Sunset District, San Francisco

Last updated

Sunset District
Sunset District Drone Shot 07APR2018.png
The Outer Sunset from a drone
Nickname(s): 
The Sunset, The Set, The Avenues
Location map San Francisco County.png
Red pog.svg
Sunset District
Location within San Francisco
Coordinates: 37°45′N122°29′W / 37.75°N 122.49°W / 37.75; -122.49
Country Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
State Flag of California.svg  California
City-county San Francisco
Government
   Supervisor Joel Engardio
   Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D) [1]
   State senator Scott Wiener (D) [1]
   U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) [2]
Time zone UTC-8 (PST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes
94116, 94122, 94132

The Sunset District is a neighborhood located in the southwest quadrant of San Francisco, California, United States.

Contents

Location

The Sunset District is the largest neighborhood within the city and county of San Francisco.[ citation needed ] Golden Gate Park forms the neighborhood's northern border, and the Pacific Ocean (or, more specifically, the long, flat strand of beach known as Ocean Beach) forms its western border. A section of the Sunset District towards its southeastern end is known as the Parkside neighborhood. [3] Prior to the residential and commercial development of the Sunset District, much of the area was covered by sand dunes and was originally referred to by 19th century San Franciscans as the "Outside Lands." [4]

The Sunset District and the neighboring Richmond District (on the north side of Golden Gate Park) are often collectively known as The Avenues, because the majority of both neighborhoods are spanned by numbered north–south avenues. When the city was originally laid out, the avenues were numbered from 1st to 49th, and the east–west streets were lettered A to X. In 1909, to reduce confusion for mail carriers, the east–west streets and 1st Avenue and 49th Avenue were renamed. The east–west streets were named in ascending alphabetical order in a southward direction after prominent 19th-century American politicians, military leaders, or explorers; 19th-century Mexican landowners; and Spanish conquistadors. 1st Avenue was renamed Arguello Boulevard, and 49th Avenue was renamed La Playa Street (Spanish for "the beach"). [5]

Today, the first numbered avenue is 2nd Avenue, starting one block west of Arguello Boulevard, and the last is 48th Avenue near Ocean Beach. The avenue numbers increase incrementally, with one exception: what would be 13th Avenue is known as Funston Avenue, named after Frederick Funston, a U.S. Army general known for his exploits during the Spanish–American War and Philippine–American War, and for directing the U.S. Army response to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The east–west streets in the Sunset appear mostly in alphabetical order. These streets are: Lincoln Way (bordering the south side of Golden Gate Park), Hugo (from Arguello to 7th Avenue only), Irving, Judah, Kirkham, Lawton, Moraga, Noriega, Ortega, Pacheco, Quintara, Rivera, Santiago, Taraval, Ulloa, Vicente, Wawona, Yorba, and Sloat Boulevard. "X" was originally proposed to be Xavier, but was changed to Yorba due to a pronunciation controversy. [5]

History

The origin of the "Sunset" name is not entirely clear. One claim indicates that Aurelius Buckingham, a developer who owned property in the area, coined the term in 1886. Another claim comes from the California Midwinter Exposition, held in Golden Gate Park in 1894 and also known as "The Sunset City." [4]

Before construction of the Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1917, the Sunset was a vast, sparsely inhabited area of large sand dunes and coastal scrub land known as the "Outside Lands." Development was initiated in the 1870s and 1880s with construction of Golden Gate Park, but it did not reach a full scale until after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when small lots of tract homes and row homes now characteristic of the neighborhood were built into the sand dunes. [6] These tract homes would displace a smaller original settlement built into the dunes called Carville, which was so named for squatters that lived in abandoned horsecars (horse-drawn trolleys) and cable cars that were dumped in the sand dunes. [7] Development increased by the 1930s, as the Sunset was built and developed into a streetcar suburb. The post–World War II baby boom in the 1950s saw the last of the sand dunes leveled down and replaced with more single – and multifamily homes. In these developments, built mostly by Henry Doelger, entire blocks consist mainly of houses of the same general character, differentiated by variations in their stucco facades and mirrored floorplans, with most built upon 25-foot-wide (7.6 m) lots with no free space between houses. Later, Oliver Rousseau built more individualistic homes in the district. [8]

Historically, the Sunset has been an Irish and Italian ethnic enclave. [9] Beginning in the late 1960s the neighborhood saw a steady influx of Asian (mostly Chinese) immigrants following the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which lifted racial quotas allowing for more nationals of countries outside Western and Northern Europe to immigrate to the United States. Additionally, the Handover of Hong Kong motivated many Chinese to immigrate to the U.S. due to the political and economic uncertainties.[ citation needed ] In 1999, around 60% of the homeowners in the Sunset and Richmond districts were Chinese. [9]

Sub-neighborhoods

Inner Sunset

San Tung Chinese Restaurant, a popular lunch and dinner spot on Irving Street between 11th and 12th Avenues San Tung Chinese Restaurant, Sunset District, San Francisco.JPG
San Tung Chinese Restaurant, a popular lunch and dinner spot on Irving Street between 11th and 12th Avenues

The Inner Sunset is bordered by Lincoln Way to the north, 2nd Ave to the east, Quintara Street to the south, and 19th Avenue to the west. This far-east section of the Sunset is located just west of Mount Sutro. The main commercial area is along Irving Street from 5th Avenue to 12th Avenue, and along 9th Avenue from Lincoln Way to Judah Street, much of which is dotted with a variety of restaurants and shops.

