Lower Haight, San Francisco

Last updated

Lower Haight
Nickname: 
Haight–Fillmore
Location map San Francisco Central.png
Red pog.svg
Lower Haight
Location within Central San Francisco
Coordinates: 37°46′19″N122°25′48″W / 37.772°N 122.430°W / 37.772; -122.430
Government
   Supervisor Dean Preston
   State Assembly Matt Haney (D) [1]
   State Senator Scott Wiener (D) [1]
   U. S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) [2]
Area
  Total
0.77 km2 (0.298 sq mi)
  Land0.77 km2 (0.298 sq mi)
Population
  Total
9,120
  Density11,835/km2 (30,653/sq mi)
ZIP Code
94102, 94117
Area codes 415/628
[3]

The Lower Haight is a neighborhood, sometimes referred to as Haight–Fillmore, in San Francisco, California.

Contents

Location

Referred to as "Pine Valley" in the 70s because of all the pine trees, the Lower Haight lies generally along Haight Street east of Divisadero Street, and between Oak Street (or Fell Street) on the north, and Duboce Avenue (or Waller Street) on south. The eastern boundary is variously placed at Webster Street, Laguna Street, or even Market Street.

Fillmore and Haight Lower Haight San Francisco.jpg
Fillmore and Haight

It is east of the more famous Haight-Ashbury, which is also known as the Upper Haight. The name derives from the significant elevation change as Haight Street climbs steeply from Scott Street to Buena Vista Park [ original research? ].

The area straddles a shallow valley between Mint Hill and Upper Haight, sloping down from Oak Street (north) toward Duboce (south). Duboce Park, toward the corner of Duboce and Scott, is a grassy park containing a children's playground, dog park, and the Harvey Milk Recreational Arts Building.

Adjacent neighborhoods include the Western Addition/Alamo Square to the north; Duboce Triangle to the south; Hayes Valley to the east; and the Upper Haight to the west.

The San Francisco Association of Realtors defines the area more narrowly as the "Haight–Fillmore" neighborhood, bounded by Steiner Street on the west, Webster Street on the east, Fell Street on the north, and Waller Street on the south. In 2015, many real estate listings inaccurately called the Lower Haight "Hayes Valley" but no part of Haight Street is part of Hayes Valley. [4] The Association considers the neighborhood to be a subset of the Hayes Valley (District 6B). [5]

Attractions and characteristics

A mixture of restaurants, small nightclubs, cafes, drinking establishments, residences, galleries, and hair salons characterizes the Lower Haight. Neighborhood institutions include John Muir Elementary School, San Francisco Zen Center, The United States Mint, Duboce and Koshland parks, and the Haight Street Art Center.

Lower Haight differs from Upper Haight by having a more diverse population and a smaller number of retail businesses. The Victorian and Edwardian houses tend to be less ornately painted and maintained in the Lower Haight than in the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood, and rent can be lower. The neighborhood has been referred to as having a "grungey, post-punk bohemian" atmosphere. [6]

It can be at times a dangerous place, but the efforts of local residents, a public nuisance lawsuit in the 1990s against the crime-ridden Hayes Valley housing project, a Federal RICO case against inhabitants of the subsequent housing development, [7] and shootings among local gang members, [8] gradually reduced the crime rate.

In response to crime, a moratorium was placed in 2006 on new liquor licenses in the neighborhood. In 2008, the San Francisco Planning Commission decided that the same historic pattern of crime is no barrier to having multiple medical cannabis dispensaries there. [9] [10]

San Francisco Zen Center San Francisco Zen Center.jpg
San Francisco Zen Center

The San Francisco Zen Center is at the northeast edge of the neighborhood in an elegant brick building designed by famed architect Julia Morgan in 1922.

The area is served by several San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) bus lines and is within a few blocks of all MUNI Metro lines. The heart of the neighborhood, at the corner of Fillmore and Haight, is six blocks from the subway stop of Church and Market, which is also the location of the city's largest supermarket, a Safeway. Surveys show that this neighborhood has one of the highest number of daily trips by bike per capita of any San Francisco neighborhood[ citation needed ], and walking is also very popular.

The Wiggle bicycle route through the Lower Haight The Wiggle.jpg
The Wiggle bicycle route through the Lower Haight

The geography of the Lower Haight lends itself to the most efficient bicycle routing from the Mission District towards Golden Gate Park and surrounding neighborhoods, and the popular bicycle route termed The Wiggle zig zags through this neighborhood.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buena Vista Park</span>

Buena Vista Park is a park in the Haight-Ashbury and Buena Vista Heights neighborhoods of San Francisco, California. It is the oldest official park in San Francisco, established in 1867 as Hill Park, later renamed Buena Vista. It is bounded by Haight Street to the north, and by Buena Vista Avenue West and Buena Vista Avenue East. The park is on a steep hill that peaks at 575 feet (175 m), and covers 37 acres (150,000 m2). The lowest section is the north end along Haight.

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The Duboce Triangle is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, located below Buena Vista Park and between the neighborhoods of the Castro/Eureka Valley, the Mission District, and the Lower Haight.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayes Valley, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haight Street</span> Street in San Francisco, USA

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duboce Park</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wiggle</span> Bicycle route in San Francisco

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  2. "California's 11th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC.
  3. "Lower Haight neighborhood in San Francisco, California (CA), 94102, 94117 subdivision profile". City-data.com. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  4. "Hayes Valley Real Estate, Hayes Valley Homes for Sale by SFAR". Sfrealtors.com. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  5. "District 6 Central North". Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2006.
  6. Levy, Dan (February 11, 1997). "Fillmore Flap Hits Nerve". San Francisco Chronicle. pp. A-17. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  7. "SAN FRANCISCO / Alleged gang leader indicted in death of federal witness / Six others also accused in three killings, crack ring". Sfgate.com. May 27, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  8. "LawFuel - The Law News Network". November 10, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  9. "Planning Commission - Feb 7th, 2008". Sanfrancisco.granicus.com. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  10. "Google Groups". Groups.google.com. Retrieved August 10, 2018.