District 4: The Middle

Mr. Raffi enjoys the sun at Sunnyside Conservatory. Mr. Raffi, our real estate superdog, recently spent a relaxing afternoon soaking up the sun at the Sunnyside Conservatory on Monterey Boulevard. This charming community space, surrounded by lush grounds and historic architecture, is a true neighborhood treasure. The Conservatory’s revival is the result of a dedicated community effort. After raising millions of dollars, neighbors worked to restore the structure and its surroundings, transforming it into a vibrant space that blends history with modern use.

A bit of tree-lined, curvy road suburbia in the middle of San Francisco within sight of Sutro Tower

This is one of those rare San Francisco areas where you can get a taste of suburban or even ex-urban sprawl—often on a single level. And if your luck tips one way or another, you might end up with a house perched above a ravine or hillside, offering some sort of view. That view could be anything from open skies and greenery to Sutro Tower, a stand of eucalyptus trees, or your neighbor’s back deck.

The housing mix here is varied and full of surprises:

District 4 offers something rare in San Francisco—sprawling homes with suburban proportions. Some sit on a single level, while others perch over ravines or hillsides with dramatic rear views.

• Mid-century homes: Plenty of these populate the area, though many have been flipped in ways that prioritize function over style. Even when a home starts with architectural potential, reverence for its original design isn’t always part of the renovation equation.
• Storybook manors: Tucked along windy, hilly roads near the meeting point of Portola and Market Streets, these sprawling, Mediterranean-style homes add an air of old-school romance and charm.
• Villas, cottages, bungalows, and the occasional Tudor: These smaller, more character-driven homes are scattered throughout, breaking up the larger mid-century footprint.

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A Bit of Serene Fog…

The fog and relative isolation might make this area feel a little disconnected, but for many, that’s part of the appeal. The value, good schools, and proximity to freeways are major selling points, especially for families looking for more space than other neighborhoods can offer. This is an area where you might find yourself talking up its perks—“good schools, freeway access, great potential!”—even as you adjust to the chill and clouds.

But…

The trade-offs are clear (so to speak)—more fog, limited walkability, more suburban, more conservatively leaning, and a slow pace—but for many, the appeal lies in larger homes, good schools, fenced-in yards, an active HOA where landscaping is always in the fore. Oh, and there is freeway access. Many properties still feature original mid-century details, including asbestos siding, vintage furnaces, knob and tube electrical among other dubious early examples of home construction technology. Trust sales are common here, with probate being much less of a possibility as people here would have had it all mapped out quite naturally.

The individual neighborhoods really do have their own characteristics that are internally consistent but are very distinct from each other showing that the area developed incrementally.

• West Portal: Described as the ‘new’ Noe Valley, known for its mix of big art-deco era houses on bigger parcels, curvy streets and charming neighborhood feel along West Portal itself with shops, restaurants (with awnings) and where KLM MUNI lines come. Lots of foot traffic.
• Westwood Park, Westwood Highlands, Sherwood Forest: Featuring relatively larger homes on curvy and narrow streets with disposition towards families with children, multiple cars, where people own their homes for a long time before selling again
• Midtown Terrace: Known for practicality, space, and good schools. Isolated, with fog and surrounding trees. Clever remodels and updating will command premiums. Dense. 
• Forest Knolls, Hill + Extension: Varied homes, some with spectacular views, catalog perfect vs. fixers with potential. Curvy roads with a lot of trees. Exclusive and quiet. Car-dependent. Inventory from the 1930s-40s onwards, more challenging parcels only built on relatively recently as engineering improved. Some home have epic views or feel like you’re in the redwoods. 
• Mount Davidson: large, affordable swath of homes north of Ocean coming down from Monterrey of varying styles from the 1920s – 1940s that are detached. Sizable parcels and homes, fixers can be found, flipped houses are getting better quality-wise. 
• St. Francis Wood: Gated neighborhood with large, grand homes, reminiscent of Pasadena or San Marino with big houses, fountains, detached, varying styles but grand and big. Very much on purpose built this way from the 1920s and 1930s. Homes tend to be held for long time (buy with a young family, sell as empty nest or when parents die) 
• Diamond Heights: Modern building techniques fitting housing into hilly topography, featuring planned neighborhoods with angular architecture, more common to find larger floor plate designs/layout. 
• Miraloma Park: Densely packed homes with architectural details, increasingly remodeled.
• Sunnyside: Mix of marina-, craft- and art-deco style homes, undergoing demographic turnover with proximity to Glen Park and 280. Known for good schools and walkable playgrounds and affordability. Slow Street designation of Hearst. 
• Ingleside Terraces: Known for its unique houses with a mix of craftsman and Mediterranean style and wide streets/avenues. Feels a bit Spanish/Arizona/New Mexico.

MID-CENTURY TIME CAPSULES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE ASBESTOS

If you love mid-century design, you’re in for a treat—or a project. Many homes here retain their vintage mid-century details, though not all of them are charming. Read more about Mid-century Homes here.

The Subdistricts to the West of Twin Peaks

4A - Balboa Terrace

4B - Diamond Heights

Forest Hill — 4C and Its Extension — 4J4D - Forest Knolls

4E - Ingleside Terrace

St. Francis Wood — 4G

4M - Monterey Heights

4P - Westwood Highlands

4N - Mt. Davidson Manor

4R - Westwood Park

4H - Miraloma Park

4F - Midtown Terrace

4K - Sherwood Forest

4T - West Portal

4S - Sunnyside