Mission District, San Francisco

This article is about a neighborhood in the United States. For the Mission District in Canada, see Mission, Calgary.

Mission District
Neighborhood of San Francisco
New Mission Theatre on Mission Street.
Nickname:  The Mission
Government
• Board of Supervisors	David Campos
• State Assembly	Tom Ammiano(D)
• State Senate	Mark Leno (D)
• U.S. House	Nancy Pelosi (D)
Area
• Land	4.83 km2 (1.865 sq mi)
Population  (2008)
• Total	47,234
• Density	9,780/km2 (25,329/sq mi)
ZIP Code	94103, 94110
Area code	415

The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, named after the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis, San Francisco's oldest building, which is located in the neighborhood.

Location and climate

The principal thoroughfare of the Mission District of San Francisco is Mission Street. Its borders are U.S. Route 101 to the east which forms the boundary between the eastern portion of the district, known as "Inner Mission" and its eastern neighbor, Potrero Hill, while Sanchez Street separates the neighborhoods from Eureka Valley (also known as "The Castro") and Noe Valley to the west. The part of the neighborhood from Valencia Street to Sanchez Street, north of 20th, is known as Mission Dolores. Cesar Chavez Street (formerly Army Street) is the southern border which lies next to Bernal Heights, while to the north the neighborhood is separated from South of Market roughly by Duboce Avenue and the elevated highway of the Central Freeway which runs above 13th Street. Also along Mission Street, further south-central are the Excelsior and Crocker-Amazon neighborhoods, sometimes referred to as the "Outer Mission" (not to be confused with the actual Outer Mission neighborhood). The Mission District is part of San Francisco's supervisorial districts 5, 9 and 10.

The microclimates of San Francisco create a system by which each neighborhood can have radically different weather at any given time. The Mission's geographical location insulates it from the fog and wind from the west. As a result, the Mission has a tendency to be warmer and sunnier than the rest of the city. This climatic phenomenon becomes apparent to visitors who walk downhill from 24^th Street in the west from Noe Valley (where clouds from Twin Peaks in the west tend to accumulate on foggy days) towards Mission Street in the east, partly because Noe Valley is on higher ground whereas the Inner Mission is at a lower elevation.

History

File:CHS.J2289.jpg

Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission Dolores) between 1880 and 1902.

The Yelamu Indians inhabited the region that is now known as the Mission District for over 2,000 years. Spanish missionaries arrived in the area during the late 18th century. They found these people living in two villages on Mission Creek. It was here that a Spanish priest named Father Francisco Palóu founded Mission San Francisco de Asis on June 29, 1776. This period marked the beginning of the end of the Yelamu culture. The Mission was moved from the shore of Laguna Dolores to its current location in 1783. Franciscan friars are reported to have used Ohlone slave labor to complete the Mission in 1791. The Indian population at Mission Dolores dropped from 400 to 50 between 1833 and 1841. Ranchos owned by Spanish-Mexican families such as the Valenciano, Guerrero, Dolores, Bernal, Noe and De Haro continued in the area until 1849 after the Mexican Cession of 1848. It is the historical name for the region of the present day southwestern United States that was ceded to the U.S. by Mexico in 1848 under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican-American War, thus accounting for the Spanish-language derived names of San Francisco and other West Coast areas.

As the city grew in the decades following the Gold Rush, the Mission District became home to the first professional baseball stadium in California, opened in 1868 and known as Recreation Grounds seating 17,000 people which was located at Folsom and 25th Streets, a portion of the grounds remain as present day Garfield Square. Also, in the 20th Century, the Mission District was home to two other baseball stadiums, Recreation Park located at 14th and Valencia and Seals Stadium located at 16th and Bryant with both these stadiums being used by the baseball team named after the Mission District known as the Mission Reds.

During European settlement of the City in the 19th and 20th century, large numbers of Irish and German immigrant workers moved into the area. Development and settlement intensified after the 1906 earthquake, as many displaced businesses and residents moved into the area, making Mission Street a major commercial thoroughfare. In 1926, the Polish Community of San Francisco converted a church on 22nd Street and Shotwell Street and opened its doors as the Polish Club of San Francisco, referred to today as the "Dom Polski", or Polish Home. The Irish American community made their mark during this time, with notable people like etymologist Peter Tamony calling the Mission home. During the 1940-1960s, large numbers of Mexican immigrants moved into the area, initiating white flight, giving the Mission the Latin character it is known for today. During the 1980s and into the 1990s, the neighborhood received a higher influx of immigrants and refugees from Central and South America fleeing civil wars and political instability at the time. These immigrants brought in many Central American banks and companies which would set up branches, offices, and regional headquarters on Mission Street.

