was completed in 1918. Before it was subdivided and developed, most of the land was originally part of the Rancho San Miguel owned by Jose Noe, San Francisco’s last Mexican mayor.
• Popular among young families, students, artists and professionals, Diamond Heights offers sunshine and total panoramic views of downtown, the bay and the ocean from its hillside perch. Built mostly in the 1960’s, this area offers a nice selection of relatively affordable mid-century single family homes, apartments and condos. Shopping and restaurants are located at the Diamond Heights Shopping Center and in nearby Noe Valley.
• Forest Hill’s lush landscaping, curving lanes and thousands of trees make it a highly desirable residential area. Most of the large, detached Arts and Crafts, Edwardian, and Mediterranean style houses, built in the early 1900’s, have ample yards. Noted architect Bernard Maybeck designed several Forest Hill residences as well as the Forest Hill Clubhouse, available to rent for weddings and other special occasions.
• Ingleside Terrace climbs the sloping hills near the Pacific and feature great views of San Bruno Mountain and Mt. Davidson, as well as more sun than many oceanside neighborhoods. Don’t miss the 34-foot sundial at the gateway to Ingleside Terrace. The homes in this family friendly neighborhood have front and back yards as well as decent parking and easy access to MUNI and BART.
• St. Francis Wood is an enclave of more than 500 lovely homes with styles ranging from French Country to Georgian. Beaux Arts architect John Galen Howard designed the fountain in the plaza on St. Francis Blvd and the entry gates at St. Francis and Portola Drive.
• The highest hill in the City, 927-foot Mount Davidson, is surrounded by several tiny neighborhoods, including Sherwood Forest, Westwood Heights, Westwood Park, Mount Davidson Manor and Miraloma Park. The 103-foot concrete Mt. Davidson cross, dedicated in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, has been the subject of church vs. state controversy for years. Follow the Mt. Davidson Stairway Walk to explore this forest of eucalyptus, cypress and pines interspersed with a variety of homes, from modest stuccos to elaborate ranch styles. From your vantage points along the stairway walk, you can spot the shops and restaurants of West Portal and the homes on San Bruno Mountain.
• West Portal, named for its location at the west entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel at the foot of Mt. Davidson, is a sedate residential neighborhood with businesses dating back to the 1920’s. Today, the merchants of tree-lined West Portal Avenue provide the entire district with a vast array of goods and services. West Portal combines a small town atmosphere with new upscale businesses catering to the influx of young residents.
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District 5: Central |
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World famous since the Summer of Love, Haight Street walks a fine line between being a quasi-commercial ’60s theme park and a socially responsible historical institution. Frequented by the pierced, tattooed and oppressed, Haight Street’s independent bookstores, record shops and cafes still thrive. South of Haight Street is Buena Vista Park, the Upper Haight and the charming enclave of Cole Valley. Originally built for the commercially successful of the late 1800’s, the stately homes in these neighborhoods are once again occupied by San Francisco’s more affluent citizens.
• Noe Valley has become one of the City’s most coveted residential areas in the past few years. Artists, students, techies and urban families have fallen in love with its charming cafes and convenient location to the 101 and 280 freeways, as well as to downtown San Francisco. The 24th street area is a haven of locally-owned shoe stores, book shops, and pubs and the Noe Valley Ministry is a popular venue for folk and world music.
• The lucky residents of the villas along the summits of the two 900-foot Twin Peaks are blessed with a spectacular view, as are most of the single family homes and apartment buildings on the slopes.
• Glen Park, an upper middle-class neighborhood situated on the hills below Diamond Heights and south of Noe Valley, is slightly more affordable than Noe Valley and includes homes with wonderful bay views.
• The Ashbury Heights area above the Haight, including Cole Valley, features revitalized Victorians nestled in homey neighborhoods with mom-and-pop cafes and shops. Joggers in Buena Vista Park on a nearby wooded hill can look down on quaint flats and baroque mansions.
• Rainbow pride flags flutter from the streetlamps and windows of the Castro District, the heart of San Francisco’s gay and lesbian community. In addition to the ubiquitous same sex couples, many with children, you’ll also find many of the same folks who populate the rest of the city. Castro Street, named after Mexican landowner Jose Castro, began as part of Eureka Valley, a working class community of dairy farms, bakeries, bars, and churches.
