Регион залива Сан-Франциско, Калифорния, США

The nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area make up a sought-after real estate market that includes a wellspring of exceptional properties.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bay Area is one of America’s wealthiest metro areas, with double-digit percentages of households earning at least $191,000 annually in many communities.

North of the Golden Gate Bridge is affluent Marin County. Although just a half-hour ferry ride from San Francisco’s dense financial center, those looking for real estate in Marin County are attracted to the county’s abundance of undeveloped, protected lands. Neighborhoods like secluded Mill Valley, for instance, are known as wooded hillside retreats. Homes for sale in the Bay Area’s coastal communities like Sausalito and Tiburon boast gorgeous views of the bay and San Francisco skyline.

In San Mateo County, on the peninsula south of San Francisco, the technology boom has expanded the original borders of nearby Silicon Valley, and attractive communities like San Carlos and Burlingame have benefited.

The Bay Area is diverse, culturally, geographically and weather-wise, depending on mountain, ocean or bay setting. The region is anchored by three major cities, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. Montclair Village in the Oakland Hills is prized for its pretty winding roads, mansions and superior schools. North of Oakland is Berkeley, situated between the Pacific foothills and the bay. Vibrant Berkley has an outsized reputation, a well-known cuisine scene (especially the area known as the Gourmet Ghetto) and a Mediterranean climate. On the southern edge of San Francisco Bay are the high tech hubs and “geek chic” estates of Silicon Valley. Palo Alto is home to some of the area’s best performing schools, which fuels real estate demand, even among foreign buyers.

The Bay Area may be the only one where viticulture and counter culture is equally accessible, where you can live in your own microclimate and select from views that are bucolic, aquatic or iconic.