Portola[3] is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of San Francisco, northeast of McLaren Park. It is roughly bordered by San Bruno Avenue and the James Lick Freeway (U.S. Route 101) to the east, Mansell Street to the south, University Street to the west and the Southern Freeway (Interstate 280) to the north. The adjacent Portola Heights extension lies west uphill from University Street to the Excelsior District, bordering McLaren Park to the south.
Name
Portola (pronounced PORE-toe-luh, by denizens) was named after the old Portola School, which in turn was named after the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà (credited by some as the discoverer of San Francisco Bay).
It earned the nickname Garden District for its history of urban farming dating back to the early 1900s. The neighborhood once had over 20 functioning commercial farms and greenhouses. [4]
Characteristics
According to the U.S. Census, the Asian population in the Portola has been steadily increasing since the 1990s.[5] The Portola is marked by Census Tract 257.[6]
History
Originally settled after the 1906 earthquake by Jewish and Italian immigrants, the area evolved into a community populated by nurserymen and their families who grew much of the city's flower crop there and uphill to the west in the Portola Heights extension. "The Road", as San Bruno Avenue was affectionately referred to by the locals, still hosts businesses that include bakeries, grocery stores, pharmacies, and in earlier times the Avenue Theater, now a church. The Portola was also once home to a significant population of Maltese immigrants and settlers[3] and at one time the Maltese Consulate.
Demographics
According to the 2012 to 2016 census data gathered by the San Francisco Planning Dept.[7]
Population
Total Population
16,410
Male
48%
Female
52%
Income
Median Household Income
$77,053
Median Family Income
$82,113
Per Capita Income
$29,659
Households
Total Households
4,820
Family Households
72%
Non-Family Households
28%
Households with Children,% of Total
32%
Single Person Households,% of Total
21%
Avg. Household Size
3.4
Avg. Family Household Size
4.1
Race/Ethnicity
Asian
55%
Latino (of Any Race)
26%
White
22%
Other/Two or More Races
18%
African American
5%
Native American Indian
0.4%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.2%
Educational Attainment (Residents 25 years and older)
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