During World War II, many military personnel were dishonorably discharged in the Bay Area for their sexual orientation. They sought refuge in San Francisco, known for its tolerance and diversity since the Gold Rush days. Beginning in the ’60s and 70s, well-educated, middle-class white gay men were drawn to the Victorian architecture of the Castro and 18th Street area of Eureka Valley. A district and a social movement were born, and the Castro hasn’t been the same since.
• Mission Dolores, the oldest structure in the city, dates from 1776 and was established by Spanish Franciscans as one of 21 missions, each about a day’s journey apart, on the California coast. Not far from the Mission is Dolores Park, where rebellion is the rule: dogs are allowed to run without leashes, people have been known to run (or sun) without clothes, and many a protest march has begun or finished at this popular gathering spot.
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District 6: Central North |
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Anza Vista’s well-maintained single family houses and apartments date from the 1930s and ’40s. Next door, Alamo Square is famous for its picturesque Victorians and home to several historical buildings, including the Catholic Archbishops’ Mansion (now a bed and breakfast) and the Imperial Russian Consulate. Alamo Square Park offers exquisite views of the City.
• U.S. Heavyweight Champion (1892-97) Gentleman Jim Corbett grew up in Hayes Valley, a quaint neighborhood near downtown between Franklin and Divisadero. After years of decline, Hayes Valley was reborn when the earthquake damaged 101 Freeway was removed. Hayes Street is the heart of the area and many of the people who work in its culturally diverse art galleries, restaurants and designer clothing stores live here as well.
• The Lower Pacific Heights area, often still referred to as part of the Fillmore or Western Addition, also includes Japantown. Redevelopment in the ’60s and ’70s made this neighborhood a thriving residential and business center with a diverse urban population. Restored Victorians on Pine Street, new condos on Fillmore, and upscale apartments on California are among the housing options. Japantown, an enclave originally settled by Japanese immigrants after the 1906 quake, offers countless attractions for tourists and locals alike. Communal Japanese baths, flower arranging and martial arts are just some of the cultural activities available. Eat in one of many Japanese restaurants, shop for treasures at the Japan Center Mall or catch the latest flick at the Kabuki movie theatre.
• The Western Addition, also known as the Fillmore district, was developed in the 1800s when the City began to grow beyond Van Ness Avenue. Music defined this neighborhood ever since Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday played and sang at the jazz and blues clubs along Fillmore Street. The Fillmore auditorium dominated San Francisco’s psychedelic music scene in the 1960s and continues to host new and old acts alike. The legendary John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom Room keeps the blues alive, aided by several jazz and hip hop clubs. A wealth of African American churches and community organizations look after this family-oriented neighborhood’s spiritual needs.
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Disrtict 7: North |
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• Today’s Marina district was underwater until the area was built up with landfill for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. The dramatic Palace of Fine Arts, designed by architect Bernard Maybeck as "a valentine for San Francisco," is the exposition’s only remaining structure. Originally made of plaster, the city rebuilt the Palace with permanent materials and it now houses the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum for children of all ages. The Mediterranean style flats and apartments of the Marina are home to mostly young, affluent professionals. The singles scene is world-renowned and includes not only the trendy bars and restaurants on Chestnut Street, but also the Marina Green jogging paths along the waterfront and even the Marina Safeway. Residences range from gorgeous, turn-of-the-century Victorians and Edwardians to brand new homes, with lots of renovated flats, condos and apartments.
• The dairy farms and vegetable gardens of Cow Hollow helped feed the remote city of San Francisco back in the 1800s. These days the cows are gone, replaced by a growing populace of successful young families and singles. Union Street’s singles scene rivals that of nearby Chestnut Street; its popular bars and restaurants are overflowing most evenings. Don’t even think about finding a parking place after 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both Chestnut and Union also offer some of the City’s best shopping, with numerous upscale chains and one-of-a-kind boutiques.
• It’s no mystery why the richest and most influential San Franciscans built their grand estates in Pacific Heights (and Presidio Heights to the west) as soon as the cable car lines were completed. The view of the Bay is unparalleled, with postcard vistas in every direction: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the East Bay in the distance. Pacific Heights also lays claim to a number of foreign consulates, including Italian, Russian, Egyptian and German. Although there are few smaller residences, most homes in this neighborhood are palatial and historic.
