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West Portal, San Francisco Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
The 1920s houses around the western mouth of the Twin Peaks Tunnel, built largely by Fernando Nelson & Sons, with the West Portal Avenue shops and the K, L and M trains at the center.
West Portal by the numbers
west portal by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for West Portal (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in west portal · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in West Portal
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in West Portal from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (West Portal (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How West Portal came to be
West Portal is named for the western mouth of the Twin Peaks Tunnel, the roughly two-mile streetcar bore under the hills. The area served as the staging area while the tunnel was built, according to the Western Neighborhoods Project. The tunnel was dedicated in July 1917, and in early 1918 the K Ingleside made its debut through the West Portal's Beaux-Arts facade, according to the SFMTA. A direct streetcar ride downtown is what made the land west of Twin Peaks worth subdividing.
In 1916 Fernando Nelson & Sons bought 49 acres beside the tunnel's western entrance from the Residential Development Company and named the district West Portal Park, a name that echoed the residence parks next door. The firm subdivided quickly and built many of the houses along West Portal Avenue, the western side of Portola Drive, the 100 to 300 blocks of Wawona Street and both blocks of Forest Side and Madrone avenues; Frank Nelson is credited with designing many of them. Planning treats the West Portal Park Historic District as eligible for the California Register, as an early residential park and as the work of a master builder. Other tracts filled in nearby, including Claremont Court near Portola Drive.
Although West Portal Park was sold as a residence park, Nelson let shops and services take root on West Portal Avenue, and the street became the commercial strip for St. Francis Wood, Forest Hill and the other parks nearby. A movie theater opened there in 1925 as the Portal Theatre. Today the avenue is the West Portal Avenue Neighborhood Commercial District on the city's zoning map.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
West Portal Avenue runs diagonally from St. Francis Circle up to the station, with K and M trains in the street. Northwest of it, 14th and 15th avenues cross Ulloa, Vicente and Wawona streets in a near-grid, with Forest Side, Madrone and Funston avenues in the blocks north of Ulloa. East of the station, curving streets such as Claremont Boulevard, Lenox Way, Dorchester Way, Granville Way, Allston Way and Verdun Way climb toward Kensington Way and Portola Drive. The L turns off along Ulloa Street and 15th Avenue toward Taraval Street.
This is a 1920s neighborhood with a tight build window: on the Assessor's roll the median house dates from 1925, and the middle half were built between 1923 and 1928. Lots are narrow, with a median frontage of 33 1/3 feet and a median of about 3,300 square feet, and houses are modest in size (middle half about 1,500 to 2,300 square feet), split between one-story and two-story listings. About 190 parcels in the West Portal Park Historic District are Category A historic resources; most of the rest are Category B, older than 45 years but not yet evaluated.
Zoning changed in January 2026 when the Family Zoning Plan took effect. On the current zoning map, a little under half of the zoned land is still RH-1(D), single-family detached, but about 29 percent is now RTO-C, the new transit-oriented district, on blocks along Ulloa Street, Wawona Street, the lower end of West Portal Avenue, 15th Avenue, Sloat Boulevard and the Ardenwood Way and Stern Grove Court area. The avenue itself remains a neighborhood commercial district. Planning describes the plan as allowing mid-rise and taller housing on major transit and commercial streets.
streets in west portal
- West Portal Avenue
- Ulloa Street
- Vicente Street
- Wawona Street
- 14th Avenue
- 15th Avenue
- Forest Side Avenue
- Madrone Avenue
- Lenox Way
- Claremont Boulevard
- Dorchester Way
- Granville Way
- Allston Way
- Kensington Way
- Funston Avenue
- Verdun Way
- Taraval Street
- Portola Drive
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near West Portal
- shopping
West Portal Avenue
The neighborhood commercial district runs from the station toward St. Francis Circle, with shops, restaurants and services along the street and K and M trains down the middle.
- park
West Portal Playground
The city playground at Ulloa Street and Lenox Way, on land above the tunnel, has a play area rebuilt in 2020, an athletic field, a tennis court, a picnic area, a dog play area and community rooms.
