The Twin Peaks are two prominent hills with an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

of about located near the geographic center of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. Only Mount Davidson is higher within the city.San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (2006)
"Twin Peaks"
, section 6.8 o
''Significant Natural Resources Areas Management Plan''
. Retrieved April 21, 2007.

Location and climate

The North and South Twin Peaks, also known as "Eureka" and "Noe" respectively, are about apart. The peaks form a divide for the summer coastal fog pushed in from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. Their west-facing slopes often get fog and strong winds, while the east-facing slopes receive more sun and warmth. Elevation at each summit is just over . Thin, sandy soil is commonplace on Twin Peaks, making them susceptible to erosion. On some rare occasions, Twin Peaks has been able to get a dusting of snow especially on February 5, 1976, when it got several inches of snow. Most recently on February 26, 2011, and February 5, 2019, Twin Peaks got a few flurries of snowflakes.

History

Twin Peaks Boulevard, San Francisco, California (1920)

Early history

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the native

Ohlone The Ohlone, formerly known as Costanoans (from Spanish meaning 'coast dweller'), are a Native American people of the Northern California coast. When Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, the Ohlone inhabited the ...

people may have used Twin Peaks as a lookout or hunting ground.http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/recpark/volunteer/Community_Catalyst_Newsletters/brochure_web%281%29.pdf ''sfgov.org''

18th and 19th centuries

When the Spanish conquistadors and settlers arrived at the beginning of the 18th century, they called the area "Los Pechos de la Chola" or "Breasts of the Indian Maiden" and devoted the area to ranching. When San Francisco passed under American control during the 19th century, it was renamed "Twin Peaks".

21st century

In 2016 the SFMTA introduced
traffic calming pilot
to reduce the amount of space allocated to cars and make the summit area more inviting to a wider range of travel modes. The "figure of 8" roadway around the two peaks was reduced to a two-way road on the western side of the peaks, with the east side designated for pedestrians and bikes only. Twin Peaks Blvd closure pedestrian road

Attractions

Christmas Tree Point lies some below the North Peak and offers vistas of San Francisco and

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, California, San Jose, and Oakland, Ca ...

. The view to the north extends no farther than Cobb Mountain () away, but looking southeast down the Santa Clara Valley on a clear day, Santa Ana Mountain is just visible away. To the north is one of the city's many reservoirs. It is owned by the San Francisco Fire Department, and supplies water to the Fire Department's independent HPFS water system for fighting fires, established after the 1906 earthquake and fire. The top of Twin Peaks is undeveloped. It is part of the Twin Peaks Natural Area,Southeastern Natural Areas
Natural Area Program, San Francisco Recreation & Park. managed and owned by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. These preserved areas are home to many natural resources and wildlife. As part of the Mission blue butterfly habitat conservation, Twin Peaks is one of the few remaining habitats for this endangered species. Many bird species, insects and vegetation thrive in these areas. The Muni Metro Twin Peaks Tunnel runs beneath Twin Peaks, linking downtown San Francisco with

West Portal West Portal is a small neighborhood in San Francisco, California. West Portal is a primarily residential area of the City. The neighborhood's main corridor, West Portal Avenue, serves as a principal shopping district of southwestern San Francisco. ...

and the southwestern part of the city. There is no public transportation all the way to the top of the Peaks, but the 37 Corbett Muni line stops on Crestline Drive near a path up the hill. The San Francisco Police Department Academy is at the base of the peaks. The name "Twin Peaks" is also applied to the surrounding neighborhood.

Education

The San Francisco Unified School District operates the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in the Twin Peaks neighborhood.Location
" Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. Retrieved on April 19, 2018. "We are located in the city's Twin Peaks neighborhood." The closest SFUSD school to the top of Twin Peaks is Roofto

References

External links

* {{Authority control Hills of San Francisco Landmarks in San Francisco Mountains of the San Francisco Bay Area Neighborhoods in San Francisco