© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 94131, 94127, 94114, 94117
In
the middle of San Francisco, several hills rise to about 900 feet and run
north-south for about three miles. Views great. You can see the Pacific and
Golden Gate and, if faced east, the Bay. Golden Gate Park is within a mile. www.mccormacks.com
Tie
the package together and you come up with some of the most desirable
neighborhoods in the City.
Click for regional or detailed map
Many
of the tracts were developed just before and after World War II, and the
general housing looks modern compared to the Victorian neighborhoods.
Tudors,
Spanish styles with terra-cotta roofs, bungalows, Sunset District tract models, mostly single homes but some townhouses and apartments,
American substantial, American flimsy, the posh and the plain can be found in
these neighborhoods.
A few homes hang off steep hills, their rear decks supported by tall stilts. Great views.
Some of the choicest streets near Twin Peak Parks command sweeping views of the Bay and downtown, a perfect location, you might think, for luxury housing. Instead, some rather plain apartment complexes.
In
describing San Francisco, Realtors and writers frequently use the term West of
Twin Peaks. This is the fog line. The hills block the fog from the downtown
neighborhoods or impede its progress.
If
you live on the west side, if you can see the Pacific, you will often be socked
in by the summer fog. Terrain matters a lot. Some streets will escape with
little fog, some will be blanketed. Ask the Realtors or neighbors. www.mccormacks.com
If
shopping for a home or apartment, map is a must. Streets curl all over the
place.
The
neighborhoods go by the name of Twin Peaks, Miraloma Park, Forest Knolls,
Sherwood Forest, Diamond Heights, Westwood Highlands, Corona Heights, Parnassus
Heights, Monterey Heights, Clarendon Heights. All are hill and valley
neighborhoods. Housing sizes and designs vary by neighborhood but almost the
whole area is considered affluent to rich.
Lot
of tender loving care into homes and lawns and appearances. Mature trees on
some streets. Hedges and flower gardens. A lot of greenery mainly because some of the steepest slopes have been placed in open space.
The
land is about built out so development fights are rare. Neighborhood
associations fight almost anything garish or in conflict with single homes.
Mt.
Davidson, 927 feet, topped by a cross, is popular with Easter worshippers. A
wooded park protects the top from further development but blocks some views. www.mccormacks.com
Atheists
and others wanted the cross removed. In a complicated deal in 1997, the cross
was sold to an Armenian group as memorial for Armenians massacred by Turks in
the early 1900s. This placed the cross into private hands; eliminating the
conflict between church and state.
On
top of Mt. Sutro, to the north, is planted a tall (977 feet) TV transmission
tower, hated by many but a fascinating sight when fog rolls in. Looks like a
sailing ship emerging from a cottony sea.
For
its views, Twin Peaks was placed on the 49-mile scenic drive, which means tourist
traffic. Parking restricted on some streets.
Centrally
located, these neighborhoods are a short commute to every place in the city.
Market Street, the main downtown boulevard, begins in Twin Peaks. Muni buses.
About
a half dozen parks and playgrounds. San Francisco City College is located on
the south side. Many classes and activities open to the public. Short drive to
Golden Gate Park, the Pacific and the delights of the downtown. www.mccormacks.com
The
college is also a major employer. On the north side, another job center, the
University of California, a medical and a research center, one of the biggest
in the state. The university is moving many of its facilities to Mission Bay,
about three miles to the east, near Giants Stadium.
Another
employer: Laguna Honda Hospital (for the elderly).
Crime
low but residents wary. Homes have alarms, not barred windows.
In 2007, an ex-convict
paroled from San Quentin prison stabbed with a hunting knife a man and a girl
at a Twin Peaks bakery. The man was slightly wounded, the girl, 14, seriously
but will recover. Cops were nearby and arrested the suspect without trouble.
They said he was mumbling, I just got out of Quentin and Im taking on the
world.
Turned
out that he had a long history of crime and arrests, had been punished for
fighting with other inmates and assaulting guards and had violated his parole
eight times, which is why he was at San Quentin. On the previous day, his time
up, the prison gave him $200 and dropped him at the San Rafael bus terminal. www.mccormacks.com
The Spanish explorers
called the Twin Peaks, which rise to 904 and 913 feet, Los Pechos de la Choca or the Breasts
of the Indian Maiden.
Ravines and hills and developer and city choices in several neighborhood disrupt traffic flow. Many streets deadend in ravines or just don't connect with other streets. On the plus side, this limits traffic on some residential streets and probably gives the neighborhoods a stronger sense of identity. Some neighborhoods, for example, Forest Knolls, have only three or four entry streets, which in a subtle way works against crime. The residents can see who is coming and going.
Linear park starts at UC Medical Centera rises into hills.
