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Potrero Hill is a residential neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is known for being one of the sunniest neighborhoods in the city and having view of the skyline, Sutro Tower, Twin Peaks, and the bay. A working-class neighborhood until gentrification in the late 1990s, it is now an affluent area and home to some of the highest-income residents in the city according to the United States Census Bureau. Christian Leonard, What's the richest San Francisco neighborhood?, San Francisco Chronicle. Jan 11, 2024
The neighborhood is a popular location for movies and television shows because production can capture sweeping views, steep hills, and a residential area all in one shot.Amanda Bartlett, 'A visual feast': Potrero Hill is the unlikely star of your favorite SF movies, SF Gate. Oct 26, 2021
The area east of Highway 280 between Mariposa and Cesar Chavez (and west of the waterfront) is known as Dogpatch. Dogpatch was originally part of Potrero Nuevo and its history is closely tied to Potrero Hill. The City has Dogpatch in its neighborhood plans. Dogpatch has its own neighborhood association but shares merchant association, Democratic caucuses, and general neighborhood matters with Potrero Hill.
According to Google Earth, the highest point in the neighborhood is 104 meters (about 341 feet) above sea level, at the site of a water tower that was demolished in 2006.
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With the start of the California Gold Rush in 1848, San Francisco experienced unprecedented rapid growth. Townsend envisioned developing Potrero Hill as a community for migrants and their newfound riches. Townsend, a good friend of de Haro, approached him about dividing his land into individual lots and selling them. De Haro, with his land rights already challenged and fearing that the United States government would now strip him of Potrero Nuevo, agreed to Townsend's suggestion. Together with surveyor Jasper O'Farrell, recent emigrant Cornelius De Boom, and John Sutter, they hashed out the grid and street names. Townsend named the north-south streets after American states (Arkansas, Utah, Kansas, etc.) and the east-west streets after California counties (Mariposa, Alameda, Butte, Santa Clara, etc.). At this time, Potrero Hill was not part of San Francisco, so the men marketed this area as "South San Francisco".Lester Zeidman, "Potrero Hill's Street Names Tell California's History", Potrero View, August 2010, page 11
Historians speculate that "merging the United States with the counties of California would attract homesick easterners" and their newly acquired gold-rush riches to settle in the neighborhood. There is also speculation that Townsend named the north-south streets after states which he had been to, with Pennsylvania Ave (his home state) being an extra wide street. However, there is no record of Townsend ever having been to Texas or Florida, whose names appear as streets. Another theory is that battleships named after the states were the source of the street names. The east-west county street names survived until 1895, but as the city expanded, the Post Office demanded a simplification of the street grids. Most of the county streets took the names of the numbered streets that connected them to downtown, but because they didn't all line up exactly, a few county streets survived (such as Mariposa and Alameda).
By the standard of the mid-nineteenth century, Potrero Hill was not a convenient location to get to—it was still separated by Mission Bay, which was not yet filled in. Prospective buyers partly deemed Potrero Hill too far away and were wary of De Haro's uncertainty as legal owner of the land. As a result, only a few lots were sold.KELLEY & VERPLANCK, Showplace Square Survey, SAN FRANCISCO PLANNING DEPARTMENT, 2009 Francisco De Haro passed away in 1849 and was buried in Mission Dolores.
Development eventually came in the early 1850s, not in the form of rich gold-miners envisioned by Townsend, but in a more blue-collar variety. The forerunner of PG&E opened a plant in the eastern shores of Potrero Hill (modern day Dogpatch) in 1852. Not long after, a gunpowder factory (gunpowder was vital for gold mining) opened nearby; then shipyards, iron factories, and warehouses followed. In 1856, San Francisco Cordage (agents: Tubbs & Co.) opened its extensive manufactory of Manila rope. Potrero Point experienced a minor boom in housing as factory workers preferred to live nearby. The opening of the Long Bridge in the 1860s would drastically change the dynamics of Potrero Hill.
In August 1906 a group of Spiritual Christians from Russia (Molokan and a few Pryguny) arrived from Hawaii, where they refused to farm sugar cane, but some got work with the steamship lines and were transferred to San Francisco. More Molokans arrived from Los Angeles, Russia and Manchuria. By 1928 they built a 2-story meeting hall on Carolina street, and soon organized the Russian Sectarian Cemetery in Colma with Spiritual Christian Baptists, Evangelicals and Adventists from Russia.George John Poppin, The Molokans - A little-known sect on Potrero Hill,Molokane.org.
