this is really one of the prettiest and sunniest neighborhoods in sf. there are beautiful, classic homes as well as some more modern buildings. tons of restaurants and shops galore...including some local boutique shops, owned by sf locals. each time i dine at a restaurant here, i experience something a little different, a different flavor, culture, clientele, but still very much noe valley. for the outdoors enthusiast, there are many hills here, so you can jog or hike and get a good workout. if the hills are too much, catch any one of the muni bus/trolleys. on a sunny day, you can see some terrific views of downtown sf from the top of some streets. just stand (or sit) and enjoy. accessible via 24th & mission bart (about 1/2 mi walk to this area) or 280 or 101. one good thing about parking, many areas have FREE parking, and it's not as hard to find a spot as many other parts of sf! read more

Honestly, I shouldn't still make fun of Noe Valley with my San Francisco-circa-2003 jokes, but I do. In one review, I called it "the land of $1200 double strollers." In another, just "Land of the Double-Wide Strollers." Both are good, and I'd add "The place where Marina Grayson and Marina Taylor find an apartment together once they decide to get serious." But I know a lovely couple who did move in together in Noe Valley once they decided to get serious, and she's a kickass union organizer now and is in a million ways a go-getter and a tough customer (in a good way) and a true Mensch, so who am I to make fun of where people live? Right. I'll still do it. Not so secretly, I still love Noe Valley, but not for the proposed $1.7 million toilets or the lovely toy stores that have gone out of business or the ridiculous Whole Foods that took over for what was a ridiculous-in-a-good-way Cala Foods. Nope. I love Holey Bagel (despite or because of its interior?) even though it reminds me of getting fired and the memory of the Global Exchange Fair Trade Store and Elizabeth Street for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons and its closeness to the Mission even though I don't associate it with the Mission. But it's really close, and before I got my I parking permit, I used to park in its Z parking area illegally and never got a ticket and always enjoyed walking back to my cozy car parked in front of the same(!) cozy house because even though I didn't know whether I'd have a ticket waiting, I knew I'd have a catalytic converter, because who's going to steal one of those on that particular street in the wrong-side-of-the-tracks section of Noe Valley? I'm kidding about that description because it's not true but it is but it's not and you know it. So there. The 24-Divisadero! It makes stops in the middle of the steepest parts of Castro Street in Noe Valley because it makes more sense to stop on the flat cross streets than to go past them to the inclined curbs! And I feel perfectly safe waiting too long for my 48-Quintara/24th Street, and there's a big, comfortable bench there waiting for me. And even back in the day, when I rode the 48 in the opposite direction and waited near the corner of 24th Street & Castro for the 24 back to my flat, I would use those lovely benches as well. Or if it was pouring raining, I'd stand under one of the closed stores' awnings or right in their doorway itself, and I wouldn't feel bad at all about it. That's when there was a Hahn's Hibachi (RIP) out here as well. And plenty more. Plenty more. It's lovely, but its businesses are ridiculously and coldly and just shadily overpriced, especially on the south side of 24th Street. Why is that, exactly? I still love it. And I still reserve the right to make fun of its residents. read more

Noe Valley is part of The Mission but some who live there pretend it's separate and apart. Moneyed singles and families live in the hilly part of Noe Valley near the nexus of Dolores Park (I'm looking at you, Zuckerberg) mostly in single family homes that go for millions. 24th Street has lots of dining options and boutiques, trendy couples and a plethora of strollers whose parents don't push them except on Sundays. Once you pass 25th, you move closer to the flats and the outer Mission full of gritty storefronts, bars and middle class families trying to hang on to the San Francisco dream. Sunny, vibrant with a wide chasm between have and have-nots, Noe Valley is the long-time realtor designation for living in La Missión! read more

NOE VALLEY is one of the most varied neighborhoods in SF, extending from Twin Peaks area to Castro and along the Mission. It is one of the biggest neighborhoods in SF, but mostly residential and more sleepy that most other neighborhoods. 24th street is full of cute shops and restaurants and a few neighborhood bars. Lots of cute houses and friendly folks and the farmers market on Sat is so convenient! Happy to have called this place my home for the past 12 years! read more

