Mission San Francisco History
Native Peoples and Spanish Colonization
Before the late 18th century, the area now known as the Mission District was the homeland of the Ohlone people, including the Yelamu tribe, who had thrived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 2,000 years. With the arrival of Spanish missionaries, the landscape and cultural fabric of the region began to change drastically. These missionaries, among whom was Father Francisco Palóu, encountered the Yelamu living in two villages along Mission Creek. On June 29, 1776, Palóu established Mission San Francisco de Asis, initially located near the shore of Laguna Dolores before being moved to its present site in 1783. The construction of the mission, completed in 1791, heavily relied on the coerced labor of the Ohlone people, marking a significant shift in their way of life and heralding the decline of the Yelamu culture. This period was devastating for the local indigenous population, with numbers at Mission Dolores plummeting from 400 to just 50 between the years 1833 and 1841, reflecting the profound impacts of colonization and cultural disruption.
San Francisco’s Southern Expansion
In the mid-19th century, the Mission District, once dotted with ranchos owned by Spanish-Mexican families like the Valencianos, Guerreros, Dolores, Bernals, Noés, and De Haros, began its transformation. Initially separated from the early town of Yerba Buena—later renamed San Francisco and centered around Portsmouth Square—by a two-mile wooden plank road, this area evolved into a bustling extension of the city as the road was paved and renamed Mission Street.
The region around the nearly deserted Mission San Francisco de Asis turned into a hub for various public entertainments including bull and bear fighting, horse racing at the Pioneer Race Course (established in 1853), baseball, and dueling. The Willows, a popular beer parlor resort, was located along Mission Creek, just south of 18th Street between Mission Street and San Carlos Street. Another significant attraction was Woodward’s Gardens, a large conservatory and zoo that spanned two city blocks from 1865 to 1891, bordered by Mission Street, Valencia Street, 13th Street, and 15th Street.
Following the Gold Rush, San Francisco rapidly expanded southward, and the Mission District developed into a vibrant residential and industrial area. It attracted working-class immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and Italy who contributed significantly to its growth. The Mission also became a sporting landmark, hosting California’s first professional baseball stadium, Recreation Grounds, which opened in 1868 at Folsom and 25th Streets, accommodating 17,000 spectators. Parts of this historic site are preserved as today’s Garfield Square. In the 20th century, the neighborhood was home to additional baseball venues: Recreation Park at 14th and Valencia and Seals Stadium at 16th and Bryant, the latter hosting teams like the Mission Reds and the San Francisco Seals.
The influx of Irish immigrants in the late 19th century brought further cultural influence, as they played crucial roles in city governance and the establishment of Catholic schools in the Mission District. This wave of immigration and development marked a significant era in the Mission’s history, shaping it into a culturally rich and diverse community.
Earthquake and Population Shifts in the Mission District
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Mission District of San Francisco saw significant demographic changes. Initially, during California’s early statehood period, it was primarily inhabited by Irish and German immigrant workers. By 1900, this area remained one of the city’s least densely populated zones, characterized mostly by white working-class and lower middle-class families living in single-family houses and two-family flats.
The landscape of the Mission District underwent a dramatic transformation after the 1906 earthquake. This catastrophic event displaced many businesses and residents from other parts of the city, who then moved into the area, turning Mission Street into a major commercial thoroughfare. The post-earthquake period also witnessed significant urban development and population shifts, contributing to the district’s growing density.
In response to the sanitary challenges posed by the earthquake, in 1901, San Francisco legislated against burials within city limits, which led to the development of Colma as a nearby burial site. The ‘Golden Fire Hydrant’ famously played a crucial role during the earthquake, as it was one of the few water sources that worked and helped prevent the entire district from succumbing to the fires that followed the quake. In the subsequent decade, Valencia Street saw an increase in mortuaries and funeral homes, utilizing the direct streetcar access to Colma for transporting the deceased.
The 1920s brought further cultural diversification with the establishment of the Polish Club of San Francisco, known today as “Dom Polski” or Polish Home, located at 22nd Street and Shotwell Street. This period also solidified the Irish American presence in the Mission, with influential figures like etymologist Peter Tamony contributing to the community’s cultural landscape.
