Stage 17, Merced Heights (3B)

Common style in Merced Heights



Typical Home on Orizaba




The Tour de San Francisco is our version of the great cycling race, where we tour through our nano-markets around town. Last week we did laps around Lake Merced in the Lake Shore district. This week, stage 17 is a very hilly, but compact course District 3B...Merced Heights. We'll finish after 86 stages with district 10K...Bayview Heights. If you have anything you want to say about your neighborhood, we want to hear it. For past stages, visit our archives.

When people think of San Francisco, two things usually come to mind, fog, and Hills. Merced Heights happens to have both. Bordered by Junipero Serra on the west, Holloway on the north, Ashton on the east, and Shields on the south, Merced Heights is essentially one steep hill with its crest at Shields and trough at Holloway. Unlike Lake Shore, the homes in this area tend to be a little less pristine (on the exterior). The homes look very much like a lot of the homes in the Sunset/Parkside, the only difference being that in Merced Heights they're clinging to a hill. Don't get us wrong, the right priced home, in the right condition will still fly off the shelf, but this area is definitely not on everybody's radar. This is a very small district and has a very distinct, almost "working class" feel. There are a lot of homes tenant-occupied by SF State students and you'd be hard-pressed to drive around the neighborhood and not see a few students lumbering around with a back-pack full of books. Thanks to the big hill Merced Heights is on, many of the homes have great views to the North and West. You're getting close to the Daly City border down here, but the area still feels surprisingly "San Francisco". Location for Peninsula commuters is top notch, and recreation is a quick game of Frogger across Junipero Serra, 19th Ave, and down to Lake Merced. For shops and restaurants, your closest option is Holloway St. in the Ingleside district. Don't expect Bix, or Boulevard, or Aqua when you go searching for a meal, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you've been looking for homes in that vicinity and are striking out, give Merced Heights a look. You'll thank us in 10 years if you do.

the listings

the stats

SFhotspots

You're probably scratching your head thinking, is there any sort of hotspot in Merced Heights worth writing about. Actually, there is. It's called the Shields Orizaba Rocky Outcrop. Why a hotspot? Because you've probably never thought of going there to watch the sunset, poke around, and generally just do something you've never done. It's just one of those things. Take Shields, Orizaba, or Lakeview and you'll run into it.