San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia

Like many other San Francisco neighborhoods, Noe Valley started out as a working-class
neighborhood for employees in San Francisco's once-thriving blue-collar economy, and
their families. Also like other San Francisco neighborhoods, Noe Valley has since
undergone successive waves of gentrification and is now considered an upscale, yuppie
area. It is home to many urban professionals, particularly young couples with young
children, and it is not unusual for a well-maintained house in Noe Valley to sell for a
million dollars or more.
Public transportation to Noe Valley is provided by the Muni 24, 35, and 48 bus lines, and
by the J Church Muni Metro line.
History
The Neighborhood is named after Jose de Jesus Noe, the last Mexican alcalde (or mayor)
of Yerba Buena (present day San Francisco).
Noe Valley was primarily built up at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of
the 20th century, especially in the years just after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. As
a result, the neighborhood contains many examples of the "classic" Victorian and
Edwardian residential architecture for which San Francisco is famous. Noe Valley being
a working-class neighborhood, houses were built in rows, with some of the efficient, lowcost
row houses being more ornate than others, depending on the owner's taste and
finances. Today, Noe Valley has the highest concentration of row houses in San
Francisco, with streets having three to four and sometimes as many as a dozen on the
same side of the same street. Few rows remain untouched.
Many Noe Valley streets were laid out and named by John Meirs Horner, who named
Elizabeth Street after his wife and Jersey Street after the state where he was born. Most of
Noe Valley is still called Horner's Addition for tax purposes by the city assessor's office.
Geography
The topographic layout is actually two main valleys. One flows from the
Clipper/22nd/Grandview area down 24th/Jersey to Church, and the other flows from the
27th/Diamond/30th area down Day to Church where it meets the first valley; the
conjoined valleys then both exit the Noe Valley district. This makes the hilly area
relatively dry, and the soil stable regarding earthquake liquefaction. Most houses up the
hills sit directly on bed rock as can be seen at Douglass Park (bare red rock). Traffic flow
is limited - one main North access through Castro Street to Eureka Valley, one main West
access up Clipper Street toward the former Twin Peaks toll plaza and West of the city,
several East access to Mission through 24th, Cesar Chavez and other numbered streets,
and the main North-South Church access used by the Muni Light Rail J-Church. There
are no traffic lights except along Dolores Street, at the 24th/Castro intersection, and one
at 23rd and Church.