An LA real estate person once told me that San Fernando Valley prices for homes really close to (but south of) the 101 freeway are higher than prices of homes f

An LA real estate person once told me that San Fernando Valley prices for homes really close to (but south of) the 101 freeway are higher than prices of homes far from (but north of) the 101 freeway. Prices seem to be driven less by smog and more by neighborhood quality. In the SF Valley, locations south of the 101 tend to have better schools, less crime, proximity to the hills and west side, etc. The 101 itself seems to serve as a barrier between good neighborhoods and less-good ones. Perhaps something similar can be noted in San Francisco, again, around the 101 freeway, where it divides the Mission District from Potrero Hill. I mean, the wind is very often out of the west, blowing that smog up across Potrero Hill.