Nob Hill, San Francisco, California

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Nob Hill refers to a small district in San Francisco, California adjacent to the intersection of California and Powell streets (and the respective cable car lines).

1 Location
2 History and significance
3 Movies featuring Nob Hill
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Location

The actual peak of Nob Hill lies slightly to the northwest in the area of Jones and Sacramento, Clay, and Washington Streets. From this area of the hill, all directions are downhill. South of Nob Hill is the shopping district of Union Square, the seedier area called the Tenderloin, and then 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 the Cable Car Museum and eventually, the tourist-centered areas of the waterfront such as Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

[edit] History and significance

Nob Hill is perhaps one of the most affluent districts in San Francisco (the other being Pacific Heights) and is home to many of the city's old money families.

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 the 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 and other members of the Big Four. The neighborhood was completely destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire; the Flood mansion and the Fairmont Hotel were the only buildings that survived. While the neighborhood was able to maintain its affluence following the quake, many of the rich rebuilt their mansions further west in Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow. Many of the exclusive hotels now in the area were built over the ruins of the former mansions.

The intersection of California and Powell streets is also the home to the fanciest hotels in San Francisco: the Fairmont Hotel, the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel, the Stanford Court, and the Huntington Hotel. Views from the top of the hill (and especially from the tower of the Fairmont Hotel) extend in all directions around the San Francisco Bay Area. At the center of the neighborhood is the former mansion of tycoon James Flood, now the headquarters of the exclusive old guard, old money Pacific Union Club. To be a member of the Pacific-Union Club is to say that one made it through a rigorous vetting to filter out the "not us." Also, at the top of Nob Hill enclave stands Grace Cathedral. As such, Nob Hill is often a San Francisco set-piece scene used in many movies, especially if a high-speed chase is called for.