Nob Hill, Historic residential neighborhood in San Francisco, United States.
Nob Hill is a residential neighborhood and hill in San Francisco, USA, marked by hotels, apartment buildings, and a large cathedral at the summit. Streets climb steeply from the lower districts, with sidewalks that wind along tight corners and offer views across the bay and surrounding hills.
Railroad and mining magnates built large houses on this hill during the 1870s, which were destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Hotels and apartment buildings rose on the empty lots afterward, while the cathedral was completed during the 1960s.
The name comes from the Indian term "nabob," used to describe wealthy business leaders who built homes here in the 19th century. Today the hill remains one of the city's most formal residential areas, with doormen greeting residents and visitors entering lobbies lined with marble and polished brass.
Cable cars run up and down the hill, with the California Street line offering the gentlest grade. Walking requires stamina for the steep climbs, so it helps to plan routes in advance and allow time for breaks.
At Huntington Park on the summit, visitors can sit on benches named after early residents, with each plaque telling a short story about the person. The copies of the Florence Cathedral doors at the main entrance of Grace Cathedral were cast in the 1960s from the same molds Lorenzo Ghiberti used in the 15th century.
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