San Francisco County Neighborhoods

 

Jordan Park/Lake Street/Laurel Heights/Richmond/Sea Cliff (District 1)

Jordan Park is on of the most favored neighborhoods in San Francisco. It is next door to Pacific Heights and consists of mostly single family homes.   Most of the properties in Jordan Park are single family homes.  Good transportation and the Laurel Village shopping center are nearby.

The Lake Street area borders the Presidio, Arguello Blvd., Sea Cliff, and California Street.  The home styles range from single family residences to flats and apartments. The homes are Edwardian, Marina-style homes and apartments.  Nearby Mountain Lake Park has tennis courts, a children’s playground and a duck pond.

The Laurel Heights area has more apartment buildings then homes. Larger homes occupy the area closer to the Presidio and some enjoy bay views.  Fine antiques, furniture, and home accessory shops line Sacramento Street is a favorite area for locals to shop.  Many one-of-a-kind boutiques share the neighborhood with Victorian homes.

The Richmond is a solid middle-class area with a diverse ethnic population. Large single family homes, flats and condominiums built around 1900-1940.  Golden Gate Park is in your “backyard” allowing you to enjoy its many recreational and cultural experiences.

Single family mansions occupying Sea Cliff along the coast have well manicured gardens and lawns. Sea Cliff borders Lincoln Park and the Richmond District.

Golden Gate Heights/Parkside/Sunset (District 2)

Golden Gate Heights is sits on a 725 foot high bluff.  Retaining walls are seen everywhere in this neighborhood along with views of the ocean and steep streets.

Parkside is parallel to Pine Lake Park and Stern Grove and is mostly single family residences.

The Sunset district is bound by Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Zoo, and the Pacific Ocean.  Lake Merced and Stern Grove  are also in this area.  The Sunset area is an easy downtown commute with buses and street cars available.  In the 1940’s thousands of affordable homes were built for the returning GIs.

The Golden Gate park includes the Japanese Tea Garden, Music Concourse, the California Academy of Sciences just to name of few of the famous attractions. 

Ingleside/Lakeside/Lake Shore/Merced Heights/Merced Manor/Oceanview/Pine Lake Park/Stonestown (District 3)

Ingleside Terrace receives more sun than the rest of San Francisco and has good views of San Bruno Mountain and Mt. Davidson. Nearby are San Francisco State University, Stonestown Shopping Center and Lake Merced. Lots of the homes in this area are  single-family homes and built between 1900 and 1940.  Shops and restaurants on nearby on Ocean Avenue.

Lake Shore was the last neighborhood in the city to be developed. This area includes San Francisco State University, Lake Merced, two golf courses and Stonestown shopping plaza.  This area has mostly apartment housing but there are also areas of condos and single family homes.
Lake Merced is located near San Francisco State University and is the largest planned community in San Francisco.  The Stonestown Mall offers services including restaurants, department stores, large chain stores, banks and a grocery store.

Balboa Terrace/Diamond Heights/Forest Hill/Forest Knolls/Ingleside Terrace/Midtown Terrace/Miraloma Park/Monterey Heights/Sherwood Forest/St. Francis Wood/Sunnyside/West Portal/Westwood Highlands/Westwood Park (District 4)

Forest Hill is located west of Twin Peaks, between Midtown Terrace, Forest Knolls and the West Portal area, close to St. Francis Wood.  This is a predominantly wealthy neighborhood with large homes and well maintained yards and streets.

St. Francis Wood is an elite tract of homes on the southwest side of San Francisco. Lovely landscaping along curved streets are lined with large scale homes.

Ashbury Heights/Buena Vista Park/Clarendon/Cole Valley/Corona Heights/Duboce Triangle/Dolores Heights/Eureka Valley/Glen Park/Haight Ashbury/Mission Dolores/Noe Valley/Parnassus Heights/Twin Peaks (District 5)

Noe Valley is centered at Church and 24th streets and is a nice residential neighborhood.  Neighborhood coffee/bagel shops are filled on any sunny weekend morning.

Here you will find renovated Victorians, flats and apartments.  One of the features that adds to these areas is being near wooded areas like Golden Gate Park.

Alamo Square/Anza Vista/Hayes Valley/Lower Pacific Heights/North Panhandle/Western Addition (District 6)

Alamo Square is known for its picture perfect row of colorful Victorians. This popular four blocks also contains a park and a playground.

