Half the field has already been eliminated in the Curbed Cup, our annual award to the San Francisco neighborhood of the year. This week we'll have two matchups apiece on Monday and Tuesday—with the polls left open for 24 hours—and by Wednesday only four contenders will be left vying for the prestigious fake trophy. Let the eliminations continue!
Noe Valley (left) photo via Ambience; NoPa photo (right) via Pacific Union
Next up, a face-off between Noe Valley and NoPa. Who advances? You decide!
In a recent report Curbed NY, our sister site, said that Noe Valley was akin to New York City's Greenwich Village. Although they were referring to cost per square foot, it's an apt comparison in more ways than one. Greenwich Village was traditionally a bohemian enclave until gentrification forces swept through and transformed it. Similarly, Noe Valley was once a blue collar neighborhood, that that's a thing of the long past. Economic boom times have come to this district, and it's impossible not to notice how many small cottages and modest homes have been remodeled to become large, modern houses. Recently, we've reported on apartments in the neighborhood that rent north of $3,500 and we routinely cover multi-million dollar sales in the area. There's also a host of nicer restaurants and shops—as well as a Whole Foods. The prosperity is even getting the long-stalled development of the former Real Foods going.
With cool restaurants, coffeeshops, and a newish Bi-Rite grocery, NoPa has long been considered a hotspot. Now it's experiencing heat in another realm: Housing. Right now, there are three residential developments in the works on Divisadero (notably, a 152-unit building planned for the site where Touchless Car Wash stands). That's not to say the restaurant revolution has slowed—Eater SF, our sister site, has reported a host of restaurant openings there in 2015.
· Where Should A New Yorker Live In San Francisco? [Curbed NYC]
· Eureka, Noe, Cole Valleys Reach New Heights in Luxury Market [Curbed SF]
· 11 Years After Closing, Owner of Noe Valley's Real Food Finally Ready to Build [Curbed SF]
· Plans Filed To Replace Divisadero Car Wash With Six-Story Development [Hoodline]
· NoPa restaurant coverage [Eater SF]