Russian Hill, San Francisco

Russian Hill is a wealthy neighborhood of San Francisco, which consists of residential areas mainly. The view from the hill extending in different directions over the Bay Area, including the Bay Bridge, Marin County, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. In Russian Hill, the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute is in the Chestnut Street between Jones and Leavenworth streets. Due to the large slopes of the hill have the sidewalks of many streets stairs. Another famous attraction of Russian Hill are the many ways closed to cars such as Macondray Lane and Fallon Place, offer visitors a beautiful view.

Geographical location

Russian Hill begins just north of the more affluent Nob Hill, just south of Fisherman's Wharf and west of the North Beach neighborhood. The western side of the hill is bounded by parts of the neighborhoods of Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow and the Marina District.

Moreover, the boundaries of Russian Hill Van Ness Avenue Columbus Avenue in the east (northeast) and San Francisco Bay are usually in the west, Pacific Street to the south, specified in the north. The part of Lombard Street ( between the streets Hyde and Leavenworth ) with the famous curves the Russian Hill winds up, and the Powell - Hyde cable car line passes directly over Russian Hill and then on to Fisherman's Wharf, the one of the main tourist attractions is one of San Francisco.

History

The name of the neighborhood dates from the time of the Gold Rush, when settlers discovered a small Russian cemetery at the top of the hill. Although officially not clear who was buried there, it is believed that it was the dead were Russian fur traders and sailors of the nearby Fort Ross. The cemetery was removed, but the name remained until today. There are no significant Russian presence here; the Russian community is located primarily in the Richmond District.

The life of the district during the 1970's was the subject of the fictional series " Tales of the City " by Armistead Maupin.