New Mission Theatre on Mission Street

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. The area occupies land previously divided into ranchos owned by Spanish-Mexican families such as the Valencianos, Guerreros, Dolores, Bernals, Noes and De Haros.

The neighborhood is ethnically and economically diverse, with a population that is half Latino, a third White, and 11 percent Asian.^[1]

The Mission District is part of San Francisco's supervisorial districts 5, 9 and 10.

[edit] Geography

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 Dolores 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 Dolores 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).

[edit] Climate

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. ^[2]

[edit] History

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

The Yelamu Indians inhabited the region what 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.^[3] Franciscan friars are reported to have used Ohlone slave labor to complete the Mission in 1791.^[4] The Indian population at Mission Dolores dropped from 400 to 50 between 1833 and 1841. Mexican and Spanish ranches continued in the area until 1849^[3] 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 Mexicans moved into the area as whites moved out, giving the Mission the Latin character it is known for today. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Mexican population was joined by large numbers of immigrants and refugees fleeing civil wars from Central and South America.

Despite rising rent and housing prices, many Mexican and Central American immigrants continue to move into the Mission district. The neighborhood has high crime areas. 13 of the city's 98 homicides in 2007 occurred in the Mission District.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Culture of the Inner Mission

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

The Inner Mission was viewed as a Latino neighborhood through much of the 1960s and 1970s. However, the Mission today is both the nexus of the Chicano and Latino community and a neighborhood of artists, Queer folks and hipsters. While Mexican, Peruvian, Salvadorian, and other Latin American restaurants are pervasive throughout the neighborhood, residences are not evenly distributed. Most of the neighborhood's Latino/a residents live on the eastern and northern sides.^{[citation needed]} A fusion of the conceivably disparate cultures is evidenced by the many colorful Latin American themed murals throughout the neighborhood.^{[citation needed]}

Numerous Latino/a 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.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning in the 1980s many Central American banks and companies set up branches, offices, and regional headquarters on Mission Street.^{[citation needed]}

Due to the existing cultural attractions, relatively less expensive housing and commercial space, and the high density of restaurants and drinking establishments, the Mission is a magnet for young people. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the Valencia Street corridor had a lively punk night life with several clubs including 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. 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 Clarion Alley Mural Project, 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. The neighborhood was dubbed "the New Bohemia" by the San Francisco Chronicle in 1995 (see link below). The cultural shift, often referred to as gentrification, led to tension and the founding of the Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition by local Supervisor Chris Daly.

[edit] 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)
• 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^[5] (painter, designer, and muralist)
• Xavier Viramontes^[6] (printmaker)
• Scott Williams [1]
• Craig Baldwin (filmmaker, archivist, curator)
• Dori Seda (cartoonist, painter)
• Laurie Toby Edison^[7] (photographer)

Dan Plasma (muralist)

[edit] 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.^[8] Classical music is heard in the concert hall of the Community Music Center on Capp Street.^[9]

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^[10], and for the KQED documentary "The Mission" filmed in 1994^[11].

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.^[12]

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, 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.), Young Mix, Los Da Rockstar, DJ Blaze, Loco C, and Yung Dunn to name a few. The Mission District Hip Hop/Rap scene is heavily influenced by the illegal drug trafficking, gang activity, and other organized crime that occurs in the Mission District. Although many people ignore the negative aspects of this neighborhood, these artists and labels show another harsh reality that goes on in the Mission, not to glorify it but to show how many lives are affected because of these issues.

[edit] Transportation

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.

[edit] Highlights of the Inner Mission

• Mission Dolores, the eponymous former mission on Dolores Street which is not technically in the Mission District.
• Mission High School built 1927, 18th Street between Church and Dolores
• Carnaval San Francisco held on the 4th Sunday in May on Memorial Day Weekend is considered the top ethnic event on the West Coast with over eighty parade groups and 7-stage 2-day music festival on Harrison Street.^[13]
• Murals initiated by the Chicano Art Mural Movement of the 1970s and inspired by the traditional Mexican paintings made famous by Diego Rivera can be found on 24th Street, Balmy Alley, and Clarion Alley.
• Dolores Park, officially Mission Dolores Park, bounded by Dolores Street, Church Street, 18th Street, and 20th Street.
• Nightlife, including a concentration at the intersection of 16th Street and Valencia Street.
• Every Thursday night, poets, musicians, emcees, and other artists gather on the southwest corner of the 16th & Mission intersection to perform.^[14]
• The Roxie Cinema and the Victoria Theatre on 16th Street are the only remaining neighborhood movie theatres in the Mission. The Roxie has struggled for years financially and was purchased by New College of California in January 2006. The college runs its film studies program out of the Roxie during the day and shows independent films in the evening.
• Intersection for the Arts, the oldest alternative non-profit art space in San Francisco. Longtime artistic and community hub for residents of the Mission. Intersection's theater and gallary are located on Valencia between 15th and 16th streets.
• The Marsh, a small performance venue that specializes in new solo performance. The theater features several shows per week, and San Francisco celebrities such as Robin Williams, Marga Gomez, and Josh Kornbluth all developed at there. The Marsh's theater space and cafe are located on Valencia between 21st and 22nd streets.
• Mexican food, especially burritos; the Mission district is the original home of the San Francisco burrito style.
• Restaurants serving the cuisines of Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Japan, Italy, China, Peru, Cambodia, Honduras, Vietnam, Ethiopia, France, Morocco, Germany, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Turkey, among others.^[15]

[edit] Movies filmed in the Mission District

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

The following films feature scenes shot in the Mission District:

• Vertigo
• La Mission
• Crackers
• High Crimes
• 48 Hrs.
• Sucker Free City
• Tales of the City
• Take the Money and Run
• Quality of Life
• Pursuit of Happyness
• The Enforcer
• Bullitt
• Fearless
• Haiku Tunnel
• Milk
• Mission Movie (Una Pelicula de la Mision)

[edit] See also

San Francisco Bay Area portal

• 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)

[edit] Further reading

Hooper, Bernadette (2006). San Francisco's Mission District. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-4657-7.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mission District, San Francisco

• 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
• New Mission — Urban Dictionary entry for San Francisco's New Mission
• 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'

Coordinates: 37°46′N 122°25′W / 37.76°N 122.42°W / 37.76; -122.42