The Latino, Chicano, and Central American immigrants also brought with them gang violence. During the 1980s and into the 1990s, branches of the Sureño and Norteño gangs settled into the area and engaged in open violence throughout the neighborhood. The notorious Central American gang MS-13 also became active in the neighborhood as well. Although gentrification and a nationwide crackdown during the late 1990s and into the 2000s have reduced activities from these gangs, they still continue to be a persistent problem for the neighborhood.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s the Valencia Street corridor had a lively punk night life with several clubs including The Offensive, The Deaf Club and Valencia Tool & Die and the former fire station on 16th Street, called the Compound, sported what was commonly referred to as "the punk mall" an establishment that catered to punk style and culture. On South Van Ness Target Video and Damage Magazine were located in a three story warehouse. The neighborhood was dubbed "the New Bohemia" by the San Francisco Chronicle in 1995.

During the late 1990s and into the 2000s, and especially during the dot-com boom, young urban professionals, to twentysomethings and thirtysomethings living the hipster lifestyle moved into the area initiating gentrification, and raising rent and housing prices, forcing many Latino middle class families as well as artists to the Outer Mission area, or out of the city entirely to the suburbs of East Bay and South Bay area. This phase of gentrification led to class conflict and resistance, both in the form of property destruction associated with the 'Mission Yuppie Eradication Project' as well as the work-within-the-system approach of the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition, founded by, among others, future Supervisor Chris Daly.

Despite rising rent and housing prices, many Mexican and Central American immigrants continue to migrate into the Mission. Although, the neighborhood's high rents and home prices have meant they move further south into the Outer Mission.

Landmarks and features

Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis, the namesake of the neighborhood, and the oldest building in the city located in the far western end of the neighborhood on Dolores Street.

The Women's Building. Street murals and paintings of Latin American culture by local artists are a common feature and attraction

Dolores Park is a popular recreation area

The large Latino population in the Mission District can be seen highlighted in this thematic map of San Francisco

Mission Dolores, the eponymous former mission located the far western border of the neighborhood on Dolores Street continues to operate as a museum and as a California Historical Landmark, while the newer basilica built and opened next to it in 1913 continues to have an active congregation.

Near Mission Dolores, Dolores Park, officially Mission Dolores Park, bounded by Dolores Street, Church Street, 18th Street, and 20th Street, the largest park in the neighborhood, and one of the most popular parks in the city. Across from Dolores Park, is Mission High School built in 1927 in the Mediterranean Revival\Baroque Churrigueresque style.

Although gentrification during the 1990s and 2000s shifted the demographics and culture of the neighborhood, to account for a large younger, more White American, the Mission remains the cultural nexus and epicenter of San Francisco's and to an increasingly lesser extent, the Bay Area's Latino, Chicano, Nicaraguan Salvadorian, Guatemalan, community. While Mexican, Salvadorian, and other Latin American businesses are pervasive throughout the neighborhood, residences are not evenly distributed. Most of the neighborhood's Hispanic residents live on the eastern and southern sides. The Western and northern sides of the neighborhood are more affluent and less diverse.

Numerous Latino artistic and cultural institutions are based in the Mission. The Mission Cultural Center for the Latino Arts, established by Latino artists and activists, is an art space. The local bilingual newspaper, El Tecolote, was founded in 1970. The Mission's Galería de la Raza, founded by local artists active in el Movimiento (the Chicano civil rights moment), is a nationally recognized arts organization. Late May, the city's annual Carnaval festival and parade marches down Mission Street. Meant to mimic the festival in Rio de Janeiro, it is held in late May instead of the traditional late February to take advantage of better weather.

The Mission is also famous for its Murals initiated by the Chicano Art Mural Movement of the 1970s and inspired by the traditional Mexican paintings made famous by Diego Rivera. Although located on various buildings and walls all over the neighborhood, some of the more significant ones are located on Balmy Alley, and Clarion Alley.

The Mission district is also famous and influential for introducing Mexican food to Americans, especially burritos. the Mission district is the original home of the San Francisco burrito style. There are also a high concentration of Salvadorean, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, restaurants there as well.

As well, The Mission is home to one of the oldest names in retailing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Siegel's Clothing Superstore and Tuxedos, a very large men's and boy's clothing store, located on Mission Street between 19th and 20th Streets, also known as The Mission Miracle Mile.

Due to the existing cultural attractions, less expensive housing and commercial space, and the high density of restaurants and drinking establishments, the Mission is a magnet for young people. An independent arts community also arose and since the 1990s, the area has been home to the Mission School art movement. Many studios, galleries, performance spaces, and public art projects are located in the Mission, including the , Project Artaud, Southern Exposure, Art Explosion Studios, Artist Xchange, Artists' Television Access, and the oldest, alternative, not-for profit art space in the city of San Francisco, Intersection for the Arts. The Roxie Theater, the oldest continuously operating movie theater in San Francisco, is host to repertory and independent films as well as local film festivals. Poets, musicians, emcees, and other artists sometimes gather on the southwest corner of the 16th & Mission intersection to perform.

