Now: Geographically, Noe Valley really does feel like a little town. The hillsides of Diamond Heights and Twin Peaks make a picturesque backdrop, day or night, for the straight rows of businesses along 24th Street.

Then: The row houses in Noe Valley were built beginning in the late 1800s through the early 1900s, and were meant for working class families who couldn't afford to live in the more upscale areas of the city.