With 89 neighborhoods in San Francisco to choose from, how do you determine which one is best for you? This blog features in-depth insight from pounding the pavement every day throughout the 7 x 7 plot of land that is San Francisco. If you’re thinking about making a move to San Francisco, this video and post is for you.
Every individual has their own personal preferences when it comes to living in a community, but everyone should take at least four factors into consideration when selecting a San Francisco neighborhood: budget, commute time/where you work, and where your kids go to school.
Although I haven’t lived in all of these neighborhoods, I’ve spent countless hours in each one because I’ve sold 1,000 homes in this city and heard the perspective of both buyers and sellers.
Based on my personal experience over the past seven years, I have broken down San Francisco’s 89 neighborhoods into five tiers to help you select the one that’s right for you, starting from worst to best.
Civic Center and the Tenderloin. Open up any newspaper, and you will see several stories about crime, homelessness and safety. Many of these headlines are centered around two neighborhoods, the Civic Center and the Tenderloin. Most residents, given the choice, won’t step foot in those neighborhoods.
Inner Mission and South of Market (SoMa). If you look at what makes a neighborhood valuable in San Francisco, sun and walkability top the list and these neighborhoods have both. The Inner Mission has an abundance of fantastic restaurants. Flour & Water is one of my favorites, but there are honestly too many to mention. While the Inner Mission has long-term potential, it has also been impacted by crime and homelessness issues.
Similarly, SoMa has crime and homelessness issues with which to contend. In addition, the area doesn’t have a good restaurant scene. The neighborhood features a unique type of architecture: high-rise buildings. But if you live in one of the high rises, your living situation can be quite convenient. Most of the complexes have gyms, rooftop spaces, concierge service, 24-hour security and more. With such great benefits, they often come with high HOA dues.
Both neighborhoods have pockets of nice streets. If you’re willing to wait for the neighborhood to get cleaned up over the next few years and invest in a home now, you can stretch your dollar a long way in those neighborhoods.
These Tier 3 neighborhoods are great, but lack a few amenities. One of them is Clarendon Heights. Sitting atop a hill near Twin Peaks, Clarendon Heights is a beautiful neighborhood with massive views of the San Francisco Bay and downtown San Francisco. However, the hilly topography means that most of the homes lack backyards and it’s not very walkable.
Clarendon Heights primarily consists of single-family homes that can be purchased between $3 million and about $6 million, with some outliers.
The Outer Richmond has emerged as a hotspot for homes priced under $1.7 million. Located near the Pacific Ocean, it’s an experienced surfer’s paradise, but bear in mind that the water is cold and the ocean is rough. Lands End Trail is also located in the Outer Richmond, one of the best hiking trails in the city. Tons of new restaurants and small businesses are popping up as well. The combination of trendy new retail venues and breathtaking natural scenery make this neighborhood one of San Francisco’s finest.
On the downside, the Outer Richmond is cold and its location in the far northwest corner of the city makes the commute challenging for workers driving downtown or to the South Bay.
Although you can buy a home near the median price point, there are quite a few homes sprinkled in between the $2 million and $3 million range.
Bernal Heights is a great neighborhood with tremendous appeal to a variety of residents. It was the first neighborhood that my husband and I ever lived in an apartment together. At the time, I didn’t know that there were neighborhoods south of Cesar Chavez Street. Fast forward 20 years and Bernal Heights has consistently been named one of the hottest neighborhoods in San Francisco. It has a Bohemian feel, with a tightly knit, community-centric vibe.
Bernal Heights is in Tier 3 because Bernal should be broken up into four different neighborhoods due to its walkability. Some areas are walkable, while others are not. Some feature great sun and weather, while others are windy. Some have freeway views, while others do not. Also, some of Bernal’s streets are so narrow that I cross my fingers and toes to avoid a fender-bender with a parked car!
Although there are some desirable homes in the neighborhood, many have been broken up and altered without permits over time, making them functionally undesirable.
Nonetheless, Bernal’s strong community vibe and reasonably priced housing stock — you can purchase a great home with ample square footage for anywhere between $1.5 million and $3 million with most homes selling for $2.6 million or $2.7 million.
Tier 2 includes Glen Park, Inner Sunset, and Inner Richmond.
To start with, Glen Park remains one of the most underrated neighborhoods in the city, featuring virtually all the amenities you need. The charming Diamond and Chenery streets have a great deal of character. The neighborhood also has a nice community grocery store and some great restaurants. Also, the housing stock remains solid and consistent. You can score a home in Glen Park from $1.6 million to $2.8 million, with some homes on Laidley Street in the $5 million to $6 million range, sometimes commanding as much as $10 million. In fact, some homes have traded at even higher price points.
Homes in Glen Park’s Fairmount Heights have expansive views that are among the best in the city.
Glen Park is also one of the only neighborhoods in the southern portion of San Francisco with a BART station, making the commute to downtown San Francisco and other neighborhoods fast and efficient. Also, the area has direct access to a number of freeways, making the South Bay commute a breeze.
The Inner Sunset is next on the list. Both the Inner Sunset and Inner Richmond are on my list because of their prime locations on Golden Gate Park. Any neighborhood that abuts the park offers a great quality of life, especially if you have young children. The ability to go to JFK on a Sunday with your kids to ride bikes, listen to music, or play soccer is phenomenal.
