Curbed Cup 1st Round: (8) The Mission vs. (9) Noe Valley

It's impossible to sum up the explosive change the Mission has experienced in 2013 in one paragraph, but we'll try. There are new condos going up monthly, which makes the neighborhood very appealing to new demographics. It's the district everyone wants to live and dine in, so much so that the city's even considered banning new restaurants from opening along gentrification-happy Valencia Street. New condos sell like hotcakes, and weird entertainment venues continue to try to open up shop. Many people who have lived in the neighborhood for more than five minutes are justifiably concerned about the rapid change the neighborhood's experiencing, and only time will tell how well the 'hood will embrace and hold onto the character its historically known for.

Noe Valley has solidified its reputation as the go-to neighborhood for well-heeled families to put down roots. It's where you can play stroller spotter, and the single-family homes that are move-in ready sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars above their asking price all the time. It's where homes get flipped and the neighborhood where Twitter head honcho Evan Williams just sold his house for $205K over asking.