- library
West Portal Branch Library
The San Francisco Public Library branch at 190 Lenox Way is about 0.1 mi straight-line from the center.
- park
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
The 64-acre city park at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, just across 19th Avenue from the southwest corner, opened in 1932; its Trocadero Clubhouse, built in 1892, is a city landmark.
- landmark
West Portal station and tunnel portal
The western portal of the Twin Peaks Tunnel and the station rebuilt with long, high-level platforms, where the K, L and M come out of the tunnel.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
West Portal is served by the San Francisco Unified School District, which assigns seats by application and lottery; an address's attendance-area school is a tiebreaker, not a guarantee. West Portal Elementary at 5 Lenox Way is inside the neighborhood, and Herbert Hoover Middle School at 2290 14th Avenue is just north of Taraval Street. SFUSD's elementary assignment policy is changing (its own pages give different start years), so check the exact address with SFUSD's Enrollment Center.
Getting around
- Muni Metro: West Portal station (K Ingleside, L Taraval, M Ocean View) is about 0.15 mi straight-line from the center, with trains east through the Twin Peaks Tunnel and the Market Street subway.
- The K and M run down West Portal Avenue to St. Francis Circle, where the K turns south on Junipero Serra Boulevard and the M follows its own right-of-way toward Stonestown and SF State; the L runs along Ulloa Street and 15th Avenue to Taraval Street and out to the ocean.
- BART: Balboa Park station is about 1.7 mi straight-line to the southeast.
- Driving: 19th Avenue (State Route 1) runs along the west edge, Sloat Boulevard along the south, and the nearest I-280 ramps are about 1.5 mi straight-line.
- Parks within reach: Stern Grove is across 19th Avenue from the southwest corner, about 0.6 mi straight-line from the center.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in West Portal: what we check
Buying here
- Zoning: the Family Zoning Plan (in effect January 12, 2026) put about 29 percent of the zoned land here into RTO-C. If you are buying on or near Ulloa, Wawona, lower West Portal Avenue, 15th Avenue or Sloat, check what the parcels around you may now build.
- Historic status: parcels in the West Portal Park Historic District are Category A, so street-facing changes and demolition get historic review; most other houses are Category B, which can trigger an evaluation. Check the Property Information Map's Preservation tab.
- Rail in the street: K and M trains run on West Portal Avenue and the L on Ulloa Street and 15th Avenue. Visit at different times of day if the house is on or near a line.
- Narrow lots: with 33-foot frontages, side yards and room for additions are limited. Check what RH-1(D) or RTO-C rules allow before planning a second story or an ADU.
- Condos and small apartment buildings near the avenue: read HOA documents, check Rent Ordinance coverage if tenants are in place, and look up wood-frame buildings with five or more units on the city's soft-story list.
Selling here
- Lead with the walk to West Portal station, measured from the front door, and the trains that stop there.
- If the house is in the West Portal Park Historic District, list the exterior work that went through Planning and when.
- Gather permits for any garage, basement or rear additions; 1920s houses here often have later work buyers will ask about.
- San Francisco's transfer tax rate steps up with the sale price; check the current tiers on sf.gov and settle in the contract who pays.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
West Portal questions, answered
Why is it called West Portal?
It sits at the western mouth, or portal, of the Twin Peaks Tunnel, which opened to streetcars in 1918. Fernando Nelson & Sons marketed the first tract here in 1916 as West Portal Park.
Which Muni lines stop at West Portal?
The K Ingleside, L Taraval and M Ocean View all stop at West Portal station and run through the tunnel to downtown.
Is West Portal a historic district?
Part of it is. Planning treats the West Portal Park Historic District as eligible for the California Register, so about 190 parcels are Category A; most other houses are Category B, not yet evaluated.
Did the 2026 Family Zoning Plan change West Portal?
Yes. On the current zoning map about 29 percent of the zoned land is now RTO-C, mostly blocks along the transit and commercial streets, while a little under half is still RH-1(D).
Which public schools are nearby?
West Portal Elementary is inside the neighborhood and Herbert Hoover Middle School is just north of Taraval Street. SFUSD assigns seats by application, so check the address with its Enrollment Center.
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