Top 10 largest malls in Northern California

Looking to explore the biggest shopping destinations in Northern California? Here's a ranked list of the 10 largest malls in the region, based on Gross Leasable Area (GLA)—which usually includes in-line tenants, common area, and anchors. GLA figures are sourced from mall operators and industry data, though slight variations may exist due to rounding or differing definitions.

Whether you're a retail enthusiast, real estate researcher, or mall nostalgia buff, these are the heavyweights of Northern California shopping:

Top 10 largest malls in Northern California

1. Westfield Valley Fair - San Jose

Valley Fair Mall, the largest mall in Northern California, is a luxury retail destination—just minutes from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.

1,960,000~ sq. ft.

Visit Westfield Valley Fair

2. San Francisco Centre - San Francisco

1,500,000~ sq. ft.

A flagship urban mall combining historic architecture with luxury retailers. Now facing a wave of tenant closures and vacancy.

Visit San Francisco Centre

3. Stanford Shopping Center - Palo Alto

View of Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, California, featuring landscaped walkways and upscale storefronts in an open-air setting.

Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto — the Northern California’s 3rd largest mall, offering open-air luxury shopping for a discerning Silicon Valley crowd.

1,475,600~ sq. ft.

Visit Stanford Shopping Center

4. Sunvalley Mall - Concord

1,440,000~ sq. ft.
A long-standing Contra Costa County favorite.
Visit Sunvalley Mall

5. Westfield Galleria at Roseville - Roseville

Interior view of the Galleria at Roseville in California, featuring a large, elegant interior for major department store anchors.

The Galleria at Roseville is Sacramento’s premier shopping destination—ranked as Northern California’s fifth-largest mall and home to top-tier anchors like Nordstrom, Macy’s, and JCPenney.

1,340,000~ sq. ft.

Visit Westfield Galleria at Roseville

6. Great Mall of the Bay Area - Milpitas

Interior view of Great Mall in Milpitas, California, showcasing the walkway in Northern California’s largest indoor outlet center.

Great Mall in Milpitas — the Bay Area’s 6th largest mall and Northern California’s largest indoor outlet destination.

1,300,000~ sq. ft.

Visit Great Mall

7. Southland Mall - Hayward

Interior view of Southland Mall in Hayward, California, 2025, highlighting its modern architecture and bustling lower-level food court with natural light from overhead skylights.

Southland Mall, Hayward (2025) — Northern California’s 7th largest mall, showcasing elegant architectural lines and the lively lower-level food court beneath natural skylight.

1,284,591~ sq. ft.

Visit Southland Mall

8. Stoneridge Mall - Pleasanton

Interior view of Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton, California, showing center court and anchor stores Macy’s and JCPenney.

Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton (2025) — the Tri-Valley’s retail centerpiece and the 8th largest mall in Northern California, anchored by Macy’s and JCPenney.

1,283,000~ sq. ft.

Visit Stoneridge Mall

9. Hillsdale Shopping Center - San Mateo

1,250,000~ sq. ft.

Recently updated with a strong mix of retail and dining.

Visit Hillsdale Mall

10. Eastridge Mall - San Jose

1,229,312 sq. ft.

A regional powerhouse in East San Jose with a mix of entertainment and retail.

Visit Eastridge Mall

Figures reflect 2025 data.

The history of Southland Mall in Hayward — chandeliers, aviaries, and an ice rink

Southland Mall in Hayward will always be the mall that defined my "mall senses." The swoosh of air as you opened the doors, the sound of birds chirping and water trickling, and the smell of popcorn with a hint of chlorine. 1957: the birth of Palma Ceia Shopping Plaza The story of Southland Mall begins in December 1957, when ground was broken on a new project named Palma Ceia Shopping Plaza. The developer, Branden Enterprises, was also responsible for the adjacent Palma Ceia Village, a 1,400-home suburban housing development in Hayward. The shopping center was designed by the acclaimed architecture firm John Graham & Associates, known for projects like Seattle’s Northgate Mall and the Space Needle. Plans called for a massive open-air retail center featuring: A flagship Sears store Two future department stores: JCPenney and Kahn’s of Oakland Multiple inline tenants A unique 6-lane roadway design—Southland Drive—which would originally cut through the mall to...

Anonymous said…

Hi... I do the PR for Great Mall and we continue to announce a lot of exciting news, such as new store openings, new restaurant openings and fun family events for free. Is there an e-mail address where I can send you this exciting news for your blog? Please let us know. thank you!

8:53 AM

oh, i almost forgot.... please contact me at scott@bitnergoodman.com.... thank you!

8:54 AM

Minnesota Mall Stores said…

I used to go to Sun Valley Mall quite a bit when I worked in the area. For something that looks rather old I was surprised how well it actually seemed to be doing.

9:08 PM

actually, westfield roseville galleria is about 1.5 million square feet of shopping space. source from the westfield website (development section)

5:30 PM

Scott Parsons said…

The source of the Westfield Galleria at Roseville square footage is from http://westfield.com/corporate/property-portfolio/united-states/galleriaatroseville.html

I was not able to find the 1.5 million sq. ft. In the Developments section. Please provide a link if you can and I will make an update.

GLA and building size often differ. That might explain the descrepency.

6:05 PM

According to Westfield's 2010 Annual Report, SF Centre has 1,460,778 SQF in lettable area vs. Valley Fair's 1,477,769 SQF. Roseville is listed at 1,182,825 SQF.

http://westfield.com/corporate/news-announcements/annual-reports/2010/2010_Annual_Report.pdf

11:51 AM

shopping malls philippines said…

Thanks for sharing those lists of a shopping mall there. Hope to see more photos of those malls. I also want to see those malls in person.

-Shiene

6:52 PM

The Westfield link is really dated. San Francisco Centre's actual size, according to a Westfield SF official via e-mail & one of its developers JCDecaux, is 1,564,533 square feet making it larger than Valley Fair. In spite of this, SF Centre is NOT the largest in Northern California nor even San Francisco. Measuring in at 46 acres(roughly 2 million square feet) incl. Aquarium of the Bay is Pier 39 as N. Cal's largest!

3:34 PM

It should be noted that the figures give are for total leasable area. Valley Fair's 1.479 mil. sq. ft. translates to 100% of its available space as being leasable for retail, whereas its not the case with Westfield San Francisco Center. Approximately 150,000 sq. of Westfield San Francisco Centre's over 1.5 million sq. ft. is reserved for SF State University & offices, not retail. In contrast, 100% of Valley Fair's 1.479 million square feet of occupable space is available for lease. Whichever way you look at it, Westfield San Francisco Centre is larger than Valley Fair. Hope this clears up the confusion.

4:05 PM

Westfield San Francisco Centre is a beautiful and interesting place to visit, however, Westfield Roseville Galleria is much larger in land size, San Francisco Centre has multiples floor as Roseville Galleria only has two floor. I'd visited both places.

2:45 PM

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