San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia
San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia
San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia
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Location<br />
The actual peak of Nob Hill lies slightly to the northwest in the area of Jones and<br />
Sacramento, Clay, and Washington Streets. From this area of the hill, all directions are<br />
downhill. South of Nob Hill is the shopping district of Union Square, the seedier area<br />
called the Tenderloin, and then Market Street. To the east is <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong>'s Chinatown<br />
and a little farther, the city's financial district. Northeast of Nob Hill is North Beach and<br />
Telegraph Hill. North of Nob Hill is the Cable Car Museum and eventually, the touristcentered<br />
areas of the waterfront such as Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.<br />
History and significance<br />
Nob Hill is perhaps one of the most affluent districts in <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong> (the other being<br />
Pacific Heights) and is home to many of the city's old money families.<br />
The area was settled in the rapid urbanization happening in the city in the late 19th<br />
century. Because of the views and its central position, it became the exclusive enclave of<br />
the rich and famous on the west coast who built large mansions in the neighborhood. This<br />
included prominent tycoons such as Leland Stanford and other members of the Big Four.<br />
The neighborhood was completely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire; the Flood<br />
mansion and the Fairmont Hotel were the only buildings that survived. While the<br />
neighborhood was able to maintain its affluence following the quake, many of the rich<br />
rebuilt their mansions further west in Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow. Many of the<br />
today's exclusive hotels were built over the ruins of the former mansions.<br />
The intersection of California and Powell streets is also the home to the fanciest hotels in<br />
<strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong>: the Fairmont Hotel, the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel, the<br />
Stanford Court, and the Huntington Hotel. Views from the top of the hill (and especially<br />
from the tower of the Fairmont Hotel) extend in all directions around the <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong><br />
Bay Area. At the center of the neighborhood is the former mansion of tycoon James<br />
Flood, now the headquarters of the exclusive old guard, old money Pacific Union Club.<br />
To be a member of the Pacific-Union Club is to say that one made it through a rigorous<br />
vetting to filter out the "not us." Also, at the top of Nob Hill enclave stands Grace<br />
Cathedral. As such, Nob Hill is often a <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong> set-piece scene used in many<br />
movies, especially if a high-speed chase is called for.<br />
Movies featuring Nob Hill<br />
The Rock — "I'm only borrowing your Hum-Vee!" (from the Fairmont's parking valet)<br />
Bullitt<br />
Vertigo