THE SAN FRANCISCO MARINA
& COW HOLLOW NEIGHBORHOODS

Even people who know San Francisco neighborhoods are sometimes confused about two of them - they're under the impression that the San Francisco Marina District - usually just called The Marina - encompasses everything from Marina Green to Broadway.

In actuality, half of that area belongs to Cow Hollow.

Many years ago, when I was a 20-something newcomer to San Francisco, I lived on Steiner near Union. I thought I was living in The Marina, but it was really Cow Hollow.

Not that it mattered to me - it was all fun!

(CC) Cubbie_n_Vegas (Bryan)

Now, I grant you, there doesn't seem to be a nickle's worth of difference between these two San Francisco neighborhoods in terms of neighborhood flavor.

They're both inhabited by well-to-do postgraduates, whether single or stroller-pushing, who are on the cusp of promising careers and lives filled with chic fashion, fine dining, and upward mobility. (Don't misunderstand - there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!!)

And the two neighborhoods are well known for their terrific shopping, dining, and nightlife, as well as their excellent examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

But the two are not the same age and have quite different histories, so I think it's only fair to look at them as individuals, albeit they're nearly identical twins.

COW HOLLOW: THE ELDER TWIN

Long before the San Francisco Marina district was born, in the mid-1800s, a few settlers arrived in Yerba Buena Cove with the idea not of mining for gold, but of farming - specifically, dairy farming.

They soon discovered a lovely little area of freshwater springs and grassy meadows on the shores of a pretty lagoon. It wasn't long before the area, previously known as Spring Valley, came to be called Cow Hollow.

As the whole of San Francisco began to explode in population, thanks in large part to the '49ers and the results of their labors, prominent city folk began to move into Cow Hollow, building their expansive Victorian mansions and complaining about the cows.

By 1891, the cows were ordered out and the lagoon was filled in to make room for more housing. And thus was born one of the earliest San Francisco neighborhoods.

Today Cow Hollow comprises a rectangle of city blocks bordered by Van Ness Avenue to the east, The Presidio to the west, Lombard to the north, and Broadway to the south.

And, as I discovered much later, Cow Hollow - not The Marina - is home to the famous Union Street Shopping District.

THE MARINA: THE YOUNGER TWIN

Though plans were being made for creating some acreage for development in the 1800s, and a seawall was built to begin the process, the filling in of the shallow water "this side" of the seawall didn't actually take place until 1915 - just in time for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

After the Exposition (the Palace of Fine Arts is the only building left from that event), San Francisco's Marina district became a magnet for wealthy movers and shakers just as Cow Hollow had before it. Homes, apartments, and businesses went up at a rapid pace.

The Marina had become the next San Francisco neighborhood in which to live!

Unfortunately, that was temporarily shattered with the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 - like San Francisco's more famous earthquake, Loma Prieta brought not only a life-changing quake and aftershocks, but fire as well.

Between the less-than-adequate construction, the unstable ground beneath it, and the inferno of the Marina Fire, there was little left of The Marina to enjoy for the few years.

But not to worry - all is well again! Like any true San Francisco neighborhood, The Marina has been rebuilt, and it's better and stronger than ever.

Today you'll find trendy shops, beautiful homes on maze-like streets, the San Francisco Marina Yacht Harbor, luxurious spas, and wonderful places to dine.

So - Cow Hollow or The Marina? I wouldn't stress much about it - in fact, why not do both!

When you're finished exploring The Marina/Cow Hollow - here are some more San Francisco neighborhoods for you to discover:

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