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District 8: Northeast |
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The Downtown area is crowned by the golden dome of the newly restored City Hall in the Civic Center complex, one of the finest collections of Beaux Arts buildings in the country. In the cultural heart of the city you can catch local rock band Metallica at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium or the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall. The Main Library is nearby, as are dozens of theaters with shows ranging from Rent to The Merchant of Venice. The Civic Center Plaza is filled with local color, from the weekend Farmers Market to the frequent weekday demonstrations and protests. The 1932 War Memorial Opera House on Van Ness is home to the San Francisco Opera and Ballet. The Van Ness commercial corridor offers fine dining for performing arts patrons, as well as convenient access to furniture stores, movie theaters, banks and car dealerships.
• The Financial District, predominately a commercial center of historic banks built on Gold Rush fortunes and high-rise office buildings, offers workers a smattering of upscale apartments and condominiums — and the demand is growing. Four-star, expense account restaurants and hotels, as well as services of all kinds, are never more than a block away. Green space can be found if you’re persistent: Jackson Square Park, near the Embarcadero Center, is the perfect place for a refreshing, sunny picnic lunch. Hidden between the famous TransAmerica Pyramid and another high rise, you’ll find TransAmerica Redwood Park, a tiny sanctuary where busy stockbrokers take a break to watch Chinese grandmas practice their Tai Chi.
• The palatial mansions of the Big Four railroad magnates (Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford and Collis Huntington) on Nob Hill were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Now, "Snob Hill’s" luxury hotels carry on their legacy as an enclave for the rich and famous. The City’s historic cable cars, built in 1878 to make these neighborhoods accessible, are still carrying standing-room-only loads of tourists and locals up and down the steep hills. A few elegant mansions remain, along with several Julia Morgan Arts and Crafts-style homes, luxury apartment buildings, and assorted smaller single family residences. Huntington Park, donated to the neighborhood by Collis Huntington in 1915, provides a playground and benches for the wealthy and not so wealthy alike.
• In a 1940 column, Herb Caen said North Beach had "1001 neon-splattered joints alive with the Italian air of garlic and jukebox wail of American folk songs." In the ’50s, Caen coined the term "beatnik" to describe the counterculture writers and artists who hung out at North Beach coffee houses and listened to Allen Ginsburg’s first reading of "Howl" at the City Lights Bookstore. Today, the Italian restaurants and the music and the bookstore remain, as well as lots of local color at Washington Square Park. Quaint single family homes and apartments are coveted here for their great views and proximity to jobs and nightlife.
• Home to Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world," Russian Hill has been the setting of countless books and films. Homes in the Vallejo Street Crest District at its summit, a National Register of Historic Places site, were designed by Arts and Crafts era architect Willis Polk. Several other craftsmen homes remain, along with an eclectic assortment of 19th century Italianate residences, apartments, condos and single family homes tucked into irregular lots on the hillsides. The neighborhood has several lovely parks, good restaurants and shopping on Polk and Hyde streets.
• Stationed in a semaphore on Telegraph Hill, 19th century lookouts let those on the waterfront below know what kind of ships were coming into the Bay. In 1933, the city built the famous landmark Coit Tower on top of the hill with a bequest from the estate of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a poker-playing, cigarette smoking millionaire who liked to hang out with the neighborhood’s volunteer firefighters. Once you have your fill of the Works Progress Administration murals inside Coit Tower and the spectacular 360-degree views of the city from Pioneer Park at its base, take a walk down one of the several stairways that line the hillside. You can get a close-up view of the homes perched precariously on the slopes as well as the lush gardens carefully maintained by the residents.
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District 9: Central East |
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The quaint Queen Anne cottages and Victorian bungalows of Bernal Heights are still some of the most affordable homes in the City, with a close knit community of iconoclasts on guard against strip malls and chain stores. The population of more than 25,000 is about one-third white, one-third Hispanic, and the remainder Asian, African-American and other ethnicities. Dogs walk their owners frequently at Bernal Heights and Holly Parks; if the uphill climbs don’t take your breath away, the magnificent views will. Local bars and restaurants have everything from sushi to sandwiches; shopping districts offer music stores and arts & crafts stores.
