Cole Valley Part 2: A Quiet Counterculture

Welcome to our series exploring San Francisco’s rich and diverse neighborhoods. There are nearly ninety of them, each with its own story to tell. Every week, we highlight a different corner of The City, diving into its history, how it’s evolved, and the local nooks and crannies worth exploring. Our goal is to celebrate the neighborhoods that shaped this city we love—and the people and stories that continue to make it what it is today.

This is Part 2 of a 3-part series exploring Cole Valley, a quiet hillside pocket with a rich backstory.

Before the cozy cafés and pastel Victorians, this area was part of the “Outside Lands,” a sweep of sand dunes and coastal scrub once thought to be uninhabitable. By the 1890s, the city’s ambitions pushed west, and the arrival of the N-Judah streetcar changed everything. Streetcars brought weekend visitors to Golden Gate Park, and soon elegant Edwardian and Victorian homes began climbing the slopes—many of which still charm the neighborhood today.

After the 1906 earthquake, refugees spilled from downtown into Cole Valley. Boarding houses and small groceries flourished to meet the need, giving the neighborhood its first real sense of community. Stroll along Cole Street and you can still spot the century-old storefronts that once served as bakeries and corner markets.

By the 1960s, the Haight’s psychedelic storm was in full swing—and a softer echo reached Cole Valley.

Artists, students, and musicians moved in, drawn by the tree-lined streets and affordable flats just a short walk from Golden Gate Park’s meadows. While it never reached the tie-dye frenzy of neighboring Haight-Ashbury, Cole Valley developed a subtle bohemian vibe: coffeehouses filled with acoustic guitars, impromptu poetry readings, and neighbors who blended activism with art.

This period left a creative imprint that lingers in the laid-back energy of the neighborhood today. You can still feel it in the casual charm of its cafés, the murals tucked into alleyways, and the sense of timeless community that seems to hum beneath the fog.

Part 3 will bring us into the present, where historic homes, timeless fog, and beloved local spots make Cole Valley feel like a small village inside The City.