Anza Vista, San Francisco: Homes, History & Local Life

Anza Vista is named after Juan Bautista de Anza, the first Spanish explorer to lead an overland expedition from northern Mexico to San Francisco, arriving in 1776. The neighborhood sits atop what was the San Francisco Calvary Cemetery, a Catholic burial ground that operated from the mid-19th century until all San Francisco cemeteries except two were ordered to relocate to Colma beginning in 1902. The graves were removed in the 1930s and 1940s, and the hilltop was developed as a residential neighborhood with the post-war stucco homes and apartment buildings that now occupy most of the blocks (Wikipedia: Anza Vista: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anza_Vista,_San_Francisco). It is a small neighborhood, roughly five square blocks between Geary Boulevard to the north, Turk Street to the south, Masonic Avenue to the west, and Divisadero Street to the east. Most San Franciscans who don’t live here could not place it on a map, which suits the people who do live here reasonably well.

Is Anza Vista right for you?

Anza Vista is a low-profile, centrally located residential neighborhood that offers a practical combination: proximity to the 38 Geary bus, the Divisadero commercial corridor, the USF campus, Kaiser Permanente’s major medical facility, and the Masonic retail center, without the price tag or foot traffic of the adjacent neighborhoods. The resident profile is professional and working-class, a mix of long-term tenants in multi-unit buildings and homeowners in the neighborhood’s single-family stock.

This is a neighborhood for buyers who want a quiet, central address with reasonable transit access and don’t need a destination commercial corridor at their doorstep. The comparison set is North Panhandle and Lower Pacific Heights, and Anza Vista generally benchmarks at a meaningful discount to both.

How do you get around in Anza Vista?

The 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid are the primary transit connections, running along Geary Boulevard on the northern boundary and providing express service to the Financial District (SFMTA: https://www.sfmta.com/). The 24 Divisadero and 43 Masonic buses also serve the neighborhood. There is no BART in Anza Vist. The nearest BART is Civic Center or Powell Street downtown, accessible via the 38 Geary.

Walk Score: 95. Transit Score: 74. Bike Score: 76. Source: walkscore.com, Anza Vista.

Commute to the Financial District via the 38 Geary runs approximately 20 to 30 minutes. For two-career households, the 38 Geary’s frequency and the Divisadero corridor access make this a practical central location. Peninsula Caltrain access requires getting downtown first.

The history of Anza Vista

The land on which Anza Vista sits was used as the San Francisco Calvary Cemetery beginning in the mid-19th century. After the 1902 ban on new burials within city limits, the cemetery was gradually emptied, with the final removals in the 1930s and 1940s as part of the broad citywide relocation of cemetery grounds to Colma. Residential development followed closely, with the majority of the current housing stock built in the 1930s and 1940s in the Spanish-Mediterranean and Art Deco styles that were dominant in SF at the time.

The neighborhood’s modest profile has been consistent throughout its history. Kaiser Permanente established its major San Francisco medical center on Geary at St. Joseph’s Avenue, which remains one of the neighborhood’s most significant institutional anchors. Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School operates on Nido Avenue. The USF campus at Lone Mountain, adjacent to the neighborhood’s western edge, has brought a student presence to the surrounding streets.

What does the housing look like in Anza Vista?

Detached single-family homes exist in Anza Vista and date primarily from the 1930s and 1940s. The typical home is a Spanish-Mediterranean or Art Deco stucco house, one to two stories, with a garage, a small front yard, and a rear yard. Many retain original architectural details including arched windows and decorative tile work. By SF standards these homes are modestly sized, typically 1,200 to 1,600 square feet, but they sit on real lots and represent genuine ownership in a central location.

Attached homes and apartment buildings are common throughout the neighborhood, particularly closer to Geary and Divisadero. Many of the multi-unit buildings are pre-1979 and therefore subject to SF’s rent control ordinance.

Condos appear in newer buildings near the commercial edges.

