Outer Mission, San Francisco, California
Encyclopedia
Outer Mission is a small residential neighborhood on the south edge of San Francisco
.
(in reality, Bernal Heights
is directly south of Mission). Some also call any and all neighborhoods south of Mission the "Outer Mission area", which results in further confusion.
. Like the Mission, many of its original residents were of Irish
descent until the 1960s to 1980s when it shifted to its current majority demographics of Latino
, Chicano
, and Central Americans.
and Playground, a unique park beneath the BART tracks, featuring dense vegetation and over one hundred whimsical wood statues carved by the park's creator, along with a small baseball field and tennis courts.
Most of the area contains single family residences that are most often attached and have a small fenced back yard.
The 1990s to 2000s Real Estate Boom
and its subsequent gentrification
, led to many Latino/Chicano, as well as Asian, families to move into the area, as it remains one of the few low rent, and thus middle class, enclaves left in San Francisco.
Due to this shift in demographics, a very common practice in this neighborhood is the construction of an in-law apartment in part of the garage space (often consisting of an additional bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, with the side entry used as the in-law's entry door). The owner of the building then often rents out this in-law unit to supplement his or her income or mortgage payment. Because of this, there is a relatively high percentage of renters in this neighborhood, despite consisting almost exclusively of single family homes. The in-laws very often are unwarranted (done without a city permit), resulting in a higher population density than the neighborhood was built for or the city would allow. This has some undesirable side effects such as the streets (and even the sidewalks) filling up with cars.
Outer Mission houses originally featured front yards or small planting areas in front of the property, but over the years many homeowners paved over their planting areas, often for the purpose of allowing them to park cars on the sidewalk. This has made the streets less attractive, but as the city has recently encouraged residents to (re-)create planting areas and plant trees in front of their homes, the number of front yards is on the rise again.
The neighborhood is well served by public transportation and is adjacent to the I-280
, one of San Francisco's two major freeways. The BART
line through the city also runs adjacent to the Outer Mission, in fact, as the tracks are above ground in this part of the city, the trains are visible and audible throughout most of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is in walking distance to Balboa Park Station
, which is one of the city's largest public transportation hubs, being served by BART, three Muni Metro
lines (J-Church
, K-Ingleside
, M-Oceanview
) and many bus lines (including some of the nightly Owl lines). The main bus line serving the Outer Mission is the 14 Mission, which is the bus line that operates along the full length of Mission Street (from the Embarcadero
to Daly City). In addition to the 14, during peak hours Muni also runs two variations of it: the 14-L (limited, fewer stops) and the 14-X (express, takes the freeway to and from downtown). Also during peak hours, another Muni line, the 88 BART Shuttle passes through the Outer Mission and can be used to get to Balboa Park quickly and directly. Finally, the numerous bus lines that run along Geneva Avenue (most prominently the 9, the 54 and the 43) also are easily accessible from the neighborhood.
In addition to Muni, SamTrans
operates several of its lines on Mission Street which can be used to get to destinations on the Peninsula
.
While bicycling is not as widespread as in other neighborhoods (such as the Mission), it is popular with some residents, and well marked and wide bike lanes exist along most of Alemany Blvd.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Location
The Outer Mission is a neighborhood in Southeast San Francisco with boundaries of Interstate 280 to the west, Geneva Avenue to the north, and Mission Street and the Daly City border to the south. Its surrounding neighborhoods include Ingleside to the west, Mission Terrace to the north, Excelsior to the northeast, Crocker-Amazon to the southeast, and Daly City to the southwest. The name Outer Mission often causes confusion, leading some to believe that Outer Mission is immediately south of Mission DistrictMission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
(in reality, Bernal Heights
Bernal Heights, San Francisco, California
-Location:Bernal Heights lies to the south of San Francisco's Mission District. Its most prominent feature is the open parkland and microwave tower on its large rocky hill, Bernal Heights Summit...
is directly south of Mission). Some also call any and all neighborhoods south of Mission the "Outer Mission area", which results in further confusion.
History
The Outer Mission was developed around the 1920s as an extension of the nearby Mission DistrictMission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
. Like the Mission, many of its original residents were of Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
descent until the 1960s to 1980s when it shifted to its current majority demographics of Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
, Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
, and Central Americans.