The Inner Sunset also has a great strip of restaurants on Irving and Ninth streets that are popping. There are a ton of great things happening in this area and it also has a MUNI line. Both neighborhoods tend to be foggy, so if you’re sensitive to weather, it may not be a good location.
The Inner Richmond has similar features to the Inner Sunset, with the exception of a MUNI line. Instead, they have some express lines that run up and down Geary.
The area has a more consistent housing stock. If you’re looking for a classic, large home with three bedrooms, two baths on one level, a first floor for entertaining and a large backyard, look no further than the Inner Richmond. An Inner Richmond house typically runs between $3 million and $4 million. If you picked up a similar home and moved it to Noe Valley, it would be closer to $5 million or $6 million.
It’s worth reiterating that the Inner Richmond is located on Golden Gate Park. The neighborhood also has Clement Street, with its myriad restaurants and wide variety of cuisines. In fact, the street is one of my favorite dining destinations.
My first apartment over 22 years ago was in Inner Richmond, where I loved to live. A couple times a week, I would go to the park and run down to the beach.
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People often ask me where I would live if I could choose from any San Francisco neighborhood. It’s a hard question to answer because it has to do with many personal considerations, including your budget, where you want to send your kids to school, the length of your commute and more.
If I could choose any neighborhood, it would be Pacific Heights. The restaurant scene is one of the finest in the city. And Fillmore Street, with its great boutiques and shopping, is also one of the best in the city in terms of walkability. Although some Pac Heights streets feature the best views in the city, they can be hilly and unwalkable, so it’s all about your personal preference. Since I have a preference for good views, I would opt to live on one of those streets, probably near the Lyon Street steps, with easy walking access to Fillmore and Union streets. As an avid walker, I would not trade walkability for views.
In Pacific Heights, a single-family home starts around $5 million — for one of the neighborhood’s lowest-quality properties – and increases significantly to $10 million, $20 million, and in some cases, to $40 million. The sky’s the limit.
If money weren’t an issue, I would live in Billionaire’s Row, a section of the neighborhood where home prices often range between $20 million and $40 million, and boast the most incredible city and bay views.
Sea Cliff comes in a very close second behind Pacific Heights. A little further out in the northwestern corner of the city, you sacrifice walkability, but the streets are wide and the views are unparalleled. Homes in the Sea View Terrace area have it all: Golden Gate Bridge views from every vantage point, amazing finishes and much more. Sea View checks every box for most San Francisco buyers.
With consistent, gorgeous housing stock, Sea Cliff’s properties tend to be very grand on many levels. The lot sizes are large, but it lacks community amenities, including restaurants.
If you want to buy a home in Sea Cliff, set aside $6 million to $10 million, but some properties on the water command considerably higher prices. While there aren’t many, one traded last year over $40 million.
Nearby Lands End has one of the most famous hiking trails in Northern California. Living in Lands End requires a car and typically means your commute time to downtown San Francisco and the South Bay will be long.
If you happen to have a weekend home in Tahoe, Napa or Sonoma, you can sneak out of town from Lands End much faster than in many parts of the city.
If money is a factor, which it is for many of us, you can score a similar-style home in a neighborhood with a similar vibe called St. Francis Wood. Also a planned development community, the neighborhood has beautiful homes that typically fetch between $3 million and $6 million.
With wide lots and streets, the neighborhood feels expansive and it’s a bit more walkable than Sea Cliff.
Somewhat centrally located, Noe Valley is also one of my favorite San Francisco neighborhoods. Many die-hard Noe Valley residents prefer to live in the flats near 24th Street. On the other hand, I would prefer to live in Liberty Hill, a location where you trade walkability for expansive city views.
Noe Valley has proximity to the Castro, the Mission and 24th Street, its main drag. The neighborhood offers the option to walk, though some of the hills are treacherous.
Noe Valley has remained popular among families who prefer access to local parks and green space, great walkability and easy freeway access. Buyers can find a decent-sized home for between $2.7 million, all the way up to $6 million. Every year, a handful of homes command between $9 million and $15 million on prime streets like Jersey and Elizabeth. In some cases, these homes feature great walkability or great views, but usually not both characteristics. The housing stock tends to have high-end finishes and perfect floor plans.
Last but not least is Cole Valley. I love its central location and proximity to Golden Gate Park. The neighborhood has a mix of housing, including many large single-family homes often encompassing 3,000 square feet. Like the Painted Ladies in nearby Alamo Square, many houses are large Victorians, the architectural style synonymous with San Francisco.
With its spacious housing stock, Cole Valley lures families. It seems as though many folks purchase their end home in the area, so there are many long-term residents and a strong sense of community in Cole Valley.
Cole Street has many great restaurants that appeal to a variety of tastes. The centrally located neighborhood has a MUNI, making it fast and easy to travel to virtually any part of the city.
With a similar vibe to Noe, Cole Valley homes are similarly priced, although prices start slightly higher due to its volume of larger homes. Cole Valley buyers should be ready to drop between $4.5 million to about $6 million, especially on Belvedere Street with its even larger-sized homes with expansive views.
If you want to learn more about San Francisco’s 89 neighborhoods reach out to us anytime.
