Exploring SF’s Bernal Heights neighborhood

Today we’re diving into a great San Francisco residential neighborhood. But first we’d like to take a second to acknowledge the awful fire situation in the LA area. Folks losing homes, and fleeing for their safety is a terrible thing, and we know all Californians are crossing their fingers it will be fully contained soon. Our hearts go out to people dealing with the destruction. We look forward to a day soon where LA county can heal and rebuild. 

These fires are so dang scary, yeesh. 

Okay, so now we’re talkin’ bout Bernal Heights today! 

Bernal Heights in a neighborhood in southeast San Francisco. The hill it’s built on faces the San Francisco skyline, and you can see the Sutro Tower.

In 1839 it was a 4, 446-acre Mexican land grant awarded to Jose Bernal. The streets were built by Army engineers from the Presidio during the Civil War. You might notice lots of the streets in the area are named for military men. 

Back in the day, it was populated by Irish farmers working the land and ranching there. The area experienced a lot of growth after the 1906 earthquake, because the infrastructure didn’t crumble, and people came up the hill while the fire ravaged the city below. The city built little cottages to house earthquake survivors, and you can still see some of them in Bernal Heights today. 

During World War 2, the area saw an influx of African American families, who worked at the naval shipyards in Hunters Point. 

During the Vietnam War Bernal Heights was called “Red Hill” because of the large number of anti-war activists inhabiting the area. 

In 1976 the famous gay bar Wild Side West opened on Cortland Ave. 

By the 1990’s the inception of Silicon Valley and Noe Valley really changed the landscape from being working class to highly gentrified with a large population of young professionals.

The area still celebrates its long-standing tradition of community organizing activism. The Bernal Heights neighborhood center opened in 1979 still advocates for fair housing, senior and youth services. It hosts an annual summer festival called Fiesta on the Hill. 

These days the population is around 26,000 people. 

The hill gets slightly warmer weather than the water adjacent areas of the city. 

There are a handful of very beautiful city parks, Bernal Hill and Precita are two famous examples. Precita has a street called Bradford, which is said to have 41% grade, meaning is hella steep. It’s not a confirmed fact, but it’s called the steepest street in America. Precita hosts the annual event, urban youth art and graffiti festival where huge graffiti art murals are created.

The Esmeralda Street slides are an awesome outing and activity. They are 2 40-foot metal slides that require a price of cardboard and a sense of adventure. They are like an urban roller coaster. 

Although the neighborhood has become a more affluent area over time, it’s still got a boho, community activist kind of vibe. Even though the economic landscape has changed, its working-class history shines through in its political leftist roots. 

Although it’s right beside the very densely populated city proper, there are often coyote sightings and even the occasional mountain lion wandering around. 

It’s a beautiful balance of big city adjacent with more wildflowers, California poppies, and open green space than the nearby concrete jungle. 

Bernal Heights is easy to get to from the highway, has killer views of the Golden Gate Bridge and a vibrant restaurant and local events scene. There’s nothing not to like, if you are in the market for a Bay Area neighborhood, it’s worth a look sees. You will like what you find.