Curbed Cup 1st round: (6) Dogpatch vs. (11) Nob Hill

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, kicks off with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (albeit fake) trophy. We’ll reveal each of the neighborhoods this week, and polls will be open for 24 hours so you can cast your vote as to which hoods should advance. Let the eliminations begin!

Dogpatch

Half industrial and half residential, Dogpatch, located on the eastern side of the city, adjacent to the waterfront and to the east of Potrero Hill, was once a neighborhood filled with working-class residents. But after the 1990s, an upper middle-class change occurred. Today the ‘hood stands on the precipice of becoming—for better or for worse—the next Mission.

Tech companies moved in. Artisan ice cream and barbecue joints took hold. And new housing sprouted up. (Both Stanley Saitowitz and David Baker have made their marks here.)

Culture-wise, Dogpatch has it in spades. Most notably, the Minnesota Street Project made the biggest name for itself, featuring local and world-renowned art.

What’s more, this neighborhood has the greatest name, period. After all, who doesn’t love dogs? But just how this area got its name, and what it has to do with canines, is anyone’s guess.

The name "Dogpatch" was used for this area well before World War II. Popular hypotheses include the abundance of dogfennel that grows wild here; the fictional setting of comic strip Li'l Abner, called Dogpatch; and the packs of dogs that used to hunt for discarded meat parts from nearby Butchertown.

But above all, remember one thing: “Please note that it isn’t ‘the’ Dogpatch,” says commenter JacksonSF42. “Just Dogpatch.”

Photo by Plus Lee

Nob Hill

What Nob Hill lacks in affordable housing, it makes up for in beauty and location. Choice examples of residential spots in this tony neighborhood range from thais $7.9 million abode to a contemporary $4.5 million stunner.

But make no mistake—Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights this is not. Nob Hill set a good example by building numerous single-unit residential structures. Sure, they cost a pretty penny these days, rent-wise, but these buildings are a choice example for other neighborhoods (ahem, SoMa and Castro) to follow.

And few neighborhoods can boast they have one of the city’s best parks, Huntington Park, sitting between a handful of the San Francisco’s most glorious structures (Grace Cathedral, the Pacific-Union Club, Huntington Hotel).

Best of all, Nob Hill has the country’s only moving national landmark, the cable cars, running through it. Doesn’t get more SF than cable cars and hills.

But now, the decision is in your hands: Which area should make it to the finals? Cast your vote below, and may the best neighborhood win. Remember, polls close in 24 hours.