Anza Vista is a quiet neighborhood developed during the 1930’s and 1940’s. There are homes, flats, and apartments.

Hayes Valley is located downtown. Over the years this had been a declining area.  When the 1989 earthquake weakened Highway 101 and it was dismantled, Hayes Valley emerged a changed area.

The Western Addition area includes hundreds of Victorian homes. Many of the Victorians have been restored. Homes and apartments on the northern border of the Western Addition blend into Pacific Heights.

Presidio/Pacific Heights/Marina/Presidio Heights/Cow Hollow  (District 7)

The Palace of Fine Arts, flying a kite in Marina Green, eating cracked crap on Fisherman’s Warf, watching the sea lions on Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, the Cannery and the Presidio – this is San Francisco! District 7 combines the Marina, Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights and Cow Hollow.

Here you can find Victorians or brand new homes, condos and flats, and apartments. Well-to-do young professionals favor this area. Prices for homes are on the upscale side.

There are many restaurants and popular bars in the area but you can also sit by the marina and watch the seagulls soar over the area while eating a sandwich you picked up at the Marina Safeway. Park your car along the Marina and then start the trek to Pier 39 on a warm summer day. There are many places to stop in Ghirardelli Square, The Cannery or Fisherman’s Warf for lunch. Just enjoy people watching while walking or jogging.

There are many mansions in the Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights. Some of these stately homes are foreign consulates, some belong to celebrities, but all enjoy location, location, location. The views can be breathtaking from here.

Chinatown/Civic Center/Downtown/Financial District/Nob Hill/North Beach/North Waterfront/Russian Hill/Telegraph Hill (District 8)

The center of Chinatown is Grant Avenue which contains many shops and restaurants serving locals and tourists alike.  You can walk down the alleyways and see fortune cookie factory, a Buddhist temple, or site and enjoy a dim sum lunch or a cup of tea.

Coffee houses and jazz clubs were very popular in the 1950’s throughout North Beach.  This was the home to the “Beatnik” generation and many people come to visit the famous area and the jazz continues to this date hosted by the San Francisco Jazz Festival every fall.  Grant Avenue in North Beach hosts the annual Street Fair the 3rd weekend of June.

The “crookedist street” in the world is part of the area on Russian Hill.  Lombard street, with its switch backs and step incline, is world famous and many a tourist attempts to drive or walk down this famous street.  The shops, restaurants, and cafes along Upper Polk Street cater to modern bohemians.

Luxury hotels and a Gothic cathedral were built after the 1906 earthquake and create an opulence of days gone by.  Nob Hill has world class hotels including the Mark Hopkins.

The “Financial District” is located down Montgomery Street and is referred to as the “Wall Street of the West”.  High rises pack the area and create “concrete canyons”.

Union Square is the heart of downtown San Francisco.  Flowerbeds, lawns and park benches make up the square.  The streets surrounding the square are filled with theaters (Geary Street), the world’s most prestigious shops (Post and Stockton Streets), high end fashion houses (Maiden Lane), department stores and hotels.

Bernel Heights/Inner Mission/Mission/Mission Bay/Potrero Hill/South Beach/South of Market (SOMA) (District 9)

Bernal Heights has smaller lots and diverse architecture.  By San Francisco standards, it is possible to find a good price for a home here.

South Beach was once an industrial area. Large complexes have been developed for residential use since the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway.

Potrero Hill is a neighborhood with well-maintained, established homes as well as some new construction. There are also homes that need updating and loft style buildings.

SOMA was once almost all commercial and industrial until the home prices in the area were completely out of reach of many buyers.  Industrial space was converted into lofts and restaurants.  Now new office towers, warehouses and other businesses dominate the area.  Housing in this area is in the moderately priced category.

Bay View/Bay View Heights/Crocker Amazon/Excelisior/Hunters Point/Mission Terrace/Outer Mission/Portola/Silver Terrace/Visitation Valley (District 10)

The Bay View neighborhood is near the Navy Yard and Candlestick(3 Com) Park. There are single-family homes, apartments and factories.

Crocker Amazon neighborhood is well a well maintained area for the most part.  It sits between Amazon and Crocker Avenues, Mission Street and McLaren Park.

Excelsior borders McLaren Park on the east and Portola District on the north.  Mostly single family homes in this area built 50 years or more ago. There are also apartments, duplexes and public housing available.  Excelsior is near highways 101 and 280, close to the BART station, and a short bus ride downtown.