Chinatown

Chinatown

San Francisco, California Homes for Sale

About Chinatown

One of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and a major tourist attraction, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in the United States and has the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake leveled the entire neighborhood, but Chinatown was quickly rebuilt, and is now the most densely populated area in San Francisco. It sits between Union Square, the Financial District, and North Beach.

Quick Facts

Current Prices: $440,000 to $5,750,000

Closed Prices: $415,000 to $6,000,000

Median Sale Price: $976,000

Average $ per sq ft: $1517

Association Fee Ranges: $0 to $780.89, $525 to $1675/mo

Type: Attached Home (Condo, Townhouse, Loft, etc.), Single-Family Home

Age: 1914 to 2020

Sq. Ft.: 328 to 3190 Sq. Ft.

Bedrooms: 0 to 5 Bedrooms

Bathrooms: 1 to 4 Bathrooms

Around Chinatown

Tall buildings full of small apartments are prevalent throughout Chinatown. There are two main thoroughfares, Grant and Stockton Streets, which feature constant daytime and evening foot traffic. The southern and eastern sides of the neighborhood are closer to business offices in the Financial District. Apartment buildings on Broadway, near the northern border, are close to grocery stores.

Chinatown is extremely dense with restaurants. Most famous for its many dim sum spots, the neighborhood also offers choices of many different Chinese and Chinese-American cuisines, Vietnamese food, and a selection of coffee and donut shops. It's also a short walk to a section of Kearny Street nicknamed The Lunchbox, where Thai food, sushi, pub grub, sandwiches, and more are available for lunch.

Watch tourists take pictures near the Dragon's Gate on Grant and Bush. Hear musicians playing Chinese string instruments on street corners. Old men playing board games in Portsmouth Square as well as working professionals packing into Mandarin restaurants for lunch are regular scenes. The owners of souvenir shops and art galleries flag down prospective customers on Grant Avenue. Martial artists and parade marchers practice in narrow alleys. You'll also see children play on a playground outside of a church.

Most of Chinatown's restaurants aren't open past 10:00 p.m., so have an early dim sum dinner on Jackson Street before going to one of the low-key cocktail lounges on Grant Avenue. Stop in at the former Beat poet hangouts on Columbus Avenue, the border of Chinatown and North Beach.

Chinatown is up a hill from downtown, so take advantage of the big city views from the neighborhood's parks and from the top of the Stockton Street Tunnel. Read a book or play checkers in Portsmouth Square. Peruse the art galleries on Grant Avenue and see if you can find any identical pieces.

Locals Love

  • Plenty of shopping options
  • Lots of schools
  • Easy commute to downtown

Locals Don't Love

  • Noisy nights on broadway
  • Crowded sidewalks

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