The Neighborhood: Eureka Valley Dolores Heights | Castro

Eureka Valley | Dolores Heights | Castro

Nestled between the Castro and Inner Mission districts, Eureka Valley/Mission Dolores is one of San Francisco’s hottest areas, offering outstanding local parks, and access to several of the city's most desirable destinations: The Castro/Eureka Valley, Mission Dolores, Valencia Corridor, Inner Mission, Hayes Valley, and Duboce Triangle. Trendsetting restaurants and nightlife spots and the largest concentration of murals in the city create a completely unique and eclectic vibe right at your doorstep.

The center of the Eureka Valley/Mission Dolores neighborhood is Dolores Park, which residents call San Francisco’s public backyard. The popular hillside spot spans two blocks and offers a plethora of outdoor activities, including basketball, a handful of tennis courts and a soccer field. On sunny weekends, hundreds of people flock to the park to enjoy the sun, listen to live music, barbeque with friends, walk their dogs and play a myriad of lawn games.

Surrounding Dolores Park, Eureka Valley is filled with large Victorian homes that withstood the 1906 earthquake, and have since been lovingly and artfully restored. Many Victorians have been converted to multi-unit flats and condominiums. Hillside homes may offer views of the East Bay, downtown San Francisco, Twin Peaks or Corona Heights. It is one of the city’s most vibrant communities, saturated with restaurants and bars, so popular that patrons spill out onto the streets.

On sunny days, residents head to the park to meet up with friends, listen to music and relax in the sun. The Castro Street Fair, founded by Harvey Milk, features music on multiple stages, and draws visitors from throughout the bay area and beyond. Even though there’s a lot happening in the neighborhood, side streets offer pockets of quiet space, charming cafes, and fun boutiques.