Home > Your Personal Side > City Guides > San Francisco > Neighborhoods > West of Twin Peaks District

West of Twin Peaks District

When the Twin Peaks tunnel opened in February 1918, it cut the trolley-time commute to downtown by 20 minutes, which then opened up the western part of the city to greater neighborhood development. The West of Twin Peaks District—so named because it lies west of the two 900-foot hills known as "Twin Peaks"—was originally part of the San Miguel Rancho. When neighborhood development began, noted architects and planners (such as Mark Daniels, the Olmsted Brothers, Henry Gutterson, and Joseph Leonard) decided against the standard grid-style street design. Instead, they created "residence parks" with wide, curving, beautifully landscaped boulevards, making this a very inviting area. The neighborhoods in the West of Twin Peaks District include:

• Diamond Heights
• Forest Hill/Forest Knolls
• Glen Park
• Midtown Terrace
• Miraloma Park
• St. Francis Wood
• West Portal

View healthcare facilities in this district

Diamond Heights
Even with its panoramic views of downtown San Francisco, the Bay, and the Pacific Ocean, the quiet Diamond Heights neighborhood has a suburban feel. Housing in the area consists of apartments, condominiums, and single-family dwellings with small backyards. Many of the homes here were built in the 1960s by Joseph Eichler, a forward-thinker whose architecture emphasized bold designs, such as walls of glass, radiant-heat flooring, and open-air atriums off the kitchen.

The neighborhood is bordered by Diamond Heights Boulevard to the north and east, Sussex Street to the south, and Glen Canyon Park to the west. Many of the residents are the original owners of Eichler homes, giving the neighborhood a solid, well-established, family atmosphere. But it's also favored by young professionals, students, and artists because of the convenient commute to downtown. Diamond Heights has several neighborhood markets and shops, and is the hub for a number of bus lines.

Forest Hill/Forest Knolls
Once part of a 4,000-acre ranch owned by the last Mexican mayor of San Francisco, Jose Noe, the Forest Hill neighborhood now is predominantly upper-income single-family homes on large lots—some of the largest lots of any neighborhood. The streets and common areas in this exclusive neighborhood are maintained by the Forest Hill Association (the neighborhood property owners association), for which the residents pay a yearly fee. There is no neighborhood shopping here; residents generally use the shopping district in West Portal.

Forest Knolls, located to the north of Forest Hill, also offers detached homes with large yards, and a homeowners association that maintains the tree-lined streets. Residents also appreciate the underground wiring, and great views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge. Both areas have excellent access to public transportation. The Forest Hill/Forest Knolls neighborhoods are bordered by the University of California San Francisco to the north, West Portal Avenue to the east, Dewey Boulevard to the south, and Ninth Street to the west.

Glen Park
Situated on the lower slopes of Diamond Heights, Glen Park is a quiet neighborhood with modest homes and tended gardens. The houses here are an interesting mix of Victorians, modern architecture, apartment buildings, and 1940s-era construction. The neighborhood is ethnically diverse and family-oriented, and offers a small-town atmosphere with big-city perks. Downtown is only a short drive or BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) ride from Glen Park.

The neighborhood shopping "village" is delightfully old-fashioned, with a local deli, bakery, and dressmaker's shop, but it also has coffeehouses, bookshops, a pizza place, an upscale restaurant, a cheese shop, a taqueria, and other small stores. Glen Park is bounded by Sussex Street to the north, Chenery Street to the east, Bosworth Street to the south, and Glen Canyon Park to the west. Offering two miles of trails through eucalyptus trees, Glen Canyon Park is a favorite spot for hikers, joggers, and walkers. The park is dog-friendly, and has plenty of green space for picnics and other outdoor activities.

Midtown Terrace
One of the newer housing developments of San Francisco, Midtown Terrace offers a wonderful vantage point from which to view San Bruno Mountain and Mount Davidson. This is a family-friendly neighborhood, with single-family homes that have both front and back yards. If you live here, however, you live on a hill.

Midtown Terrace Playground (on Clarendon Avenue at Olympia Way) is a fenced-in area with bucket swings, sandboxes, and slides. There are no neighborhood shops in Midtown Terrace, but there is easy access to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). The neighborhood's boundaries are roughly Clarendon Avenue and Panorama Drive to the north, Aquavista Way to the east, Woodside Avenue to the south, and Laguna Honda Boulevard to the west.

Miraloma Park
Built on a hillside, Miraloma Park is one of San Francisco's planned communities. The neighborhood has single-family dwellings, distinct because of the "Mother Goose" style of architecture—each one resembles a fairytale castle. The neighborhood has landscaped boulevards and winding streets, and many homes back onto the heavily forested slopes of Mount Davidson. The neighborhood's boundaries are roughly Portola Drive to the north, O'Shaughnessy Boulevard to the east, Mangels Avenue to the south, Mount Davidson Park to the west.

St. Francis Wood
The entry gates and large fountain in the circular entrance plaza should indicate that St. Francis Wood is an elite neighborhood. Originally designed as a residence park, St. Francis Wood consists of a tract homes, but this is tract housing on an elegant, distinguished, and grand scale. The original planners of this neighborhood banned businesses in the area and buried the utilities beneath the sidewalks, making this a very desirable (and exclusive) place to live. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by West Portal Avenue to the north and west, Monterey Boulevard to the east, and Ocean Avenue to the south.

West Portal
As the commercial hub of the West of Twin Peaks District, West Portal is the main link to downtown San Francisco via the Twin Peaks Tunnel. The name of the neighborhood is taken from its being the west portal of the Tunnel; it was San Francisco's first "urban suburb."

On West Portal Avenue at the neighborhood's eastern boundary, you'll find an eclectic mix of trendy boutiques, specialty shops, hardware stores, bookstores, groceries, antique shops, spa services, hair salons, and cafés. The restaurants in West Portal feature a wide variety of international cuisine. The neighhood's boundaries are roughly Taraval Street to the north, West Portal Avenue to the east, Sloat Boulevard to the south, and 19th Street to the west. Although the heart of West Portal is its bustling commercial district, the residential area has a small-town atmosphere, and the residents are proud of their rather sedate, middle-class lifestyle. Homes here are detached and have huge yards, by San Francisco standards.

Healthcare facilities in the West of Twin Peaks District:

• Laguna Honda Hospital