Forest Hill is a landscape-driven residential neighborhood designed by Mark Daniels, the same landscape architect behind Bel Air in Los Angeles. Its curving streets, preserved topography, and generous setbacks reflect an early 20th-century planning philosophy that prioritized privacy, terrain, and cohesion. The result is a quiet, inward-focused enclave defined as much by its landscape as by its architecture.
Forest Hill is one of San Francisco’s most intentionally designed residential neighborhoods, shaped by early 20th-century planning ideals that emphasized landscape, topography, and privacy. Its development reflects the work of Mark Daniels, the same landscape architect responsible for planning Bel Air—a connection that helps explain the neighborhood’s distinctive character.
Rather than imposing a rigid street grid, Daniels designed Forest Hill to follow the natural contours of the land. Streets curve organically, elevation changes are preserved, and homes are positioned within generous setbacks and mature landscaping. This approach mirrors the planning philosophy used in Bel Air, where the landscape itself plays a defining role in shaping privacy, scale, and experience.
Developed primarily in the 1910s and 1920s, Forest Hill was conceived as a residential enclave where environment and architecture work together. Large single-family homes—many in Tudor Revival, Mediterranean, and Spanish Colonial and revival styles—are set into rolling terrain, creating a sense of separation from the surrounding city. The result is a neighborhood that feels inward-focused and composed, with visual continuity driven as much by landscape design as by architecture.
Forest Hill’s setting reinforces this residential calm. While the neighborhood remains quiet and insulated from through traffic, it is conveniently located near West Portal Village and the Forest Hill MUNI station, offering access to shops, dining, and transit without compromising privacy. The area’s elevation and greenery further distinguish it from flatter, more densely built parts of San Francisco.
What ultimately sets Forest Hill apart is the clarity of its original vision. Like Bel Air, it was designed not simply as a collection of homes, but as a landscape-driven residential environment. That early planning discipline—rooted in thoughtful landscape architecture—continues to define Forest Hill as one of San Francisco’s most cohesive and enduring neighborhoods.
1,846 people live in Forest Hill - San Francisco, where the median age is 55 and the average individual income is $140,071. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Median Age
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Average individual Income
There's plenty to do around Forest Hill - San Francisco, including shopping, dining, nightlife, parks, and more. Data provided by Walk Score and Yelp.
Explore popular things to do in the area, including Kang Hua Trading Company, Cafe V, and Wholebody Transformations -- Polina Smith.
| Name | Category | Distance | Reviews |
Ratings by
Yelp
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dining | 4.49 miles | 6 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Dining · $$ | 3.1 miles | 7 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 1.79 miles | 11 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 3.38 miles | 9 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 3.06 miles | 10 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 2.47 miles | 5 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 3.01 miles | 5 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 4.21 miles | 5 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 4.79 miles | 13 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 2.6 miles | 9 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 2.6 miles | 5 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 3.87 miles | 15 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 2.69 miles | 9 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Active | 2.38 miles | 8 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 3.15 miles | 24 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 2 miles | 11 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 4 miles | 15 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 2.9 miles | 9 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 4.86 miles | 71 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 2.89 miles | 105 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 4.27 miles | 5 reviews | 5/5 stars | |
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Forest Hill - San Francisco has 721 households, with an average household size of 2. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in Forest Hill - San Francisco do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 1,846 people call Forest Hill - San Francisco home. The population density is 25,539.152 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Median Age
Men vs Women
Population by Age Group
0-9 Years
10-17 Years
18-24 Years
25-64 Years
65-74 Years
75+ Years
Education Level
Total Households
Average Household Size
Average individual Income
Households with Children
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Blue vs White Collar Workers
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