Visitacion Valley is a compact community comprised of many streets, alleys and cul-de-sacs.  Almost everybody living in the neighborhood knows where these various roads are located, but not many residents are aware of how their streets were named.

Visitacion Avenue, for example, is named after the Valley to commemorate the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth.  Visitacion Valley was originally a land tract granted to Jacob P. Lesse in 1839 for the construction of houses.

Bayshore Boulevard simply signifies that the shore of San Francisco Bay once reached the location of this thoroughfare.

Geneva Avenue was named for a city in New York which had been named for a popular Swiss city.

Burr Avenue was named for Mayor Ephram Burr whose administraiton consolidated the City and County of San Francisco in the mid-1850s.

Garrison Avenue is named for San Francisco's second and fourth mayor, Cornelius Garrison, elected to his first term a mere six months upon arriving on the West Coast.

Argonaut Avenue was named for the Argonauts, early San Francisco settlers who battled deplorable living conditions while searching for gold.

Alpha and Delta streets respectively denote the first and fourth letters of the Greek alphabet.

Calgary Street represents the Canadian city named after the Gaelic word for "clean running water."

Castillo Street simply means "little castle" in Spanish.

Cora Street was named for gambler Charles Cora who was hanged by vigilantes for killing a U.S. marshal.

Goettingen Street is named after a German town.

Holyoke Street represents the learning institution dedicated to explorer Elizor Holyoke.

Pasedena Street was named for the southern California city.  Pasadena is a Native American word meaning "crown of the valley" in Chippewa.

Peninsula Avenue runs in the same direction as the San Francisco peninsula.

Pueblo Street is named after the Spanish word for "town."

Racine Lane represents the city and county in Wisconsin whose name is French for "root."

Rutland Street represents the Vermont city named for an English town.

Santos Street is named for the Portuguese meaning of "saints."

Sparta Street historically represents the Greek military town which defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War of 404 B.C.

Sunrise Way was named for its spectacular view of a valley sunrise.

Tunnel Avenue is located near Southern Pacific railroad tracks which eventually enter a tunnel.

Wabash Terrace is named for a Native American word meaning either "shining white" or "water over white stone."