Laurel Heights & Presidio Heights NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

Laurel Heights and Presidio Heights are small, affluent neighborhoods just east of Inner Richmond and south of the Presidio. Mansions line the border between the Presidio, a federal land reserve, and Presidio Heights, the swankier of the two neighborhoods.

Some of San Francisco’s largest homes, mostly in the Edwardian architectural style with coveted private lots, can be found in Presidio Heights. At one time much of Laurel Heights, which sits directly below Presidio Heights, was a vast burial ground called the Laurel Hill Cemetery. In 1941 these final resting places were relocated to Colma, south of San Francisco. This means that most homes were built after 1941, and tend towards modernist single-family homes, apartments, and townhouses.

Both neighborhoods boast orderly streets lined with foliage and upscale homes with front lawns. California Street divides the two neighborhoods, with the Laurel Hills Shopping Village near the center, providing all major amenities to both neighborhoods. Geary Boulevard at the southern border of Laurel Heights is also a commercial zone, where ethnic fare and some nightlife can be found.

Laurel Heights is bordered by the University of California San Francisco campus to the east and the University of San Francisco to the south, blending a younger crowd in with the many families and older residents. The area hosts excellent public schools, including the lauded Roosevelt Middle School, and both neighborhoods have public playgrounds. Additionally, Presidio Heights borders open park land, and the Laurel Hill playground is frequented by City College students who organize free activities for children as part of a teaching laboratory.

As with any western neighborhood, fog is a frequent guest, especially in the summer, but it pairs well with the quiet ambience of these neighborhoods.

But there’s much more to them than empty, foggy streets. Buses connect the neighborhoods to downtown, and Laurel Heights is home to the Vogue Theatre, one of San Francisco’s oldest operating cinemas, and the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, which offers many public programs. A Farmer’s Market appears on Sunday just to the east, and anyone with a hankering for a traditional English-style pub will be delighted by Pig and Whistle.

These are perfect neighborhoods for couples looking to start a family or families looking to move to a bigger home.

Laurel Heights and Presidio Heights are bordered on the north by Presidio, on the east by Lower Pacific Heights, on the south by the University of San Francisco, and on the west by Inner Richmond.