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 for " 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 fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

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 m ...

. 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 conti ...

. 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 Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

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 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, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water f ...

. The view to the north extends no farther than

Cobb Mountain Cobb Mountain is the tallest mountain in the Mayacamas Mountains of California. Location Cobb Mountain's main summit is located in Lake County, west of the town of Cobb. Like nearby Mount Saint Helena, Cobb Mountain is tall enough to rece ...

() away, but looking southeast down the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends 90 miles (145 km) south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered on the west by the Santa Cruz Mountains and on the east ...

on a clear day, Santa Ana Mountain is just visible away. To the north is one of the city's many

reservoirs A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

. It is owned by the

San Francisco Fire Department The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides firefighting, hazardous materials response services, technical rescue services and emergency medical response services to the City and County of San Francisco, California. History Volunteer Depa ...

, 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 Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, United States. Operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), a part of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Muni Metro served an average of 15 ...

Twin Peaks Tunnel The Twin Peaks Tunnel is a light rail/ streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California. The tunnel runs under Twin Peaks and is used by the K Ingleside/T Third Street, M Ocean View and S Shuttle lines of the Muni Metro system. The eastern ...

runs beneath Twin Peaks, linking downtown San Francisco with West Portal 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 San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California. Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Edu ...

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