The Financial District/Barbary Coast is the beating financial heart of San Francisco — probably the only part of town where “going to work” means putting on a suit. The name is a nod to the present and the past: big banks are now situated where brothels, saloons, and dance halls served the 49ers who flooded San Francisco during the Gold Rush.
The name “Financial District/Barbary Coast” is a nod to both the present and the past. During the Gold Rush in 1849, the Barbary Coast was ground zero for the, ahem, needs of the 49ers (the miners who rushed West, hoping to strike it rich). It was a lawless area back in the day, with brothels, saloons, gambling, and other nefarious activities. It gradually morphed into a more orderly area, and what was then the Barbary Coast is now Chinatown, Jackson Square, and North Beach.
Financial District Neighborhood Vibe
The Financial District is just about as urban as you can get in San Francisco. It’s dense, congested, and commercial, with some condominiums thrown in for good measure. It’s not so much a neighborhood with businesses on a few streets; it’s a commercial district with a few condos scattered about.
Popular Financial District Home Styles
As far as we know, there’s not a single-family home to be found in this neighborhood, making condos the king of the roost. Stunning conversions turned early-1900s buildings into luxury condominiums, and large condo buildings were added to the neighborhood starting in the 1960s.
Getting Around the Financial District
You’ll probably hate having a car in this neighborhood, if for no other reasons than the traffic and the parking. It’s well-served by multiple bus lines, BART and Muni light-rail under Market Street, and even the historic cable cars (although the tourist quotient on the cable cars might make them a less-than-ideal commute option). Many condos in the neighborhood don’t have parking, so if you absolutely need a car, budget at least a few hundred bucks a month for a leased parking spot.
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Median sales price is calculated based on sold data and doesn’t account for seller concessions. Median price represents the point at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less. In smaller neighborhoods like many of those found in San Francisco, this metric is less likely to be influenced by extremely high or low sales prices that don’t represent the typical neighborhood home.
Days on Market indicates how quickly or slowly homes are selling in the neighborhood. The lower the days on market (DOM), the stronger the market is for sellers, all other things being equal.
The number of homes available for sale in active status at the end of a given month. Fewer homes available for sale may indicate a seasonal trend or market dynamics that favor a seller more than a buyer.
In strong or balanced markets, homes in San Francisco typically sell over asking. In a buyer’s market, homes will sell at list price or slightly under. If a home has had price reductions, the calculation is based on the last listed price.
Price per square foot is most useful when the homes are almost identical in size, age, layout and other factors important to buyers. Our experience suggests it is a more valuable metric in larger condo buildings and less valuable for homes in neighborhoods built with a diverse selection of styles, sizes, and ages.
The Financial District/Barbary Coast is a neighborhood at the eastern edge of San Francisco, along the waterfront. It is bordered by Downtown and Nob Hill to the west, Telegraph Hill to the north, the San Francisco Bay to the east, and Yerba Buena and South Beach to the south. On an SFAR (San Francisco Association of Realtors) MLS map, the Financial District/Barbary Coast is identified as neighborhood 8b.
The Financial District, which local realtors pair with Barbary Coast as a region, is San Francisco history. The Barbary Coast, a nine-block stretch around today’s Pacific Avenue between Montgomery and Stockton Streets, was once a lively red-light district, full of dance halls, brothels, and bars. Borrowing its name from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, where pirates and slave traders launched raids on nearby towns and vessels, the lawless area came to life with the 1849 Gold Rush, and essentially ended with the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated the area.
Today, the Financial District (sometimes nicknamed FiDi) is home to the city’s highest concentration of corporate headquarters, law firms, insurance companies, real estate agencies, savings and loan banks, and other financial institutions. Older height restriction laws kept skyscrapers to a minimum, and many of the tallest buildings in the city are now built in the nearby South of Market.
The most recognizable landmark of the Financial District is arguably the Transamerica Pyramid, a 48-story modernist structure at 600 Montgomery Street. Designed by architect William Pereira, the pyramid was finished in 1972 and was the tallest building west of Chicago at the time.
With no single-family homes to call its own, living in the Financial District means living in a condo, and some of San Francisco’s best can be found here. Residents can enjoy Michelin-starred restaurants, upscale boutiques, and unparalleled public transit. Go for a run or stroll with your pup along the Embarcadero, grab coffee at the Ferry Plaza, or visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown. In this neighborhood, there’s always something to do.
Looking for new construction in the Financial District? Our new construction homes in San Francisco page has a list of current and upcoming developments across the city of San Francisco. We have decades of experience in representing buyers in new construction. Get in touch to learn more about how our team can help you find a newly built home, negotiate the best deal for you, and help you understand how purchasing in new construction is different.
You can scroll up to see our market charts showing current neighborhood prices and other real estate trends for the Financial District/Barbary Coast. We update these charts dynamically as new data becomes available. Reach out to us to learn more about prices, trends, and possibilities in the Financial District/Barbary Coast.