San Francisco Neighborhoods · Clarendon Heights
Clarendon Heights
Transition zoneA hushed hilltop of big homes and bigger views, tucked right under the red-and-white legs of Sutro Tower.
- Sweeping bay-to-ocean views
- Steps from Mount Sutro forest
- Right below Sutro Tower
- Quiet, leafy, residential
On the map
Open Clarendon Heights on the map →The story
Clarendon Heights took shape as a mid-20th-century residential area climbing the north slopes below Mount Sutro and Twin Peaks, named for Clarendon Avenue, which threads up the hill. Single-family homes filled the steep lots through the 1940s and 1950s. The 977-foot Sutro Tower, completed in 1973, rose directly above the enclave, and the wooded Interior Greenbelt and Mount Sutro forest at its back have long defined its quiet, view-rich character.
Things most people don’t know
Sutro Tower looms overhead
The 977-foot red-and-white TV and radio tower, completed in 1973, sits directly above the neighborhood and is visible across much of the city.
Views in every direction
Hillside homes here capture sweeping panoramas, from the bay and downtown to the Pacific and the western avenues.
Backed by a hidden forest
The Interior Greenbelt and the eucalyptus woods of Mount Sutro climb right behind the homes, with trails just steps away.
Purely residential enclave
There are no shops or restaurants within Clarendon Heights itself — it's a small, affluent pocket of large single-family homes.
Named for Clarendon Avenue
The neighborhood takes its name from the winding avenue that climbs the hill, connecting it toward Twin Peaks and Laguna Honda.
Eating and drinking near Clarendon Heights
Clarendon Heights is primarily residential — these sit in Cole Valley, the Haight.
Bars
- Cole Valley Tavern · 900 Cole St
- Toronado · 547 Haight St
- Aub Zam Zam · 1633 Haight St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. The 37 Corbett climbs through the neighborhood; the 33 and 43 run nearby, and Forest Hill Station is a short ride away.
Nearest hospital. UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus, 505 Parnassus Ave (about 1 mi)
Thinking about Clarendon Heights?
Send me an address and I will come back with its sun, wind and fog, what is under it, and what has closed on the block.