Nob Hill | |
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Neighborhood | |
California Street on Nob Hill
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Location within Central San Francisco | |
Coordinates: 37°47′36″N 122°24′52″W / 37.79323°N 122.41448°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
City-county | San Francisco |
Government | |
• Supervisor | Aaron Peskin |
• Assemblymember | David Chiu (D) |
• State senator | Scott Wiener (D) |
• U. S. rep. | Nancy Pelosi (D) |
Area | |
• Total | 0.313 sq mi (0.81 km2) |
Population | |
• Total | 20,388 |
• Density | 65,000/sq mi (25,000/km2) |
Time zone | Pacific (UTC−8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC−7) |
ZIP codes | 94108, 94109, 94133 |
Area codes | 415/628 |
Nob Hill is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, centered on the intersection of California Street and Powell Street. It is one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills." Prior to the 1850s, Nob Hill was called California Hill (after California Street, which climbs its steep eastern face). It was renamed after the Central Pacific Railroad's Big Four – called the Nobs – built mansions there.
The actual peak of Nob Hill lies slightly to the northwest, approximately at the intersection of Jones and Sacramento Streets. South of Nob Hill is Lower Nob Hill neighborhood, the shopping district of Union Square, the Tenderloin neighborhood, and Market Street. To the east is San Francisco's Chinatown and a little farther, the city's financial district. Northeast of Nob Hill is North Beach and Telegraph Hill. North of Nob Hill is Russian Hill, and eventually, the tourist-centered areas of the waterfront such as Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.
The area was settled in the rapid urbanization happening in the city in the late 19th century. Because of the views and its central position, it became an exclusive enclave of the rich and famous on the west coast who built large mansions in the neighborhood. This included prominent tycoons such as Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University and other members of The Big Four. For this reason, its early citizens were known as nabobs, which was shortened to nob, giving the area its eventual name.