I was born and raised in San Francisco you hardly know any natives cuz everybody that lives here is from different states country other cities. I've been living in Noe Valley since the age of 16. I've seen it grow from traditional family to untraditional family. One thing living in San Francisco is you can be yourself, live with whoever you want to be in same sex marriage; hv same sex parents and be very liberal hippie yuppies and they have a lot of dog lovers here in San Francisco. :) Important thing is they have rent control because it could be very expensive to live in San Francisco. Most of you who know that because you don't live here you live across the bay, you have to travel to get into San Francisco to work here because can't afford to live here but if you're one of the people like me to have rent control and can enjoy living in San Francisco because they have a lot to offer and I'm learning stuff everyday and I was born and raised here sometimes. I'll discover things that I forgot about when I was a kid. LOL! Noe Valley has a lot of cute little stores grt restaurants, some that I discover by just walking in the hood. I've seen this whole area change from a teenager to adulthood. I remember when they were filming Sister Act and I was one of the extras at St Pauls Church that was so cool that they turned it into a gang ghetto area and I got to learn how they filmed movies. If you haven't been here, come stroll the area. I've eaten at Big Barney's' Savon Cleo's peasant pies been to a few stores if you like old candies there's a place called Buttons. What's was so funny that I thought it was a sewing store when I walked in its nothing but candies from like in the sixties and fifties, go check it out they have some cool stuff in there. Come walk up and down 24th Street on Sundays, they have a little flea market right next to Haystack pizza. I've eaten there so many times..... it used be another restaurant named Noe Valley Pizza. Sad that they closed and a new restaurant poped up. I even been to the new whole foods when they move across where Bell market used to be a lot of changes here in the hood. read more

See all

One of my favorite neighborhoods that's centrally located in San Francisco! Noe Valley boundaries: -North is 21st Street (Some say Duboce St) -East is San Jose/Guerrero Streets (some say Dolores St) -South is 30th Street -West is Diamond Heights Boulevard/Portola Avenue Surrounding neighborhoods: -North is the Castro/Eureka Valley -East is the The Mission -South is Glen Park -West is Twin Peaks Main commercial areas: -24th Street between Diamond and Dolores -Church Street between Elizabeth and 30th. Living in Noe Valley: 90 Walk Score 73 Transit Score 78 Bike Score More details https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Francisco/Noe_Valley# Weather: Adjacent to the Mission and shares great weather! While other parts of the city are covered in fog, Noe Valley normally maintains consistent sunshine! Sometimes you drive up Clipper Street and onto Market Street/Portola Drive, you will notice you are driving away from the sunshine and into the fog covering Twin Peaks & Miraloma Park neighborhoods. Some history: -Neighborhood named after José de Jesús Noé, the last Mexican mayor of SF -Noé sold the land to John Meirs Horner who named the neighborhood Horner's Addition. -Elizabeth Street was named after Horner's wife & Jersey Street after his birth state. -Lots of development happened after the 1906 earthquake thus many classic Victorian & Edward homes in the neighborhood. -Rutha Asawa lived in Noe Valley until 1962. -Carlos Santana & Benjamin Bratt graduated from Lick Middle School. -St. Paul's Catholic Church was the setting for the movie, Sister Act. -Some episodes of the TV Show Nash Bridges was filmed here. -In 2008, Mayor Newson proclaimed December 6th as "Noe Valley Farmers'" Market Day in recognition of the year round, volunteer-run market. -Other notable residents of the neighborhood include Mark Zuckerberg, Medea Benjamin, Evan Williams & Scott Hutchins. Present Day: The lack of nightlife and the high concentration of little ones combined with the relaxed pace of the neighborhood, Noe Valley has also been called Stroller Valley with kid friendly/family friendly restaurants, mom & pop shops, & laid back cafes/eats. However, with the some hip/trendy restaurants & boutiques opening up, along with "techies" moving in, some have even have commented the neighborhood is "sort of the Palo Alto of SF neighborhoods". Other info: -Library-Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Branch 451 Jersey -Fire station on 26th Street between Church & Dolores -Post Office 4083 24th Street -Parks: Upper Noe Rec Center at Day & Sanchez Street, Douglass Playground at 26th St & Douglass Ave, Noe Court Playground at 24th St & Douglas (and close to Dolores Park in the Castro & close to Billy Goat Hill in Glen Park) -Dog Parks: Douglass Dog Park & Upper Noe Rec Center -Schools: Alvarado Elementary (Public), Edison Charter Academy (Charter), Lick James -Middle School (Public), St. Paul's School (Private), St. Philip School (Private) -Police Station: No station located in Noe Valley; closest station is in The Mission at 630 Valencia Street Public Transportation serving Noe Valley: J-Church train 24-Divisadero bus 48-Quintara/24th Street bus 35-Eureka bus 33-Stanyan bus BART closest: 24th St Mission Station (about a mile away) 2nd closest: Glen Park Station (about 2 miles away) The local community newspaper is The Noe Valley Voice. The independent, volunteer-run, free newspaper can be found online www.noevalleyvoice.com read more

See all

Pretty great and charming neighborhood. We moved to Fairfax, CA in August 2020 and life has slowed down tremendously. I feel a similar vibe here as I got in Noe, like a community within a bustling city. I am a minority while my husband is white, we have two children. Most of the time we were a unit in Noe together but as the pandemic happened I spent more time out and about with the children, alone. Mostly, I felt at ease but occasionally I felt judged when my husband wasn't with me. I'm still getting used to Fairfax, but feel that same pressure too. Mainly, Noe is a nice neighborhood for up and coming families of a caucasian background. read more

24th Street is a great place for tourists and locals to walk around, there are plenty of one-of-a-kind locally owned shops and restaurants easily accessible from the 48 or 24 Muni lines. read more