• Much of the Mission district survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and refugees, primarily Italians and Irish, flooded in from across the city. They were joined by Mexican immigrants from the 1910 Mexican Revolution and Central Americans fleeing political oppression. Wave after wave of primarily Latino immigrants arrived in the ensuing years, melding the area into a rich and vibrant cultural community. As evidenced in the neighborhood murals in Balmy Alley, the Cesar Chavez School, the 24th Street Bart Station and numerous other locations, working class social causes and art and music thrive in the Mission. The latest wave of immigrants — young, affluent, high-tech set, lured by burritos and bungalows with potential — is creating quite a stir and the gentrification debate roars on.
• The 1989 earthquake played a key role in the redevelopment of the City’s southern waterfront, which includes Mission Bay, South Park and South Beach neighborhoods. Once the earthquake damaged Embarcadero Freeway was demolished, the Embarcadero regained its million dollar views. Condos and Canary Island palms sprouted along the refurbished waterfront and developers couldn’t get enough of the warehouses and other industrial buildings of Mission Bay. High-tech businesses and workers quickly moved in, and South Park became known as Multimedia Gulch. Maritime workers and Netniks now share the old waterfront dives and chic new microbreweries, restaurants, and upscale clubs stretching from China Basin to the Financial District. Along the Embarcadero, rollerbladers, skateboarders, dog walkers, joggers, and tourists enjoy the sunshine and a never-ending parade of huge container ships under the Bay Bridge.
• Though it was the most prestigious residential neighborhood in the 1950s, South of Market, now commonly referred to as SOMA, lost its panache when the first cable car line made Nob Hill accessible. Subsequently, South of Market became home to San Francisco’s industry. Having undergone a renaissance in the 1990’s, SOMA is now a high-tech business mecca by day and ground zero in the San Francisco club scene by night. Nightclubs diversified from the old biker and leather bars to a wide variety of live music venues, catering to all tastes. Moderate-to-expensive housing generally falls in the live-work space in either new construction or renovated warehouses. Shopping and services in the immediate vicinity are limited to large discount stores like Costco and Trader Joes, but development continues at a breakneck pace with new housing and retail construction in the large undeveloped acreage owned by Southern Pacific Railroad. The newly renovated Caltrain station is nearby, as are the Flower Mart and the Moscone Convention Center.
• The rude punk music pouring out of the Bottom of the Hill club at the end of 17th Street in the Potrero Hill area belies the neighborhood’s mellow, small town atmosphere. Houses built on this land, formerly occupied by grazing goats, have amazing views of the downtown skyline. Middle-to-upper income families and single professionals have fallen in love with the well-maintained Victorians and friendly local businesses. Residences and business alike can be found in refurbished warehouses. New condos are also available in this growing neighborhood. The Potrero Recreation Center is a great place for tennis, basketball, or baseball and McKinley Park has swings for the kids. Cafes and shops line 18th Street between Connecticut and Texas, and antique and furniture stores are just a couple blocks away.
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District 10: Southeast |
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Bayview and Hunters Point consist of still-affordable, primarily owner-occupied, single family homes, interspersed with manufacturing and warehouses. The close knit community is known for its local activists, often found at Sam Jordan’s bar, who have threatened to secede from the City and have saved and renovated historic buildings, such as the Ruth Williams Memorial Theater. The circa-1888 Bayview Opera House offers theater productions and classes, and the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation provides legal, mental health and youth services to residents.
• The middle-class Crocker Amazon area, formerly part of railroad magnate Charles Crocker’s estate, features single family homes with tidy front lawns and lovely, landscaped streets.
• Colorful murals can be found at the Excelsior Playground Courts in the Excelsior District, where you can play tennis or lift weights while your kids play in the recreation center. Most residences in this neighborhood were built in the 1950s, and include single family homes as well as duplexes and apartments. The BART station and highways 101 and 280 are nearby.
• In 1909, United Railroads opened the Visitacion Valley Streetcar line as an attraction to promote the sale of real estate in the valley. A wealth of historical information and local headlines can be found in the Visitacion Valley Grapevine, a community newspaper serving the southeast district.
• The Portola area was named for Don Gaspar de Portola — an early explorer charged with finding Monterey Bay who overshot his target and stumbled upon San Francisco Bay instead. Residents can be found taking a stroll through McLaren Park or shopping at the Portola Shopping Center.
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