San Francisco Neighborhoods · Forest Knolls
Forest Knolls
Fog zoneA quiet, woodsy 1960s hillside enclave of mid-century modern homes wrapped in the eucalyptus of Mount Sutro's cloud-like fog.
- Tucked into the Mount Sutro forest
- Winding, low-traffic streets
- Mid-century modern architecture
- Steps from UCSF and Cole Valley
On the map
Open Forest Knolls on the map →The story
Forest Knolls sits on the western slopes of Mount Sutro and was built out between roughly 1959 and 1963 as a subdivision of single-family homes, many in the mid-century modern style with the living areas upstairs over a ground-floor garage. The hillside above it is the Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve, a forest that traces back to Adolph Sutro, who bought hundreds of acres west of Twin Peaks in 1880. Beginning around San Francisco's first Arbor Day in 1886, Sutro planted the slopes with blue gum eucalyptus, Monterey pine and Monterey cypress, creating the woods that still shade the neighborhood. The reserve is now owned and managed by UC San Francisco, whose Parnassus campus sits just over the hill.
Things most people don’t know
Mount Sutro forest
The neighborhood wraps around the Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve, a roughly 61-acre eucalyptus forest crisscrossed with trails.
Sutro's trees
Adolph Sutro planted the hillside with blue gum eucalyptus, Monterey pine and Monterey cypress starting around 1886.
Mid-century modern
Most homes were built between about 1959 and 1963, many with sleek mid-century facades and living space stacked over a garage.
Foggy and green
Fog drifting through the dense canopy gives the slopes a cloud-forest feel even in summer.
Eating and drinking near Forest Knolls
Forest Knolls is primarily residential — these sit in the Inner Sunset, Cole Valley.
Restaurants
- Marnee Thai · 1243 9th Ave
- San Tung · 1031 Irving St
- Zazie · 941 Cole St
Bars
- InoVino · 108B Carl St
- Cole Valley Tavern · 900 Cole St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. The 36-Teresita bus climbs the hill and connects to Forest Hill Station; the 43-Masonic runs nearby. Downhill, the N-Judah Muni Metro and Forest Hill Station reach downtown.
Nearest hospital. UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus, 400 Parnassus Ave (about 0.7 mi)
Thinking about Forest Knolls?
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.