7.8 out of 10

Dolores St, Noe Valley

Ranked 2nd best street in Noe Valley
37.7481411762997 -122.424713165185
Great for
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Pest Free
  • Clean & Green
  • Gym & Fitness
  • Neighborly Spirit
Not great for
  • Cost of Living
  • Parking
  •  
  •  
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Tourists

Reviews

4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 2/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 5/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 4/5
  • Nightlife 4/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 4/5
  • Gym & Fitness 4/5
  • Internet Access 4/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 2/5
  • Cost of Living 2/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 4/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 3/5
  • Childcare 4/5
2yrs+

"The Old, the New, and Ice Cream Too"

Dolores Street is a beautiful two-laned street with a palm tree lined meridian and several elms along the side walks. It is filled with beautifully painted Victorians whose bay windows stare out onto the palms. This area of the Mission has been largely gentrified and is filled with young dot.com types—something that you can tell by the web and computer support stores that dot the street.

There are two central highlights to the street that attract people here. Mission Dolores, the oldest building in San Francisco is at the corner with 16th street. You will find the smaller older chapel there and the larger church. It is a beautiful building and well worth the visit for anyone interested in the history of the area. Several other churches and synagogues also call Dolores home and you can see them farther south as you move along.

The central highlight for the young, however is Dolores Park where sunbathers mix with residents from the nearby Castro and Latino families who like to barbecue in the park. The park is a great place to spend warm days. You will also find a great Ice Cream place—B Rite Creamery just off 18th—and a good little café, the Dolores Park Café on the corner.

There are schools in the area, including a magnet school and a couple of private schools, which gives parents in the area several choices in the education arena. Farther down the street, beyond the park the street is almost completely residential. The nearby stores and entertainment venues—like the Roxy Theatre that shows foreign films and classics—make Dolores a great place to live.

Crime in the Mission is unfortunately a fact of life so you should expect the occasional break-in to your car and hearing about a shooting on a nearby street on the nightly news every so often. This is as close as most residents come to experiencing actual violence however. In addition, the police have lately been focusing on reducing crime in the Mission so things are looking up.

Overall, a great place to live and visit.
Pros
  • great for walking/peoplewatching
  • great for sunbathing
  • nice architecture
Cons
  • a little dangerous late at night
  • not much shopping
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Tourists
  • LGBT+
  • Hipsters
  • Students
  • Beach Lovers
4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 5/5
  • Safe & Sound 4/5
  • Clean & Green 5/5
  • Peace & Quiet 3/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Gym & Fitness 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 3/5
  • Cost of Living 2/5
2yrs+

"Great Park, Great Neighborhood"

While Dolores may not have the nightlife of some of its eastern neighbors in the Mission (Valencia, Mission St. and Even Guerrero), it does have some other benefits that make it stand out. As it is a main drag, the traffic flow is fairly steady, although parking in the center lane does block some of the movement (a unique feature that I have seen nowhere else). This street is more quintessential urban residential, and less urban food and drink, but in an area that has so many nearby restaurants and bars, it doesn't really matter if your particular street doesn't have much, because you only need to walk a block to get there.

Most importantly, Dolores Park (which deserves a review all of its own ) is one of the best parks in the city. On weekends, many individuals of all shapes and sizes can be found lounging, slacklining, sunbathing, and of course, enjoying beer and wine.

Given the proximity to the 101, this street is relatively easy to get to for commuters, although parking is tough even with the center lane available. This is definitely a quintessential San Francisco gem.
Pros
  • great for sunbathing
  • great for walking/peoplewatching
  • nice architecture
Cons
  • Parking
  • a little dangerous late at night
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Tourists
  • LGBT+
  • Hipsters
  • Students
  • Trendy & Stylish
5/5
2yrs+

"Dolores- Che Romantica!"

Dolores Street
Dolores St. stretches for about three miles and is located between Church St. and Guerrero St. Dolores St. is one of the sunniest, most historical and romantic streets in San Francisco. Because of its geography and location, Dolores St. is rarely covered in fog. Although Dolores St. is a fairly historical neighborhood-spanning back through the Spanish-colonial times, the many Victorian houses and flats on Dolores St. are valuable and expensive for their good livable conditions and fabulous views of San Francisco. The reason why there so many beautiful Victorian and Mediterranean styled houses on and around Dolores, is because it was first settled by the Spanish colonizing aristocracy. Dolores St. is peaceful and has an aesthetic appeal with its beautiful old Victorian and Mediterranean styled houses and palm streets, which is reminiscent to old Spain. Dolores St. is one block away from Church St. and two blocks away from Valencia St., both of which are filled with a variety of shops, restaurants and schools. Dolores St. is a perfect street to raise a family. It is walking distance to public underground trains and land buses and a walk through the neighborhood and the local park, Dolores St. is very romantic.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
3/5
2yrs+

"seems like a nice little area"

Dolores itself seemed pretty tame (and some friends live there), but it was close (within walking distance) to several of the restaurants friends had recommended. La Provence was a quarter mile over on Guerrero St. Quite tasty. And the delightful Tao Cafe was just about across the street from La Provence. We never did get to go to Liberties, but it was right there.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
3/5
2yrs+

"Beautiful Street with Mixed Company"

There is no doubt that Dolores is gorgeous. Its hilly streets are well-maintained and Mission Dolores church is beautiful. Dolores park is a place where many people gather to play tennis, sunbathe or watch live music in the summer. There is a play area for kids, though both times I brought my kids to Dolores park, I was harassed in some way. The first time a stoner came up to me and asked me if I wanted to smoke. The second time a guy that looked like he just got out of the loony bin stared me down and started yelling some freakishly weird stuff. So, yeah, it's a pretty place, but also a gathering spot for a whole bunch of crazies.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
5/5
2yrs+

"Busy street through out"

Dolores Street if one of the most famous street in San Francisco, it is known as very busy street, where people go up and down all the time. There are many beautiful places where people really enjoy, there is a small park next to this street where many children come to play and enjoy them selves.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
5/5
2yrs+

"Happy living life"

Dolores Street is a main street of San Francisco, it’s a business district, there is a beautiful church next to this street, and people get down from their vehicle and come to pray in this church. It’s a market area where we get all the things which are very useful to us. People staying there are very helpful and friendly to each other.
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees

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37.7473390024678 -122.433004107521
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37.7546911294256 -122.431110674609

Unranked Streets in Noe Valley

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