© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 94108, 94133
Nob Hill has
entered the language as a metaphor for riches. If you live on “Nob Hill” you
have arrived. www.mccormacks.com
The hill
once was home to the Bonanza kings (mining) and the Big Four — Leland
Stanford, Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins and Collis Huntington — builders
of the transcontinental railroad. Great views of Bay and Golden Gate.
Click for regional or detailed map
Many of
the great homes were destroyed in the fire that followed the 1906 earthquake.
Or they were dynamited to stop the fire’s spread. Among the survivors, the home
of James Flood, a Bonanza king; it was later converted into the Pacific Union
Club.
Modern Nob
Hill: Apartment buildings and hotels, including the land mark Fairmont and Mark
Hopkins (Top of the Mark, famous lounge), small park, Pacific Union Club, Grace
Cathedral, the largest Episcopal Church in the City and a pleasing presence,
interested in the larger community. Concerts and other events are presented at
the cathedral.
Just off
the hill, high-rise apartment and condo buildings, which make this section one
of the most populated of the City.
Many
tourists. Restricted parking. Great commute. Walk down the hill and you’re in
the financial district, or in the other direction, Fisherman's Wharf. Chinatown
and North Beach a short walk. Cable cars cross paths on California and Powell
streets. www.mccormacks.com
Russian
Hill, located just north of Nob Hill, also has great views. More of a
residential neighborhood, it lacks — and doesn’t want — the glitz
and popularity of Nob Hill. Couple of restaurants. Little else in the way of
businesses. High-rise apartments and three-story flats.
Here's
where Lombard Street squiggles its way down a hill. Lombard residents want the
City to close the street to traffic. City is trying to discourage traffic but
the street remains open.
Many nice
homes, some oddly shaped to fit contours of hills. A few of the steepest streets
in the City. The views from many homes are unusually pretty.
Close to
everything — theaters, movies, opera and symphony halls, museums,
library, the parks along the north shore.
Small. In
this area, a stroll of a few blocks will take you into another neighborhood. www.mccormacks.com
Low crime.
Residents, through their associations, monitor business proposals and fight
what they think — a marijuana club — might degrade the
neighborhoods.
In 2006, cops
shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them. Turned out the gun was fake.
