San Francisco Neighborhoods · Laurel Heights / Jordan Park
Laurel Heights / Jordan Park
Transition zoneA hushed, leafy enclave of grand homes and old money south of California Street, where stately mansions, a tidy shopping village, and a buried cemetery past coexist quietly.
- Grand planned-tract homes
- Quiet, affluent streets
- Laurel Village shopping
- Michelin dining nearby
On the map
Open Laurel Heights / Jordan Park on the map →The story
Beneath these quiet streets lies the former Laurel Hill Cemetery, one of San Francisco's "Big Four" burial grounds, which interred the city's elite from the 1850s. As the growing city ran out of room, voters banned new burials in 1900, and by the 1940s the remaining graves were exhumed and the dead relocated to Colma. Meanwhile, developer James Clark Jordan had laid out Jordan Park around 1906 as an upscale planned tract, lining its blocks with the grand homes that still define the neighborhood today.
Things most people don’t know
A neighborhood atop a cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery once covered much of this area, holding tens of thousands of San Franciscans. It was one of the city's "Big Four" cemeteries clustered near Lone Mountain.
The great removal to Colma
After San Francisco banned new burials in 1900, the city eventually ordered the cemeteries cleared. By the 1940s Laurel Hill's remains were disinterred and moved south to Colma, freeing the land for housing.
Jordan Park's grand tract
Developer James Clark Jordan began laying out Jordan Park around 1906 as an exclusive residential tract. Its wide, well-kept blocks of stately homes remain among the city's most prized.
Laurel Village shopping
The Laurel Village center along the 3500 block of California Street has anchored neighborhood errands since the 1940s. Its grocers, cafés, and shops draw residents from across the surrounding hills.
The 3333 California campus
The large complex at 3333 California St began as Fireman's Fund headquarters and later housed UCSF's Laurel Heights campus. It has since been redeveloped into a mixed-use residential and academic site.
Eating and drinking
Restaurants
- Spruce · 3640 Sacramento St
- Sociale · 3665 Sacramento St
- Sorrel · 3228 Sacramento St
- Boichik Bagels · 3665 Sacramento St
- Bryan's Grocery · 3445 California St
Bars
- Scopo Divino · 2800 California St
- Spruce Bar · 3640 Sacramento St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. The 1 California trolleybus runs along the southern edge toward downtown and the Richmond, with the 2 Clement, 33 Ashbury/18th, and 43 Masonic adding crosstown connections nearby.
Nearest hospital. CPMC Van Ness Campus, 1101 Van Ness Ave (about 1.5 mi)
Thinking about Laurel Heights / Jordan Park?
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