The neighborhood is served by the BART rail system with stations on Mission Street at 16th Street and 24th Street, by Muni bus numbers 9, 12, 14, 14L, 22, 27, 33, 48, 49, 67, and along the western edge by the J Church Muni Metro line, which runs down Church Street and San Jose Avenue.

Artists

Some well-known artists associated with the Mission District include:

• Ricardo Gouveia (a.k.a. "Rigo 23", painter, sculptor, and muralist)
• Chris Johanson (painter and street artist)
• Xiani Yngojo-Wang (painter, sculptor, and visionary)
• Eth-Noh-Tec (storytelling kinetic theater)
• Margaret Kilgallen (painter, printmaker, and graffiti artist)
• Barry McGee (a.k.a. "Twist", painter and graffiti artist)
• Ruby Neri (painter, sculptor, and graffiti artist)
• Michael V. Rios (painter, designer, and muralist)
• Xavier Viramontes (printmaker)
• Scott Williams
• Craig Baldwin (filmmaker, archivist, curator)
• Dori Seda (cartoonist, painter)
• Laurie Toby Edison (photographer)
• Dan Plasma (muralist)
• Whittles Graham (curator and street performer)

Music

The Mission is rich in musical groups and performances. Mariachi bands play in restaurants on 24th Street, and many musical traditions are represented each Memorial Day weekend during the Mission's Carnaval celebration. Classical music is heard in the concert hall of the Community Music Center on Capp Street.

Carlos Santana spent his teenage years in the Mission, graduating from Mission High School in 1965. He has often returned to the neighborhood, including for a live concert with his band Santana that was recorded in 1969, and for the KQED documentary "The Mission" filmed in 1994.

The locally-inspired song "Mission in the Rain" by Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia appeared on Garcia's solo album "Reflections", and was played by the Grateful Dead five times in concert in 1976.

Elbo Room, a bar/live music venue on Valencia Street, is home to Dub Mission, a weekly reggae/dub party started in 1996 by DJ Sep and over the years has brought many luminaries of reggae and dub music to perform there.

The Mission District is also very popular for its influencing Hip-Hop/Rap music scene. Record labels like Black N Brown/ Thizz Latin and Hometeam Ent. help put Mission District rappers, like Goldtoes, mousie, Gangsta Flea, Mr. Kee, Friscasso, 10sion, The Goodfelonz, and Don Louis & Colicious, get exposure through various compilations such as 17 Reasons, 18 Wit A Bullet, Organized Crime, Filthy Livin' In The Mission, The Daily Grind 'Fillmoe 2 Da Mission,' and many others. There is a new generation of young and upcoming rappers who are emerging from this neighborhood such as G-One (R.I.P.), Los Da Rockstar, DJ Blaze, Rob Baysicc, Loco C, Young Mix and Yung Dunn to name a few.

Some other prominent musicians and musical personalities include:

• Luscious Jackson (alternative rock)
• Los Mocosos (cutting-edge salsa)
• Faith No More (grunge rock)
• Cesar Ascarrunz (Salsa pianist, impresario, politician, owner of the late Cesar's Latin Palace dance club)
• The Looters
• Primus
• Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express (alternative rock)

See also

• Precita Eyes - Mission Mural Project
• Garfield Square - Popular soccer field, swimming pool, playground and annual Day of the Dead shrines.
• Adobe Books - local independent bookstore which supports local artists, writers, and musicians.
• Tartine - local bakery
• The Deaf Club
• The Redstone Building
• Dolores Park (includes list of neighborhood associations)

Further reading

• Hooper, Bernadette (2006). San Francisco's Mission District. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4657-7.
• Mirabal, Nancy Raquel, “Geographies of Displacement: Latinas/os, Oral History, and the Politics of Gentrification in San Francisco’s Mission District,” Public Historian, 31 (May 2009), 7–31.

External links

• WikiTravel — overview of the district
• Western Half of The Mission — Guided photographic tour
• Eastern Half of The Mission — Guided photographic tour
• Mission Street Itself — Guided photo tour
• The Mission — Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco
• Mission Dolores Neighborhood Association
• North Mission Neighborhood Association
• Project Artaud
• Artists' Television Access (ATA)
• The history of ATA — documented and created by Lex Lonehood
• Polish Club Inc. — Polish Community center in the Mission District since 1926
• San Francisco Chronicle, 26 November 1995: 'Neo-Hipsters Keep the Beat in the Mission'
• Sureño and Norteño gangs in the Mission
• New York Times, 14 September 2008: '36 Hours in San Francisco's Mission District'
• New York Times, 20 November 2005: 'San Francisco's Mission District: Eclectic, Eccentric, Electric'
• New York Times, 5 November 2000: "Mission District Fights Dot-Com Fever'
• New York Times, 16 January 1999: 'In Old Mission District: Changing Grit to Gold'
• Mission, San Francisco, 7x7's Best Neighborhoods 2010: Best for Families