From freeway-bisected loser to urban renaissance pedestrian paradise winner. Sunny. Central. Flat. Where Victorians make friends with modern condos. Great shops, boutiques, and restaurants served by great transit. A San Francisco success story.

More About Hayes Valley

Hayes Valley: trendy, upscale, vibrant, and reinvigorated. What used to be a not-so-posh neighborhood, cut in half by the elevated Central Freeway in the 1950s, has been transformed in the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The elevated road was damaged in the quake, and neighborhood activists campaigned to have it removed.

When it came down, Octavia Boulevard was no longer a darkened tunnel — it’s now a wide, tree-lined boulevard. Infill housing has sprouted up on most of the lots left empty by the ghosts of on- and off-ramps gone by. Hayes Street is a mecca of trendy boutiques, bars, and restaurants, and Patricia’s Green (named for Patricia Walkup, a huge force in the neighborhood’s improvement) provides a place to play, display art, eat ice cream, and visit with neighbors.

Hayes Valley FAQs

Where is Hayes Valley?

Hayes Valley is a neighborhood in central San Francisco. It is bordered by Haight Ashbury and Ashbury/Buena Vista Heights to the west, Alamo Square and the Western Addition to the north, Van Ness/Civic Center to the east, and South of Market, Mission Dolores, and Duboce Triangle to the south. On an SFAR (San Francisco Association of Realtors) MLS map, Hayes Valley is identified as neighborhood 6b.

Are there any notable historical landmarks or sites in Hayes Valley?

Hayes Creek once ran through this verdant landscape of wildflowers, way back when the Ohlone tribe of native people gathered food here. Today, the creek is entirely underground. Italian emigrants once developed produce farms here after the 1849 Gold Rush, and much of the area survived the catastrophic 1906 earthquake and fire.

Notable landmarks include the San Francisco Zen Center at 300 Page Street. Originally designed by architect Julia Morgan and built as a residence club in 1922 for single Jewish women, the Italianate brick structure now hosts resident Zen students and their teachers.

Nearby, the 6,900-square foot Charles Dietle House is a stick-style private residence designed by Henry Geilfuss and built in 1878, and is now a San Francisco Designated Landmark.

What is there to do in Hayes Valley?

Hayes Valley is one of the city’s most on-trend neighborhoods, and the main shopping corridor on Hayes Street features many upscale clothing boutiques, dessert shops, watering holes, and restaurants. The revitalized area is also home to a park with art installations, a children’s playground, picnic tables, and tennis and basketball courts.

Hayes Valley is a next-door neighbor to many of San Francisco’s most notable performing arts institutions, including the ballet, opera, and theater. The neighborhood makes for a convenient dinner-and-a-show destination, with lively foot traffic around performance times.

How does the community vibe in Hayes Valley contribute to its real estate appeal?

Hayes Valley enjoyed and maintains a revitalized character after the removal of the earthquake-damaged Central Freeway in the early aughts. Now home to a busting and trendy shopping district, it is now one of the more sought-after neighborhoods in San Francisco real estate.

Beautifully restored Victorians coexist with modern condos and apartments, and residents enjoy many public transit options and quick access to both downtown and a 101 entrance ramp. Nicknamed “Cerebral Valley” in the early 2020s by the local tech community, Hayes Valley is also home to many generative AI-focused communities, startups, and “hacker houses.”

Where can I find new construction in Hayes Valley?

As an “already built” neighborhood, Hayes Valley is not a neighborhood where you should expect to find substantial new construction projects. Smaller developers may renovate/flip existing properties, or may take advantage of recent housing laws to add additional units to already existing housing. Transit corridors and major neighborhood streets are the most likely areas for new construction buildings in already built neighborhoods with existing housing stock.

What are the average home prices in Hayes Valley and how have they trended?

You can scroll up to see our market charts showing current neighborhood prices and other real estate trends for Hayes Valley. We update these charts dynamically as new data becomes available. Reach out to us to learn more about prices, trends, and possibilities in Hayes Valley.