Noe Valley Overview:
In the geographical center of San Francisco, Noe Valley is a neighborhood of upper-middle class liberals and independent small businesses. Traffic along Noe Valley's main drag, 24th Street, often comes to a standstill as neighbors with baby strollers and pooches stop to chat. Every block has well-maintained Victorian houses, vestiges from when Noe Valley was the edge of the city and populated by Scandinavian and German immigrants, dairy farmers, longshoremen and teachers. With Twin Peaks blocking the fog from the ocean, the Valley often basks in the sun while the Richmond shivers.
Noe Valley Boundaries:
Noe Valley is bordered by Grand View Avenue on the west, 21st Street on the north, Dolores Street on the east, and 30th Street on the south.
Noe Valley Demographics:
Noe Valley has about 21,000 residents, mostly yuppie singles and young families with a sprinkling of retirees. The median age is 36, according to City-Data.com. Whites comprise about 70% of the neighborhood population, Hispanics, 15% and Asians, 7%. Almost 37% of the residents are California-born; nearly 44% were born in another state.
Rent & Real Estate in Noe Valley:
Noe Valley is one of San Francisco's most desirable neighborhoods to live in; it’s not unusual for a seller to receive multiple offers and bids above the asking price. In June 2009, houses sold for an average price of $1.17 million, as reported in the Noe Valley Voice, a monthly paper. For condominiums, the average sales price was $826,250. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $2,856 per month.
Food & Restaurants in Noe Valley:
24th Street between Church and Castro has everything from burrito and bagel shops to French and Peruvian bistros. On Church Street between 26th and 30th streets is a smattering of eateries as well. Here are a few Noe Valley favorites:
Eric’s, Church Street at 27th, 282-0919. Northern Chinese; expect a wait.
Firefly, 4288 24th, 821-7652. Cosmopolitan Californian.
Fresca, 3945 24th, 695-0549. Modernized Peruvian.
Le Zinc, 4063 24th, 647-9400. Channel Paris with the escargots or steak tartare.
24th Street Cheese Co., 3893 24th, 821-6658. Global cheese.
Noe Valley Nightlife:
Except for a few bars, Noe Valley is sleepy after 11 p.m. Head to the Mission or the Castro for more action. A few local bars:
Bliss Bar, 4026 24th St., 826-6200
The Dubliner, 3838 24th St., 826-2279
Noe’s Bar, 24th and Church, 282-4007
Valley Tavern, 4054 24th St., 285-0674
Shopping in Noe Valley:
Noe Valley is a small-business mecca where you can find San Francisco-designed dresses, soufflé dishes, make-overs, baby toys, jewelry, vodka, roses and realtors, stained-glass windows and wrenches. Twenty-fourth Street is a shopoholic’s heaven. Some of the more specialized stores:
- Cooks Boulevard, 1309 Castro St., 647-2665
- Just Awesome, 816 Diamond St. 970-1484. Board and other games galore.
- San Francisco Mystery Bookstore, 4175 24th St., 282-7444
- See Jane Run, 3910 24th St., 401-8338
- Tuggey’s Hardware, 3885 24th St., 282-5081
Government Services & Essentials in Noe Valley:
- SF Board of Supervisors representative for Noe Valley: Bevan Dufty
- Police: Mission Station, 630 Valencia St., near 17th Street
- Post Office: 4083 24th St.
- Public Transportation:
J-Church streetcar
Buses # 24, 35, 48
BART: 24th & Mission station
- Pharmacy: Walgreens, at Castro & Jersey streets.
- Banks:
Chase, 3998 24th St.
Wells Fargo, 4045B 24th St.
Bank of America, 4098 24th St.
- Library: Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Memorial Branch Library
451 Jersey St., near Castro; 355-5707.
Closed Mondays.
Noe Valley Schools:
Active, involved parents have been indispensable to Noe Valley's public schools, which include:
Alvarado Elementary School
625 Douglass St., at Alvarado; 695-5695
Strong arts curriculum, with an artist-in-residence.
James Lick Middle School
1220 Noe St., at 25th St.; 695-5675
Spanish-immersion classes. Alumnus Carlos Santana has left his mark in front of the school.
Noe Valley Churches:
- Noe Valley Ministry (on Sanchez near Elizabeth Street), a Presbyterian church, also serves as a community center that hosts a pre-school, music series, senior lunch program and Scottish dancing.
- St. Paul’s (at Church and Valley streets), a century-old, American Gothic Revival giant and the neighborhood’s oldest Catholic church, runs an elementary school.
- St. Philip’s (at Diamond and Elizabeth streets) operates a pre-school and an elementary school.
Neighborhood Issues
Tech Buses: Giant buses shuttling Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and other tech employees between Noe Valley and the Peninsula cause congestion and noise, some 30th Street residents complain. The tech companies say the buses save money and the environment. The SF County Transportation Authority is studying the matter.Empty Storefronts: Even yuppie Noe Valley has been hit by the recession, as evidenced by the handful of empty shop spaces on 24th Street. In the good old days, no storefront was vacant for more than a month, if that.
Grocery Shopping: Noe Valley was supermarket-less for most of 2009 until Whole Foods opened in September, taking over the 24th Street site of the 41-year-old Bell Market. Whole Foods, also popularly called "Whole Paycheck," is relatively pricey, driving many residents to continue trekking out of Noe Valley to the nearest Safeways, on Diamond Heights Boulevard, on Mission Street, and on Market Street near Church.