A significant demographic shift occurred from the 1940s through the 1960s, as large numbers of Mexican immigrants moved into the Mission, many displaced from the “Mexican Barrio” at Rincon Hill due to the construction of the Bay Bridge’s western landing. This migration led to “white flight” and significantly shaped the Mission’s Chicano/Latino character, a trait for which the neighborhood is still known today. Additionally, starting in the 1960s, the influx of Central American immigrants further diversified the area, even outnumbering the Mexican population, and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry that defines the Mission District today.
1970s–1990s: A Time of Cultural Shift and Diversification in the Mission District
During the 1960s and 1970s, the Mission District experienced notable demographic and cultural shifts. The Chicano/Latino population in the western part, including the Valencia Corridor, saw a slight decline as more middle-class, young people, including members of the gay and lesbian communities, moved into the area. This period also marked significant activism within the Latino community, highlighted by the political movement surrounding “Los Siete de la Raza.” These seven young Latino men from the Mission District were charged with the 1969 murder of a San Francisco Police officer, which galvanized the community. They were seen as change-makers, advocating for educational opportunities and better community services, leading initiatives like a free bilingual service through Centro de Salud and a community newspaper.
By the mid-1970s through the 1980s, the Valencia Street corridor emerged as one of the most vibrant lesbian neighborhoods in the United States. It became home to the Women’s Building, Osento Bathhouse, Old Wives Tales bookstore, Artemis Cafe, Amelia’s, and The Lexington Club, creating a strong and visible community presence.
The late 1970s and early 1980s brought a thriving punk nightlife to the Valencia Street corridor, featuring influential bands like The Offs, The Avengers, Dead Kennedys, and Flipper. Venues like The Offensive, The Deaf Club, Valencia Tool & Die, and The Farm became central to this vibrant scene. The area also hosted alternative spaces like the “punk mall” at the former fire station on 16th Street and the converted Hamms brewery, known as The Vats, which catered to punk style and culture. By 1995, the San Francisco Chronicle had dubbed the neighborhood “the New Bohemia” due to its eclectic and artistic atmosphere.
The 1980s and 1990s saw another wave of immigration, this time from Central America, South America, the Middle East, the Philippines, and former Yugoslavia, as individuals fled civil wars and political instability. This influx brought many new banks and companies to the area, setting up branches and regional headquarters along Mission Street and further enriching the neighborhood’s diverse cultural and economic landscape.
1990s–Present: Gentrification and Cultural Persistence in the Mission District
From the late 1990s through the 2010s, the Mission District experienced significant demographic changes, particularly during the dot-com boom, when an influx of young urban professionals moved into the area. This movement is widely regarded as the catalyst for gentrification, which led to increased rent and housing prices. As a result, many Latino American middle-class families and artists were pushed to the Outer Mission or even further out to the suburbs of the East Bay and South Bay areas.
Despite these challenges, the Mission District has continued to be a stronghold for many Mexican and Central American immigrants. However, the economic pressures have led to a notable decrease in the Latino population, which dropped by 20% over the decade leading up to 2011. Even so, the neighborhood maintained its reputation as an artist-friendly environment through 2008.
By 2000, the Latino population of the Mission District stood at 60%, but by 2015, this number had fallen to 48%, with predictions of a further decline to 31% by 2025, according to a city-funded research study. Despite these shifts, the Mission remains a vibrant cultural and community hub, particularly for San Francisco’s Mexican/Chicano population and, to a lesser extent, the Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan communities.
The distribution of residences in the Mission reflects broader socioeconomic trends, with most Chicano/Latino residents living on the eastern and southern sides, while the western and northern sides tend to be more affluent and predominantly white. In recent years, the northern part of the Mission, along with the nearby Tenderloin, has become home to a growing Mayan-speaking community, consisting mainly of immigrants from Mexico’s Yucatán region who began arriving in the 1990s. This community’s influence is evident in the naming of In Chan Kaajal Park, which opened in 2017 between Folsom and Shotwell Streets north of 17th Street, showcasing the ongoing cultural evolution and resilience of the Mission District.