{"id":32513,"date":"2025-10-31T21:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T21:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/32513\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T21:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T21:43:09","slug":"we-asked-what-to-call-this-sf-neighborhood-you-gave-us-some-clever-responses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/32513\/","title":{"rendered":"We asked what to call this SF neighborhood. You gave us some clever responses"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, The Standard polled readers about a mystery neighborhood<\/a> at the center of San Francisco. Situated on Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue, this no man\u2019s land is where Hayes Valley, Civic Center, Mid-Market, SoMa, the Mission, and the Lower Haight converge. Some people call it \u201cThe Hub\u201d or, following a recent push<\/a> from real estate reps, \u201cLower Hayes.\u201d<\/p>\n

We asked what the neighborhood should be called, and more than 400 readers answered. Spoiler alert: There was no clear winner. Of the options given, 21% of respondents said they call this cleaver-shaped section of town \u201cMid-Market,\u201d while 18% went with \u201cLower Hayes.\u201d With just under 3% each, \u201cthe Mission\u201d and \u201cthe Lower Haight\u201d were the least popular choices.<\/p>\n

The most popular option was \u201csomething else,\u201d which netted almost 100 responses \u2014 some of them quite clever. Many referenced the neighborhood\u2019s roughly triangular shape, like \u201cOtis Triangle,\u201d \u201cThe Slice,\u201d \u201cThe Tangle in the Angle,\u201d and \u201cTriBeMa,\u201d for \u201cTriangle Below Market.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Acknowledging that parts of this neighborhood are replete with commercial vacancies, a few people suggested less-adoring monikers, like \u201cThe Armpit,\u201d \u201cThe Bermuda Triangle,\u201d or \u201cThe Vortex.\u201d \u201cDeco Ghetto\u201d referenced the early 20th century building stock and historic art stores, while \u201cMarVan Junction\u201d plays on the intersection of Market and Van Ness.<\/p>\n

The comments to a companion Instagram post (opens in new tab)<\/a> yielded even wittier answers, ranging from \u201cUpper Safeway\u201d to \u201cThe Tendermish\u201d to \u201cMissed the Freeway On-ramp Purgatory.\u201d Citing the neighborhood\u2019s proximity to the Mission, Castro, and Lower Haight, one cheeky monkey offered \u201cMastrobaight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s an ill-defined area, so there was some geographical confusion. Several respondents called it the \u201cDuboce Triangle,\u201d which is a distinct neighborhood north of Market Street and several blocks to the west. As a potential compromise, though, someone suggested combining them into \u201cDuboce Hourglass.\u201d Which, to be honest, we don\u2019t hate.<\/p>\n

\u201cMint Hill\u201d was another popular response, although the area The Standard was describing is both relatively flat and east of that coin-making edifice. But in fairness, longtime karaoke bar The Mint falls just inside its western tip. And, in memory of the combination fast-food location that shuttered<\/a> a couple years ago, a few people suggested \u201cTaco Bell Hill\u201d and \u201cKFC Heights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other responses were philosophical in nature. \u201cI live here, and I don\u2019t have a name for it,\u201d one reader wrote. \u201cI just describe it as between the Mission, SoMa, and Hayes Valley.\u201d When The Standard put forth the idea of the \u201cZuni-Martuni triangle,\u201d in reference to a well-known restaurant and piano bar, a local expert weighed in. \u201cAs a bartender at Martuni\u2019s, we call it \u2018No man\u2019s land.\u2019 You come here to die or sing yourself back to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Readers, does SF have another no man\u2019s land? Take our poll:<\/p>\n