Attractions and characteristics
The neighborhood is a stone's throw from Cayuga ParkCayuga Park
Cayuga Park is a small park and playground in San Francisco, located at the edge of the Cayuga Terrace neighborhood. The history, location and aesthetics of the park make it unique among the parks of San Francisco....
and Playground, a unique park beneath the BART tracks, featuring dense vegetation and over one hundred whimsical wood statues carved by the park's creator, along with a small baseball field and tennis courts.
Most of the area contains single family residences that are most often attached and have a small fenced back yard.
The 1990s to 2000s Real Estate Boom
United States housing bubble
The United States housing bubble is an economic bubble affecting many parts of the United States housing market in over half of American states. Housing prices peaked in early 2006, started to decline in 2006 and 2007, and may not yet have hit bottom as of 2011. On December 30, 2008 the...
and its subsequent gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
, led to many Latino/Chicano, as well as Asian, families to move into the area, as it remains one of the few low rent, and thus middle class, enclaves left in San Francisco.
Due to this shift in demographics, a very common practice in this neighborhood is the construction of an in-law apartment in part of the garage space (often consisting of an additional bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, with the side entry used as the in-law's entry door). The owner of the building then often rents out this in-law unit to supplement his or her income or mortgage payment. Because of this, there is a relatively high percentage of renters in this neighborhood, despite consisting almost exclusively of single family homes. The in-laws very often are unwarranted (done without a city permit), resulting in a higher population density than the neighborhood was built for or the city would allow. This has some undesirable side effects such as the streets (and even the sidewalks) filling up with cars.
Outer Mission houses originally featured front yards or small planting areas in front of the property, but over the years many homeowners paved over their planting areas, often for the purpose of allowing them to park cars on the sidewalk. This has made the streets less attractive, but as the city has recently encouraged residents to (re-)create planting areas and plant trees in front of their homes, the number of front yards is on the rise again.
The neighborhood is well served by public transportation and is adjacent to the I-280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...
, one of San Francisco's two major freeways. The BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The heavy-rail public transit and subway system connects San Francisco with cities in the East Bay and suburbs in northern San Mateo County. BART operates five lines on of track with 44 stations in four counties...
line through the city also runs adjacent to the Outer Mission, in fact, as the tracks are above ground in this part of the city, the trains are visible and audible throughout most of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is in walking distance to Balboa Park Station
Balboa Park (BART station)
Balboa Park Station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit station located south of Balboa Park in southern San Francisco, California. It consists of two main tracks and a single island platform...
, which is one of the city's largest public transportation hubs, being served by BART, three Muni Metro
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
lines (J-Church
J Church
The J Church is a Muni Metro railway line in San Francisco, California mainly serving the Noe Valley and Balboa Park neighborhoods, connecting them to downtown. It began as one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in 1917, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni...
, K-Ingleside
K Ingleside
The K Ingleside is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California, mainly serving the West Portal and Ingleside neighborhoods. It was one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in the early 20th century, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni Metro system in the...
, M-Oceanview
M Oceanview
The M Ocean View is a Muni Metro line in San Francisco, California. It was one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in the early 20th century, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni Metro system in the late 1970s...
) and many bus lines (including some of the nightly Owl lines). The main bus line serving the Outer Mission is the 14 Mission, which is the bus line that operates along the full length of Mission Street (from the Embarcadero
The Embarcadero (San Francisco)
The Embarcadero is the eastern waterfront and roadway of the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco, California, along San Francisco Bay, constructed atop an engineered seawall on reclaimed land, and derives its name from the Spanish verb embarcar, meaning "to embark"...
to Daly City). In addition to the 14, during peak hours Muni also runs two variations of it: the 14-L (limited, fewer stops) and the 14-X (express, takes the freeway to and from downtown). Also during peak hours, another Muni line, the 88 BART Shuttle passes through the Outer Mission and can be used to get to Balboa Park quickly and directly. Finally, the numerous bus lines that run along Geneva Avenue (most prominently the 9, the 54 and the 43) also are easily accessible from the neighborhood.
In addition to Muni, SamTrans
SamTrans
SamTrans is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto...
operates several of its lines on Mission Street which can be used to get to destinations on the Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
.
While bicycling is not as widespread as in other neighborhoods (such as the Mission), it is popular with some residents, and well marked and wide bike lanes exist along most of Alemany Blvd.