By the early 1900s, a large concentration of European immigrants had settled. The new immigrants, now displaced by the earthquake and fire, had the burden of starting a new home and the strains of entering a new culture. Rev. William E. Parker, Jr., pastor of Olivet Presbyterian Church at 19th and Missouri Street took action by opening his home and began offering English classes. Initially the classes were held for men and later offered for women and youth. In 1918, the growing needs of the neighborhood warranted the incorporation of the Neighborhood House under the California Synodical Society of Home Missions, an organization of Presbyterian Church women. In 1919, renowned architect Julia Morgan was commissioned to design a permanent neighborhood house, now at 953 De Haro Street. On June 11, 1922, the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, fondly nick-named "the NABE", was completed.
The two earliest residential neighborhoods were the Irish Hill and Dutchman's Flat (both located in modern-day Dogpatch). The infamous Irish Hill, located east of Illinois St and right next to the factories, housed mainly Irish factory workers in boarding houses. Irish gangs were formed and crimes were rampant. Irish Hill was leveled for use as landfill and the residents displaced in 1918. Found SF: Irish Hill.
half of Potrero Hill's population at this time was Irish immigrants; Scots, Swiss, Russians, Slovenians, Serbians and Italians made up most of the remaining population. Native born whites made up less than 20% of the population. Today, the remnant of these ethnic groups' heritage is still visible, such as Slovenian Hall on Mariposa St. and the First Russian Christian Molokans Church on Carolina St.
The United States' decision to enter WWII created an industrial boom in Dogpatch, led by the shipyards that constructed Navy ships. Potrero Hill's South Slope experienced a significant increase in housing and population as a result.
In the 1950s the James Lick Freeway (US Route 101) that slices through the neighborhood was constructed amid much controversy. To obtain the necessary land for the freeways, some residents were forced to vacate their homes in exchange for significantly below-market prices paid by the government. In the 1960s, another freeway (Interstate 280) was constructed along Potrero Hill's East side amid similar controversies.
| { class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:1em" | + Population | |
| 13,770 | ||
| 47% |
| + Income |
| $155,083 |
| $161,400 |
| $84,521 |
| + Households |
| 6,070 |
| 52% |
| 48% |
| 28% |
| 29% |
| 18% |
| 2.3 |
| 2.9 |
| + Race/Ethnicity |
| 64% |
| 16% |
| 14% |
| 13% |
| 6% |
| 0.5% |
| 0.2% |
| valign="top" |
| + Educational Attainment |
| 10% |
| 16% |
| 39% |
| 36% |
|}
The historic San Francisco Flower Market moved to its new location at Potrero Hill and opened on Jan 2, 2025.James Salazar, Historic SF Flower Market ready for 'next phase', San Francisco Examiner. Oct 8, 2024
The stretch of Vermont Street between 20th Street and 22nd Street has many switchbacks, similar to the tourist attraction Lombard Street, known as "the most crooked street in the world." Vermont Street features a series of seven sharp turns, making it more crooked than better-known Lombard Street. (Vermont, while steeper than Lombard, has one fewer turn).
The hub of Potrero Hill is the 18th Street corridor that features many trendy restaurants. 18th Street runs through the heart of the north side of the hill and is home to three blocks that serve as the primary shopping and dining spot in the neighborhood. SFGate San Francisco Neighborhood Guide; last accessed 16 February 2008. SF Weekly Restaurant Guide; last accessed 16 February 2008. ; last accessed 16 February 2008. SF Station, "A Magnificent Potrero Hill Trio"; last accessed 16 February 2008.
The powder blue water tower, located near 22nd Street and Wisconsin Street, was demolished in mid-2006 (as part of a seismic upgrade and due to the fact that it was no longer needed). The main campus of the California Culinary Academy was located at 350 Rhode Island Street until 2017. The facilities included professional kitchens, student-staffed restaurants, lecture classrooms, a library, and a culinary laboratory. At the foot of Potrero Hill is the campus of the California College of the Arts and the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts.
