San Francisco - Nob Hill

Nob Hill, rising to more than 330ft/100m, is one of the smartest districts of San Francisco. Prior to the 1906 earthquake it was where the most prosperous San Franciscans lived and it still boasts many palatial houses.

Three explanations are offered for the name. It may derive from the word "Nabob", which in India means a rich man; alternatively from the word "snob"; or perhaps - and this seems most likely - it comes from the word "knob" meaning a knoll or rounded hill.

Originally the hill was called "California Street Hill" after the street leading up it from the city's financial quarter.

The area began to attract San Francisco's rich - bankers, industrialists and newspaper owners - at the end of the 1850s. They were joined some 15 or 20 years later by the new wave of railroad millionaires, among whom were Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins and Collis Huntingdon. As one book about San Francisco put it, they "didn't exactly own California but its interests certainly lay in their hands".

Among the many fine buildings on Nob Hill the following are of particular note: Stouffer Stanford Court Hotel (905 California Street): originally a luxurious private residence built in 1911 and converted into a hotel in 1972. Up until the earthquake this was the site of Stanford Villa.

Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental Hotel (999 California Street): site of Hopkins Villa until it was destroyed in the earthquake. The 20-storey hotel was built some years later, in 1925. Its "Top of the Mark" enjoys one of the best views over the city.

Fairmont Hotel and Tower (950 Mason Street): paid for by James G. Fair, the "Silver King". It was gutted by fire just before its opening in 1906 and so took another year to complete. The foyer ranks as one of the finest public rooms in San Francisco. The external lift added to the tower in 1962 is another special attraction.

Pacific Union Club (1000 California Street): San Francisco's most exclusive gentlemen's club. The villa it occupies was built in 1886 by James Flood, another "Silver King", and renovated 26 years later.

University Club (800 Powell Street), on the corner of California Street, originally the site of Stanford's stables; the house, a sort of Florentine town mansion, was built in 1912.