10 Reasons Treasure Island is San Francisco’s Coolest New Waterfront Neighborhood

Treasure Island is San Francisco’s newest waterfront neighborhood, located in the center of the Bay, just an eight-minute ferry ride from downtown, and home to nearly 1,000 brand-new residences. Over the past year, it has grown into one of the city’s most talked-about places to live and visit, with new parks, shoreline paths, a growing dining scene, and viral community events drawing people from across the region.

Local and national outlets have taken notice, too. Modern Luxury calls Treasure Island “San Francisco’s most thrilling new waterfront neighborhood.” And in a major deep-dive, the San Francisco Chronicle described Treasure Island as “one of the city’s most intriguing neighborhoods on the rise,” highlighting its young community, new amenities, and fast-building buzz. 

Here are 10 reasons Treasure Island is quickly becoming one of San Francisco’s most exciting places to live. 

1. Nearly 1,000 New Homes Now Leasing & Selling 

Four standout residential communities each bring their own style of waterfront living to Treasure Island: 

• Hawkins—A collection of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for lease—featuring coworking suites, ground-floor retail, a promenade and rooftop terrace with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay, skyline and hillsides.
• Isle House—A 22-story high-rise by David Baker Architects offering studio to two-bedroom apartments and live-work residences, with 360° views of the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco skyline.
• 490 Avenue of the Palms—The first for-sale homes on Treasure Island: studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences located steps from waterfront park and trails, offering front-row Bay and skyline views.
• The Residences at Yerba Buena Island—Move-in-ready condominiums, row-homes, and boutique flats on Yerba Buena Island offering studio to four-bedroom residences with panoramic views, 72 acres of parks/trails, and direct ferry access to downtown. 

“With the Bay’s two iconic bridges, Treasure Island was one of San Francisco’s great 20th-century waterfront developments,” says Chris Meany, co-CEO of Treasure Island Community Development. “It is now an exciting new neighborhood that embodies our 21st-century focus on sustainability, innovation, and community. It’s a holistic neighborhood on a grand scale,” he says. “In another 20 years, this will be one of the great created neighborhoods in the country.”

2. Parks, Trails, & Open Space 

On any given day, you’ll find residents walking the shoreline paths, gathering at Cityside Park, relaxing on Clipper Cove Beach, or exploring open spaces that feel a world away from downtown. Once completed, the Island will feature 300 acres of parks, green space, and miles of biking and walking trails—one of the largest collections of open space planned within the city of San Francisco.

3. Waterfront Dining, Distilleries, & Local Makers 

Treasure Island’s food scene is growing fast, bringing creativity and character to the waterfront:

• Mersea has been ranked the #1 restaurant in San Francisco on TripAdvisor for six of the last seven years, pairing comfort food with panoramic skyline views. 
• Gold Bar Whiskey Distillery mixes cocktails next to a former blimp hangar used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 
• Aracely Café is a bright, garden-bordered café serving brunch, pastries, and locally roasted coffee inside one of the Island’s most charming gathering spots.
• Treasure Island Wines and local makers are giving the neighborhood a tasting-room culture that feels all its own. 

New restaurants and food concepts continue to join the mix as the residential community grows.

4. Endless Recreation & Wellness 

Fitness and outdoor recreation are built into daily life on Treasure Island:

• Bay Padel, the city’s new hub for America’s fastest-growing sport, inside a converted aircraft hangar. 
• Calm-water swimming, sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, and windsurfing in Clipper Cove. 
• Miles of bike-friendly and pedestrian paths that loop through parks and along the waterfront.

5. A Community With Events Every Week 

The neighborhood’s events calendar has quickly become one of the most vibrant in the city. This fall, Treasure Island proved what happens when you combine new parks with a community ready to gather. 

• Off the Grid turned Saturdays into a waterfront ritual of food trucks, live music, and lawn picnics. 
• The Harvest Festival filled Cityside Park with hundreds of pumpkins, hay bales, matcha lattes, and skyline views.
• Cake Picnic brought more than 2,000 cakes to a 500-foot table—one of the year’s most photographed moments. 

As one longtime resident told the Chronicle, “I’ve never seen the Island build a buzz like this before.”

6. The Views: Skyline, Bridges, and Bay

Treasure Island offers a 360-degree panorama that’s unmatched in the Bay Area. Residents and reporters highlight the views again and again, including the Chronicle’s note that they’re among “the best views in the world.” From sunrise behind the Bay Bridge to sunset over the Golden Gate, the scenery here becomes part of your daily routine.

7. A Beautiful, Eight-Minute Commute 

Most residents commute by ferry—an eight-minute ride that leaves every 30-40 minutes during peak hours. For many, it’s the best part of the day: a calm, scenic bookend to city life.

8. And There’s Even More to Come 

Long-term planning adds even more to look forward to on Treasure Island:

• ~8,000 new residences when completed
• A marina 
• An organic farm 
• Up to 500 hotel rooms 
• New retail and dining
• A walkable plan where all homes sit within 10 minutes of daily essentials 

9. A Young, Active Community With Real Momentum 

Treasure Island has the highest share of residents ages 18-44 in all of San Francisco—an unusually young, active, and engaged community. Professionals, long-time Islanders, first-time renters, and families are all finding their place here, contributing to a neighborhood that feels both welcoming and forward-moving.

10. What People Are Saying 

Treasure Island is quickly becoming the talk of the town—in press coverage, in resident stories, and in the people moving here. 

From the Press 

• Modern Luxury: “The most thrilling new waterfront neighborhood in San Francisco.”
• San Francisco Chronicle: “An intriguing neighborhood on the rise,” backed by new parks, young energy, and expanding amenities.

From Residents

• “This area really does feel like a hidden gem that’s just starting to be discovered.” – Christine Perez, Yerba Buena Island homeowners 
• “It’s a really simple, easy lifestyle…we like it so much that we’re thinking about buying a condo.” – Treasure Island resident Nathan Williams 
• “I never want to leave.” – Longtime resident Atta Pilram 

And From the Community at Large 

A growing number of people—including employees from Google, Wells Fargo, OpenAI and other leading AI companies, and Bay Area startups—cite the parks, convenience, views, and the neighborhood’s sense of possibility as reasons they chose Treasure Island.

See What’s New & Next 

From dining and recreation to new homes and weekly events, Treasure Island has officially arrived as San Francisco’s newest waterfront neighborhood. 

Explore the neighborhood and stay up to date on The Current.