San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Neighborhood Spotlight
Multimillion dollar Victorians, Edwardians help distinguish real estate at Noe Valley.
Much of the city has changed in the last 10 years as San Francisco experienced a boom in its real estate market. One of the neighborhoods that changed the most during this time is Noe Valley, a once working class community that’s now home to multimillion dollar residences and a frequent stop for tech shuttles.
Named for José de Jesús Noé, a statesman who once owned much of the area, Noe Valley resides near the geographical center of San Francisco. Noe Valley was developed during the latter part of the 19th Century and early part of the 20th Century, with significant building taking place after the earthquake and fire of 1906. Much of its housing stock is Victorian and Edwardian. Row houses dominate the neighborhood’s blocks. In fact, Noe Valley has one of the highest concentration of row houses in the entire city.
Twin Peaks provides a barrier from coastal fog, creating a sunny, welcoming microclimate for Noe Valley. Pedestrians commonly stride along its sidewalks and 24th Street is a bustling corridor with numerous shops and restaurants.
More than 22,000 people call Noe Valley home and the neighborhood includes the landmark St. Paul’s Catholic Church. Musician Carlos Santana and actor Benjamin Bratt both graduated from James Lick Middle School on Noe Street and Noe Valley’s famous residents include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter cofounder Evan Clark Williams.
The irregularly shaped neighborhood is a little less than a square mile and is bordered by 21st Street to the north, Grand View Avenue to the west, 30th Street to the south and San Jose Avenue and Guerrero Street to the east.
Douglass Dog Park is a popular destination for canines and their companions and several parks and open spaces reside within Noe Valley’s borders. BART makes a pair of stops in the neighborhood and MUNI provides public transportation to the community as well. Twenty nine homes in Noe Valley are currently listed for sale on Trulia, with prices ranging from $ 735,000 to $ 6.2 million. Rents for the 117 active listings start at $ 1,600 per month and go all the way to $ 17,000.
Noe Valley also offers picturesque vistas of downtown. Shutterbugs are frequently found atop Sanchez, Liberty, 19th and Cumberland streets, taking snapshots of the cityscape.