Noe Valley, San Francisco, California
Encyclopedia
Noe Valley is a neighborhood in the central part of San Francisco, California
.
is to its east.
, the last Mexican alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena
(present day San Francisco), who owned this land as part of his Rancho San Miguel
. Noé sold the land, later to be known as Noe Valley, to John Meirs Horner in 1854, and at this time the land was called Horner's Addition. The original Noé adobe
house was located in the vicinity of the present day intersection of 23rd Street and Douglass Street.
Noe Valley was primarily developed 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. As a working-class neighborhood, Noe Valley houses were built in rows, with some of the efficient, low-cost homes being more ornate than others, depending on the owner's taste and finances. Today, Noe Valley has one of the highest concentration of row house
s in San Francisco, with streets having three to four and sometimes as many as a dozen on the same side. However, few facades in such rows of houses remain unchanged since their creation in the late 19th and early 20th century.
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. Present day 24th Street was named "Park Street", and 25th Street was named "Temple Street" after his Mormon faith.
St. Paul's Catholic Church, at Valley and Church streets, was the setting for the movie Sister Act.
and is now considered an upscale neighborhood. It is home to many urban professionals, particularly young couples with children, and it is not unusual for a well-maintained house in Noe Valley to sell for two million dollars or more.
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 accesses to the Mission District through 24th, Cesar Chavez and other numbered streets, and the main north–south Church Street access used by the J Church
Muni Light Rail.
Public transit includes the J Church, which runs down Church Street until 30th Street. The 24 Muni Bus also runs through Noe Valley. Its route comes from the north on Castro Street, and switches to Noe Street at Clipper Street. It then exits the neighborhood via 30th Street.
The neighborhood is primarily residential, although there are two bustling commercial strips. The first along 24th Street, between Church Street and Diamond Street, and the second, less dense corridor along Church Street, between 24th Street and 30th Street.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Location
Its borders are generally considered to be 22nd Street to the north, Randall Street to the south, Dolores Street to the east, and Grand View Avenue to the west. These borders are understood to be somewhat flexible, particularly by real estate agents. The Castro (Eureka Valley) is directly to Noe Valley's north, although the border is not well defined and can stretch into Noe Valley, and The MissionMission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
is to its east.
History
The neighborhood is named after José de Jesús NoéJosé de Jesús Noé
José de Jesús Noé was the last Mexican alcalde of Yerba Buena, which was renamed San Francisco after the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1846. He was appointed to the position twice: first as the 7th Alcalde and again as the 12th Alcalde in 1846...
, the last Mexican alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
(present day San Francisco), who owned this land as part of his Rancho San Miguel
Rancho San Miguel (Noe)
Rancho San Miguel was a Mexican land grant in present day San Francisco County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to José de Jesús Noé. The grant included what is now known as Eureka Valley and extended past Mount Davidson almost to present day Daly City...
. Noé sold the land, later to be known as Noe Valley, to John Meirs Horner in 1854, and at this time the land was called Horner's Addition. The original Noé adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
house was located in the vicinity of the present day intersection of 23rd Street and Douglass Street.
Noe Valley was primarily developed 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
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. As a result, the neighborhood contains many examples of the "classic" Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and Edwardian
Edwardian architecture
Edwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
residential architecture for which San Francisco is famous. As a working-class neighborhood, Noe Valley houses were built in rows, with some of the efficient, low-cost homes being more ornate than others, depending on the owner's taste and finances. Today, Noe Valley has one of the highest concentration of row house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
s in San Francisco, with streets having three to four and sometimes as many as a dozen on the same side. However, few facades in such rows of houses remain unchanged since their creation in the late 19th and early 20th century.
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
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where he was born. Most of Noe Valley is still called Horner's Addition for tax purposes by the city assessor's office. Present day 24th Street was named "Park Street", and 25th Street was named "Temple Street" after his Mormon faith.
St. Paul's Catholic Church, at Valley and Church streets, was the setting for the movie Sister Act.
Attractions and characteristics
Like many other San Francisco neighborhoods, Noe Valley started out as a working-class neighborhood for employees and their families in the area's once-thriving blue-collar economy, but has since undergone successive waves of gentrificationGentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
and is now considered an upscale neighborhood. It is home to many urban professionals, particularly young couples with children, and it is not unusual for a well-maintained house in Noe Valley to sell for two million dollars or more.
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 accesses to the Mission District through 24th, Cesar Chavez and other numbered streets, and the main north–south Church Street access used by the J Church
J Church
The J Church is a Muni Metro railway line in San Francisco, California mainly serving the Noe Valley and Balboa Park neighborhoods, connecting them to downtown. It began as one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in 1917, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni...
Muni Light Rail.
Public transit includes the J Church, which runs down Church Street until 30th Street. The 24 Muni Bus also runs through Noe Valley. Its route comes from the north on Castro Street, and switches to Noe Street at Clipper Street. It then exits the neighborhood via 30th Street.
The neighborhood is primarily residential, although there are two bustling commercial strips. The first along 24th Street, between Church Street and Diamond Street, and the second, less dense corridor along Church Street, between 24th Street and 30th Street.