Bernal Heights, San Francisco
| Bernal Heights | |
|---|---|
| — Neighborhood of San Francisco — | |
 |
|
| Nickname(s): Bernal, BH, Bernalwood | |
 Bernal Heights
|
|
| Coordinates: 37°44′30″N 122°24′52″W / 37.74156°N 122.41439°W | |
| Government | |
| • Board of Supervisors | David Campos |
| • State Assembly | Tom Ammiano (D) |
| • State Senate | Mark Leno (D) |
| • U.S. House | Nancy Pelosi (D) |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 3.42 km2 (1.320 sq mi) |
| • Land | 3.42 km2 (1.320 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 24,178 |
| • Density | 7,070/km2 (18,311/sq mi) |
| [1] | |
| ZIP Code | 94110, 94112 |
| Area code(s) | 415 |
Bernal Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.
Contents |
Location[edit]
Bernal Heights lies to the south of San Francisco's Mission District. Its most prominent feature is the open parkland and radio tower on its large rocky hill, Bernal Heights Summit. Bernal is bounded by Cesar Chavez Street to the north, Mission Street to the west, US 101 to the east, and I-280 to the south.
History[edit]
Bernal Heights, also called "Nanny Goat Hill"[citation needed], had its origin with the 1839 Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo Mexican land grant to José Cornelio Bernal (1796–1842).[2] By 1860, the land belonged to San Francisco financier, Frenchman François Louis Alfred Pioche (1818–1872), who subdivided it into smaller lots.
Bernal Heights remained undeveloped, though, until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Built atop bedrock, the hill's structures survived the tremor, and the sparseness of the development saved much of Bernal from the ravages of the firestorm that followed. The commercial corridor of Cortland Avenue filled in with shops as the pastureland on the hilltop was developed for workers' homes during the rapid rebuilding of the city. Some of the tiny earthquake cottages—that the city built to house quake refugees—survive to this day, including three which were moved up to Bernal Heights. During World War II, the area saw another population surge including many African American families thanks to its proximity to the San Francisco Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point. During the Vietnam War, the neighborhood was known as "Red Hill" for the anti-war activists in shared households and collectives who moved in among the working-class families.
By the 1990s, Bernal's pleasant microclimate, small houses (some with traditional Victorian or Edwardian architecture) and freeway access to the peninsula and Silicon Valley led to a third wave of migration. Bernal has not gentrified to the extent of its neighbor Noe Valley, but gentrification and property values are increasing as urban professionals replace working-class home owners and renters. Bernal is a haven for young families with children.[3]
Notable residents include: Tom Ammiano, Dan Nakamura, Annie Sprinkle, Terry Zwigoff[citation needed], Matt Nathanson, children's author Jane Wattenberg (aka Mrs. Mustard) and Matt Stewart (author).
.
Attractions and characteristics[edit]
The neighborhood is primarily residential, with a commercial strip along Cortland Avenue featuring restaurants, a bookstore, bakeries, a fish and butchery shop, multiple salons, the original "The Good Life" natural grocery store, a wine and beer store, cafes and bars. The local branch of the San Francisco Public Library at 500 Cortland was built by Frederick Myers with funding from the Works Progress Administration and dedicated in 1940. After closing for nearly two years for renovations and after much long-standing contention over the murals that adorn the library's exterior, the library reopened in January 2010. There is also collection of restaurants and cafés at the bottom of the northern slope, near the Cesar Chavez border. They center around the newly renovated, rectangular Precita Park. Also notable is Precita Eyes, an esteemed mural art center.
A strong tradition of neighborhood activism led to the establishment of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center in 1979. It works to promote community organizing, affordable housing services, senior services and youth services. Additionally, the neighborhood center hosts "Fiesta on the Hill", one of the last street fairs of the summer festival season. The fair takes place on the third Sunday in October.[4] The family-oriented event includes attractions such as a petting zoo and donkey rides.
Bernal's north slope has been referred to as one of San Francisco's "banana belts", with warmer temperatures from the San Francisco Bay and less marine fog making its way inland.
The grassland on the hilltop is home to a remarkable urban ecosystem, including the majority of native north-coast wildflowers-most notable of which is the California state flower-the California poppy, raccoons, opossums, skunks, a variety of raptors (including American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, and Great Horned Owls), and, at times, at least one coyote. The radio tower, known locally as "Sutrito Tower,"[5] is a major connection point for the metropolitan San Francisco area. Bernal Hill Park is a designated "off-leash" park for dogs, and it is a destination for many dogs and their owners as it is one of the largest parks in San Francisco. Bernal Heights Boulevard, which circles the hill top, has about a one mile (1.6 km) long path of asphalt and hard packed sand for walking and running that is closed to motor traffic. It is also the site of the San Francisco Illegal Soapbox Society's annual derby.
Precita Park and Holly Park provide grassy play areas for children and adults to the north and south of the hill, respectively. The southeast corner of Bernal Heights is home to the open-air Alemany Farmers' Market, one of the oldest extant farmers' markets in the US, operating every Saturday in this location since August 4, 1947.[6] A flea market occupies the market area on Sundays.
The park is also known for its unusually steep streets. Bradford above Tompkins, with an alleged 41% grade, is claimed to be the steepest in the world,[7] but this has yet to be graded by Guinness World Records[citation needed].
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco, California (CA), 94110, 94112 subdivision profile - real estate, apartments, condos, homes, community, population, jobs, income, ...
- ^ San Francisco's Bernal Heights
- ^ Sasha, Cagen (2006-05-14). "Childless in Maternal Heights ... for now". SFGate.com. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
- ^ http://www.bhnc.org/?page_id=470/ Fiesta on the Hill 2012
- ^ Nomenclature Update: Introducing “Sutrito Tower” | Bernalwood
- ^ http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=1058
- ^ More Steeps Of San Francisco – A New Steepest Street Is Born
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bernal Heights |
- Bernal Heights Branch, San Francisco Public Library
- Native Plants Survive on Bernal Hill: San Francisco's best display of urban wildflowers puts on a fabulous springtime show.
- Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
- Bernal History Project
- San Francisco Parks
Coordinates: 37°43′07″N 122°25′54″W / 37.71859°N 122.43164°W
 |
Noe Valley | Mission District | Potrero Hill | |
| Glen Park |  |
Islais Creek/Butchertown | ||
|
||||
 |
||||
| Excelsior | Portola | Silver Terrace |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
