The city of many small neighborhoods to explore, experience and enjoy. San Francisco is full of history and heritage that you can see in houses, people, and vibes. You see the changes between these areas just by people watching – In Castro, where rainbow flags are waving, you might see men running without shirts during the day up and down Castro Street, versus, in Marina women are entering or exiting yoga studios, and doodles are sitting in restaurants with their owners.
The changes between neighborhoods can be pretty big, and you can notice almost like some sort of pattern of how similar people are attracted on the same neighborhoods. People prefer different things, so it’s not possible to give a direct answer to the question “Where should I live in San Francisco?” I know choosing a neighborhood was not easy for me.
Here’s a list of the neighborhoods that I looked into. If you are planning a visit or move to SF I hope this works as a starter pack for you and gives some ideas of some of the neighborhoods.
1. Marina and Cow Hollow
Neighborhoods of young professionals, doodles, and babies.
This area is safe, almost always sunny during evenings, and more quiet than some parts of the busy city. Marina has gained a certain reputation during the years. So if you tell a local that you live in Marina they’ll put you in a “specific box”. In other words, you are a Marina-Girl: you are from sorority, have a ponytail, do yoga daily, and you dress the same with your friends. And literally all the guys are called Chad or Brad.
However, don’t dive too into that, it’s a great area to explore cafes, restaurants and boutiques on Union and Chestnut Street. Marina is by the water and fairly flat so this place offers great jogging opportunities. If you are interested in yoga, Union Street offers many yoga studios and trend in this area is to wear yoga gear. The corner of Greenwich and Fillmore turns into a night life spot during weekends. People who live in Marina and Cow Hollow enjoy staying in their neighborhood: they’ve got everything you need here + the area is surrounded by deep hills so walking somewhere else is an exercise.
2. Mission and Castro
Neighborhoods of hipsters, Hispanics and LGBT community.
Mission and Castro are fun and popular neighborhoods that have lively vibe during the day and night. Also, Mission is the warmest and sunniest spot in the city. During the day you can shop in small boutiques on Valencia and sunbathe in Dolores Park. During the night time you can enjoy the lively bar and restaurant scene. Be ready to line up for a new trendy restaurant for 2 hours – it will be worth it.
It’s fair to say that Mission is the trendiest neighborhood currently in SF. Mission is also known for its Latino scene. If you are a fan of Mexican food this is the place to find amazing taquerias!
Castro has a big LGBT community and its main street, Castro Street, is most often packed with tourists during the day. If you are looking for a fun night out dancing, go to Castro. Outside the main street, the area is quiet residential.
3. Russian Hill and Nob Hill
Neighborhoods of families and young professionals.
Both of the neighborhoods are on the hill so walking here takes extra time and can be rough and burning for your legs but the views are worth it. Nob Hill has great 360 views of the city, and there are a lot of tourist because several hotels are located in this area. Russian Hill is famous of its crooked route on Lombard Street. Visit local shops, cafes and restaurants on Polk Street in often sunny Russian Hill. Both of these areas are quiet and you are more likely ending up to a wine tasting than a pub crowl.
4. Fisherman’s Wharf
Neighborhood of tourists and sea lions.
This is a neighborhood that locals avoid, unless they’re catching a ferry out of the city. During day and night Fisherman’s Wharf is busy with tourists. The area is the only place where you can find fast food restaurant chains next to each other. SF has a law that protects restaurants, which is why you don’t see many famous fast food chains in the city. Pier 39 is a popular tourist spot – it’s also the home of sea lions.
5. North Beach and Telegraph Hill
The neighborhoods of Italian heritage and professionals.
North Beach has almost a historic vibe. It has a lot of old buildings and the oldest saloon in San Francisco. You can find many Italian restaurants and great gelato places. The weather here is almost always sunny because Karl the Fog stays behind the hills. North Beach smoothly blends into Russian Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf. There’s a more obvious change of the scenery when heading down to China Town, which has the largest Chinese community outside China.
Continuing to East from North Beach you come to Telegrapic Hill. It’s a quiet area with beautiful houses. You don’t find many restaurants here unless you are right next to Washington Square Park. On top of the hill is Coit Tower that has breathtaking views of the city and the well-known Alcatraz prison.
I consider North Beach and Telegraph Hill to be safe neighborhoods. Do to North Beach location and restaurants, you find many tourists enjoying the scenery also.
6. Tenderloin
The neighborhood of questionable activities
Have you heard of Tenderloin? It’s the area that everyone warns you about and where you see many homeless people. It’s the area where your Uber driver locks the doors – click. Even though all the roughness, Tenderloin is said to be an upcoming area and housing is more affordable than in other parts of the city. It offers cool bars and a fantastic rooftop bar. However, there is possible to see public drug use so it’s not a pleasant place to wonder around – You will want to know where you are going in this neighborhood.
7. Western Addition aka NoPa
The neighborhood close to parks
If you want to check out the restaurant scene on Divisadero Street after visiting the Painted Ladies you’ll find yourself in NoPa. The most popular restaurant in SF is Nopa, located in NoPa (North of the Panhandle). You’ll also find many fun shops in the area.
This neighborhood is great for outdoorsy people. It has many parks including Alamo Square Park where you see many dogs playing, and it connects to Panhandle and Golden Gate Park. If you like walking and jogging this area might be for you. For me a very big minus in this area was Karl the Fog that lands on NoPa making this area partly foggy and chilly.
Hayes Valley is also located in Western Addition. This area has many restaurants, bars, and music halls. Walking distance from Alamo Square Park, Hayes Valley is a popular place to live in San Francisco and the competition of the apartments is intense.
Western Addition also includes Japan Town and Fillmore Street where you can find a movie theatre, restaurants, and many boutique stores. The area changes dramatically when walking closer to Tenderloin so before renting an apartment here get to know the streets near you.
8. Pacific Heights
Neighborhood of the wealth
This neighborhood is gorgeous! It’s on top of a hill overlooking the Pacific ocean. The houses are mansions. If you have over $30 million I think it’s safe to say that you might be able to buy a mansion. It’s a great place to walk around and see the views. This area doesn’t have too many restaurants unless you go on Fillmore Street. BUT Mrs Doubtfire worked in Pacific Heights and the house does exist.
9. Ashbury Hights and Haight-Ashbury
Neighborhood of hippies, free spirits and professionals
This is the neighborhood where you can find the old heritage of SF. The houses are the cutest looking like fancy birdhouses and it’s a great area to walk around and enjoy the architecture. Haight-Ashbury is very popular with tourists because everyone wants to get a glimbs of the 70s hippie scene. Haight Street is the ultimate go-to for vintage shopping.
Cole Valley is located in Ashbury Hights. Apartment prices are a bit lower than for example in NoPa. You can find many brunch places here and the neighborhood is more quiet than Haight-Ashbury.
10. Financial District
Neighborhood of offices and chain-store shops
As the name might tell you, this is an area in downtown where many offices are located. Even though it’s a financial district, you don’t see many men in suites. From downtown you can find department stores and high-end clothing stores. This area has a lot of after work places. During weekends this place quiets down, and it can be hard to find a restaurant to have lunch at.
Final tips for choosing a neighborhood to live in SF
- Check your work route so that you know what public transportation option you’ll have – some direct busses run only in the mornings and evenings
- See the area during day and night
- Have a coffee outside and see how lively the neighborhood is during the day
- Have dinner later in the area and see how busy the area gets
- Compare price ranges
- Check which venues close by offer an opportunity to engage in your hobbies
- See how foggy it gets – Karl the fog drops the temperature