Where locals eat, drink, and shop in Anza Vista

Anza Vista has very limited neighborhood-specific commercial activity. The neighborhood is bounded on three sides by larger commercial districts, with daily life running across the Divisadero corridor (NoPa), the Geary Boulevard corridor, and the Laurel Heights and Sacramento Street strips a few blocks north and west.

City Center San Francisco at Geary and Masonic provides the closest big-box retail anchor with a Trader Joe’s and Target in walking distance. The Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center campus directly south of the neighborhood drives much of the local foot traffic. Laurel Village a short drive west provides the broader specialty grocery and family-retail mix.

Anza Vista Pros:

• Central SF location with the 38 Geary Rapid providing direct access to downtown, making this one of the better commuter addresses for its price point
• Kaiser Permanente’s major medical center is on the northern edge, a significant amenity for healthcare professionals and a practical one for all residents
• Walk Score 94 reflects genuine walkability to nearby commercial corridors, groceries, and transit
• Spanish-Mediterranean and Art Deco homes from the 1930s-40s on quiet residential streets, with views of downtown from the hilltop properties
• Priced meaningfully below North Panhandle and Lower Pacific Heights for comparable transit access

Anza Vista Cons:

• The neighborhood has almost no destination dining or nightlife of its ow. All food and entertainment requires a short trip to adjacent corridors
• The major commercial boundaries (Geary, Masonic, Divisadero) carry significant traffic noise, particularly for homes on corner lots or near those streets
• No BART in the neighborhood. BART access requires the 38 Geary bus to downtown
• Thin inventory means individual sales can dramatically swing reported medians month to month, making neighborhood-level statistics unreliable
• Some buyers find the neighborhood architecturally unremarkable compared to adjacent Victorian and Edwardian neighborhoods

What’s the Anza Vista market doing?

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Anza Vista is one of those SF neighborhoods where location and price intersect more favorably than the neighborhood’s profile would suggest. It is central, transit-served, and priced below comparable access points in surrounding neighborhoods. I sell in this market and can tell you what the individual blocks are actually worth here versus the neighborhood-level numbers. Contact Luba: https://www.lubasf.com/contact

Anza Vista frequently asked questions

What is Anza Vista like to live in?

Anza Vista is a low-profile, centrally located residential neighborhood that offers a practical combination: proximity to the 38 Geary bus, the Divisadero commercial corridor, the USF campus, Kaiser Permanente’s major medical facility, and the Masonic retail center, without the price tag or foot traffic of the adjacent neighborhoods. The resident profile is professional and working-class, a mix of long-term tenants in multi-unit buildings and homeowners in the neighborhood’s single-family stock.

Who is Anza Vista right for?

This is a neighborhood for buyers who want a quiet, central address with reasonable transit access and don’t need a destination commercial corridor at their doorstep. The comparison set is North Panhandle and Lower Pacific Heights, and Anza Vista generally benchmarks at a meaningful discount to both.

How do you get around Anza Vista without a car?

Anza Vista has a Walk Score of 95, Transit Score of 74, and Bike Score of 76. The 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid are the primary transit connections, running along Geary Boulevard on the northern boundary and providing express service to the Financial District (SFMTA: https://www.sfmta.com/). The 24 Divisadero and 43 Masonic buses also serve the neighborhood.

What kind of homes are in Anza Vista?

Detached single-family homes exist in Anza Vista and date primarily from the 1930s and 1940s. The typical home is a Spanish-Mediterranean or Art Deco stucco house, one to two stories, with a garage, a small front yard, and a rear yard. Many retain original architectural details including arched windows and decorative tile work.

What’s one thing people don’t know about Anza Vista?

The land on which Anza Vista sits was used as the San Francisco Calvary Cemetery beginning in the mid-19th century. After the 1902 ban on new burials within city limits, the cemetery was gradually emptied, with the final removals in the 1930s and 1940s as part of the broad citywide relocation of cemetery grounds to Colma.