Diamond Heights
by Nabewise
Infomation
The hillsides of Diamond Heights, just south of touristyTwin Peaks, were undeveloped until the 50s and 60s resulting in a young nabe with an architecturally homogeneous aesthetic. Shingled apartment buildings and condominiums are the rule to property here. Its development was the first time the city built around the natural topography, creating a nabe that flows rhythmically around its many hills. Diamond Heights includes a shopping plaza and is well serviced by Muni Metro.
Data : Neighborhoods & Travel – Score out of 100
Reviews
Safe, quiet, great views!
This is a nice, family oriented neighborhood with beautiful views of the eastern part of the city including all of downtown and the Bay Bridge. You will find many single family homes and home owners associations up here, which adds to the sense of community that you’ll find. There is a centrally located shopping center which supplies all of your basic needs, very close to Glen Park where you will find restaurants, shops, a library,BART, and easy access to the freeway.
Jayne-Louise Webb
Diamond in the Rough
Welcome to Diamond Heights, where you’ll always find a place to park. (Shocking, I know—I’ll give you a second to recover.) This quiet, relaxing nabe is about as residential as the city gets. Blocky houses come in two flavors—stucco and shingled—but have their own demented 1960s charm. The rolling hills allow for some killer views of the city and bay, and Glen Canyon is just about in your backyard if you feel inspired to connect with nature. Unsurprisingly, this nabe is filled with families and older retirees who want some respite from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco.
This nabe doesn’t have much in the way of excitement, true; a local strip mall is pretty much all there is to distract you when you get tired of looking at trees, houses, and fog. But it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Glen Park BART station or Forest Hill Muni Metro station, making it ideally situated for connecting to the rest of the city by public transportation. Diamond Heights is the best of both worlds in terms of a city homestead: a place of refuge that’s secluded but not isolated from the things that make San Francisco such a wonderful and exciting place to live. One of the top nabes to raise kids.
quiet, spacious, suburban without being stifling, well-connected to public transportation, close to playground and dog park
nothing here but houses, right on the fog line, can be boring, occasionally loud events like walkathons at nearby SOTA High School
Alexandra
Every city needs a Diamond Heights- for the families
There really isn’t much there. There’s a little shopping center with a Safeway and a Walgreens, and there are homes and condos. It’s clearly a place that’s brimming with families, and that’s about all there is to offer. But somehow, that seems alright. In Diamond Heights it’s enough to just be a young family looking for a place to raise your kids, because that’s what everyone else is looking for too.
Kati S
Hills and Trees
Diamond Heights is all hills, trees and condos. It is very much a family oriented nabe. There’s not much to it except homes, condos (over looking the city, which I’ve always been curious to see from inside a residence), and a couple of parks. There’s a curious little park and playground you can get to inside the main shopping center, which features one of the better Safeways in the entire city (complete with Starbucks inside). Diamond Heights is super quiet and, being so high on a hill, you get blue skies and a bit more sun than other nabes in San Francisco. I can see why it’s a popular living locale for families.
Kristine J.
Calling all condos
Diamond Heights should be so much better than it is. It’s a great location and has some amazing views but the property is really boring. Rows and rows of apartments and condos, which are fine but not my cup of tea. I guess I’m saying it lacks character. Having said that, there’s a convenient shopping center and a few good restaurants.
Gena F.