Sherwood Forest - Bill Picture  

House-hunters looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco’s downtown area without actually having to leave The City need look no further than the Sherwood Forest neighborhood.  The small, three-block-by-two-block community on Mount Davidson ’s southwesterly slope affords its residents a very peaceful, suburban-like setting, but with all of the amenities and conveniences of a big city within easy reach.

Developed in the mid-1950s, the area’s roughly 200 homes were designed with the so-called “nuclear family” in mind.  Unlike its immediate (and swankier) neighbor to the west, St. Francis Wood, with its large (at least by San Francisco standards) and very pristine front lawns, the homes in Sherwood Forest, which range in price from $700,000 to just over $1 million, are set a little closer to the street, which means more room in back.

“It’s a response to how Americans lived in the 1950s,” explains real estate broker Rick Turley, from Coldwell Banker’s St. Francis Wood/Lakeside office.  “It was sort of the decade of the backyard barbeque.”

From the neighborhood’s southern border, Lansdale Avenue , look up and you’ll see mostly ranch-style homes and a few Mediterranean-esque bungalows climbing the side of Mount Davidson .  Behind them, the top of the 100-foot-high, concrete Mount Davidson Cross, which was dedicated via telegraph in 1934 by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, peaks out from the dense cover of tall, blue gum eucalyptus, cypress and pine trees that, presumably, inspired the neighborhood’s unusual name.

“If you’re a hiker, you’ve got your own mini-Golden Gate Park right in your own backyard,” jokes Turley, referring to the many paths winding through Mount Davidson Park, the 38-acre manmade forest covering the peak of San Francisco’s tallest hill.

Like most hillside communities, the views from Sherwood Forest are breathtaking.  To the west, homes, many of them with large, picture windows, overlook the fog-shrouded Sunset District and on to Ocean Beach. 

“That’s probably the biggest selling point for Sherwood Forest ,” Turley adds.

The other major selling point is the neighborhood’s close proximity (less than a mile) to West Portal Avenue , a quaint, village-like shopping area where mom-and-pop businesses still outnumber chain stores.

Catch a first-run indie or art flick at the three-screen CineArts Empire Theater, pick up a CD at one of The City’s only remaining independently-owned music shops, The Music Store, or browse through the new and used titles at West Portal Books.

Hungry?  West Portal offers an array of culinary options to appease even the most discerning San Francisco foodie.  You’ll find Brazilian, Italian, Indian, Mediterranean , Peruvian, Mexican and straight-ahead American restaurants within steps of each other.

Thirsty? Grab a coffee at one of the cafes in the area or something stronger, if you like, at neighborhood watering holes the Philosopher’s Club or Joxer Daly’s, an Irish pub.

West Portal is also the last aboveground stop for three of the MUNI metro lines heading east, allowing locals quick, easy and direct access to The Castro, Civic Center , Union Square and the Financial District. 

“I’d recommend [ Sherwood Forest ] to someone who wants privacy and peace and quiet,” Turley says.  “It’s the perfect place for a family just starting out or a younger, up-and-coming homebuyer.”

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