The Anchor Brewing Company operated a brewery and distillery on Mariposa Street, between Carolina and De Haro Streets. It produced Steam beer, also known as Steam Beer, a trademark owned by the company. SEGA of America, the American publishing arm for one-time gaming giant SEGA, once operated out of an office on Rhode Island St.
Bottom of the Hill on 17th Street is a popular live music venue.
Football star O. J. Simpson once lived in the public housing projects on the southeastern side of the hill.
The Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, known as "the NABE", is located at the top of De Haro Street, at Southern Heights Avenue, and offers various community services. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan.
The working lab (M5 Industries) for the Discovery Channel program MythBusters is located at the southern edge of the neighborhood.
Two run through Potrero Hill, US Route 101 on the western side and Interstate 280 on the eastern side. Caltrain 22nd Street station is on the eastern edge of the hill, and the San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI), provides bus service in the area (the 19-Polk, 22-Fillmore, 10-Townsend, and 48-Quintara - 24th St) and the new light rail service, completed in 2006, on 3rd Street (the T-Third Street).
Most of Potrero Hill's soil is serpentine, the best soil for ensuring a solid foundation. Thus, this area managed to survive two major San Francisco earthquakes. However, drilling through the serpentine rocks is time- and labor-intensive, so many houses were built by conforming to the slope of the hill. As a result, some houses on Potrero Hill have long staircases leading to the front entrances, often with detached garages at the street level. Houses on the elevated side of the hill usually are two to four stories high to maximize the view. Houses on the other side of the street from the elevated side usually look like single-story homes but typically have one or more levels underneath the street level.
Parts of the famous car chase scene featuring Steve McQueen in the classic 1968 action film Bullitt were shot in the Potrero Hill neighborhood (Kansas Street and 20th Street and, seconds later, at Rhode Island Street and 20th Street).
In the 1981 film Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, Chu Chu (played by Carol Burnett) lives in a place on Southern Heights Avenue that has since been demolished and reconstructed as an apartment building.
In A View to a Kill (1985), protagonist James Bond races a fire truck down the north slope of Potrero Hill and knocks down a gas station sign on Potrero Ave. that today stands a MacDonald fast food restaurant. SF Gate: 'A visual feast': Potrero Hill is the unlikely star of your favorite SF movies.
In Burglar (1987), the protagonist played by Whoopi Goldberg evades the police on a motorcycle down different parts of Potrero Hill, including Carolina St. and San Bruno Ave.
The 1990 movie Pacific Heights was shot on location at Potrero Hill, not at the location of the movie's title. The Victorian house that is central to the plot is located at 1243 19th Street. Movie Location: Pacific Heights
In the 1993 film The Joy Luck Club (film), the character Rose Hsu Jordan lives with her husband at Rhode Island Street and 18th Street, in a modern house once owned by musician Joan Jeanrenaud of the Kronos Quartet.
In Copycat (1995 film), the crime scene is located at 196 Connecticut Street. Copycat 1995.
In (1996), the four-legged main characters take in the view of the city from Wisconsin St. and 20th St.
In EDtv (1999), the lovers pull up in a car on Connecticut Street using the skyline as the background.
In Guinevere (1999), the protagonist and her mother embraces on the front steps of a house on 20th Street and Connecticut Street with the city skyline as the backdrop.
In the 2001 film Sweet November, much of the action takes place on Potrero Hill. The character Sara Deever (played by Charlize Theron) lives at 18th Street and Missouri Street.
The 2002 film 40 days and 40 nights was filmed in this area.
The 2011 film Contagion features a scene shot on a steep block of De Haro Street between 20th Street and Southern Heights Avenue with a great view of downtown in the background.
In Godzilla (2014 film), Lieutenant Ford Brody ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his family lives on the 700 block of San Bruno Avenue. Potrero View: Starring Potrero Hill.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), the protagonist lives on top of a bookstore in a Victorian house on 18th St. and Missouri St.
(2021) turns the Anchor Brewing Company on 1705 Mariposa St. into a police station.
In author James Patterson bestselling Women's Murder Club book series, protagonist Lt. Lindsay Boxer, a San Francisco policewoman, lives in a walk-up on Potrero Hill, from which she can see Oakland and the Bay.
In the 1970s TV series The Streets of San Francisco, Lt. Mike Stone (played by Karl Malden) lives in a house on De Haro Street. Potrero Hill is also featured in the television series Nash Bridges and Party of Five.
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