These SF neighborhood names didn't even exist 10 years ago

The exterior of Nopa, which heralded a change in the area of Western Addition located west of the Divisadero corridor when it opened in 2006. The neighborhood is now known as NOPA. The exterior of Nopa, which heralded a change in the area of Western Addition located west of the Divisadero corridor when it opened in 2006. The neighborhood is now known as NOPA. Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close These SF neighborhood names didn't even exist 10 years ago 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

"What's in a name?" Shakespeare famously wondered in Romeo and Juliet. In the fast-paced world of San Francisco real estate, it turns out that it means quite a bit, according to local agents.

Across the city, areas that were known for years by one designation have changed names over the last decade to indicate that they have their own flair and personality, as well as desirability.

"Neighborhoods will start to differentiate themselves and seem ripe for renaming when there is a commercial strip that starts to thrive and drive shoppers and bar and restaurant patrons to it," said Compass agent Nina Hatvany. "At that point people get interested in living close by and start to want a name to describe the neighborhood they are interested in, as opposed to surrounding neighborhoods."

She pointed to NOPA as a recent example. The area just west of the Divisadero corridor and, yes, just north of the Panhandle, used to be part of Western Addition. But when the popular restaurant Nopa opened in 2006 it marked the beginning of a higher profile for the area that separated it from the rest of Western Addition, which used to stretch west from Van Ness to Masonic, or even Arguello back in the day.

In the intervening decades, Hayes Valley, Cathedral Hill, Alamo Square, Anza Vista, Lone Mountain and Lower Haight all broke away from the larger designations as separate neighborhoods in their own right. Now NOPA has followed suit. "North of the Panhandle meant nothing 10 years ago and now of course it’s a very hip neighborhood," Hatvany said.

Other examples of more recent neighborhood renamings are Yerba Buena, which used to be part of SOMA, and Polk Gulch ("So vibrant and desirable," said Hatvany), which used to be part of Russian Hill.

Many of these redubbings are, of course, led by real estate agents. "As realtors we will start referring to the neighborhood by its new name when touring with clients to show that we are tuned in to neighborhood changes," said Climb agent Hector Orozco. It can take at least a year for that new name to be accepted by the city at large, he added.

ALSO: Fascinating stories behind San Francisco neighborhood names

As a San Francisco native, Orozco was particularly surprised by the "Inner Mission" designation that sprung up relatively recently to describe the area centered around the Valencia and Mission corridors approximately between 14th and 24th streets. "Growing up it was always known as the Mission," he said. "Although that area does have a separate feel now than the rest of the Mission."

Orozco and Hatvany agreed that a renaming only sticks if there's a genuine change going on in the area. For that reason, they both questioned whether the East Cut (formerly considered part of Rincon Hill or South Beach) would make the grade, despite its Google Maps designation. "East Cut was a bit surprising since it was so clearly a marketing ploy to ‘rebrand’ the neighborhood, rather than an evolution over time of a distinct community," said Hatvany.

She feels there are many other neighborhoods that are developing that distinctive feeling and may earn a renaming in the years ahead. In the Inner Richmond we may soon see "Clement Gulch" break away at the tail-end of Geary. "Sutro Heights" is "quite different from its Outer Richmond surroundings," Hatvany said. She can also imagine the Outer Sunset area closest to the beach getting its own designation.

"It seems to me that the Outer Sunset is a huge neighborhood and should really be split into what is adjacent to the beach, with its surfer culture and alternative vibe, and what is not," she said. "Perhaps Central Sunset and Ocean Beach?"

Emily Landes is a writer and editor with an obsession for all things real estate.