The Inner Sunset hosts a variety of local businesses, including restaurants, bars, breweries, book stores, bakeries, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, clothes and shoe stores, a tattoo parlor, and a wine bar. Many of these establishments are clustered around the intersection of 9th Avenue and Irving Street. Food offered by the restaurants located in the Inner Sunset includes pizza, Mexican, Thai, Persian, Korean, Malaysian, Hawaiian, Greek, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Cajun/Creole, Dim Sum, Turkish, Peruvian, Chinese, Vietnamese, California Cuisine, Mediterranean, Indian, Japanese, Vegetarian. [10]

The Inner Sunset is the 12th wealthiest neighborhood in San Francisco with a median income of $112,050. [11] [ better source needed ] The median sale price of homes in the Sunset District is $1.5M. [12]

Central Sunset

The Central Sunset is bounded by Lincoln Way to the north, 19th Avenue to the east, Ortega Street to the south, and Sunset Boulevard to the west. [13] This area is mostly residential with cookie-cutter homes and large lots and a commercial strip along Irving Street from 19th Avenue to 27th Avenue and on Noriega Street from 19th Avenue to 27th Avenue and 30th Avenue to 33rd Avenue. Features of the area include the Sunset Reservoir (which takes up eight square blocks between Ortega and Quintara streets and 24th and 28th avenues), which has a small park surrounding its outer rim; Golden Gate Park; and the Sunset Recreation Center. The Central Sunset is often considered part of the Outer Sunset, including by the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services. [14]

Outer Sunset

The Outer Sunset is bordered by Lincoln Way to the north, Sunset Boulevard (between 36th and 37th avenues) to the east, Sloat Boulevard to the south, and Ocean Beach to the west. The primary commercial avenues are Judah, Noriega, and Taraval. The Outer Sunset is the foggiest section in San Francisco due to its close proximity to Ocean Beach. The area's main attractions include the San Francisco Zoo, Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, and Lake Merced.

Attractions and characteristics

View of the "Inner Sunset District" facing Golden Gate Park San Francisco Sunset District.jpg
View of the "Inner Sunset District" facing Golden Gate Park
The commercial area on 9th Avenue and Irving Street has become a lively nightlife spot. San Francisco - shops on 9th Avenue 01.jpg
The commercial area on 9th Avenue and Irving Street has become a lively nightlife spot.
Sunset District has a large Asian American population (darker colors represent a larger proportion of Asian-Americans), Asian sf1.png
Sunset District has a large Asian American population (darker colors represent a larger proportion of Asian-Americans),

The western part of the Sunset borders the cold northern California Pacific Ocean coastline, so it tends to get much of the fog San Francisco is famous for. The Sunset can be foggy and chilly for some days during summer. The Sunset's finest weather is usually from August through December, when regional air patterns transition from onshore to offshore weather and the area is free of fog. Sand carried by Pacific Ocean winds can be found on roadways and driveways within the first five to ten blocks east of Ocean Beach.

The Sunset District contains several large park and recreation areas. The San Francisco Zoo is located in the southwestern corner of the neighborhood by Lake Merced, the largest lake within San Francisco. Also within the Lake Merced area are several golf courses: the private Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and the public TPC Harding Park. Across from Lake Merced is Fort Funston, an old coastal battery, now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Fort Funston notably has some of the last remnants of the sand dune ecosystem that once covered the entire Sunset District.

There is a year-round, Sunday morning farmers' market which is located at 1315 8th Avenue (the parking lot between 8th and 9th Avenues). The market is operated by the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association and is sponsored by the Inner Sunset Park Neighbors. [15] The Inner Sunset Farmers' Market offers California-grown produce, fish, eggs, and meat, as well as local food vendors and artisans.

Stern Grove, a heavily wooded park and amphitheater located on Sloat Boulevard between 19th and 34th avenues, is known for its annual summer festival.

Three parks lie on the far east border of the district: the northernmost is Grand View Park (also referred to as Turtle Hill) a small, elevated park [16] surrounded by 14th and 15th Avenues, as well as Noriega Street; moving south, next is Golden Gate Heights Park, just east of 14th Avenue north of Quintara; and Hawk Hill Park, also east of 14th Avenue at Santiago. These natural areas belong to a remnant ridge-top system and include some of the last-remaining sand-dune communities in the city. [17]

Education

The San Francisco Unified School District operates public K–12 schools.

Educational institutions include the Parnassus campus and medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, located in Inner Sunset; the main campus of San Francisco State University, located in the southwestern corner of the neighborhood across from Lake Merced; Abraham Lincoln High School, located in the center of the Sunset District; St. Ignatius College Preparatory (a private, coeducational school educating men and women for others in the Jesuit tradition in San Francisco since 1855; one of the oldest, most prestigious, high achieving, top performing secondary schools in the state of California) located since 1969 adjacent to Sunset Boulevard; and Lowell High School, the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi. [18]

Beach culture

The strip near the Pacific Ocean has a notable [19] population of surfers who take advantage of the sometimes excellent surf conditions of Ocean Beach. [20] [21] Because of the cold Pacific current that brings ocean water from Alaska, it is usually necessary to wear a wetsuit when surfing at Ocean Beach. Several surf shops can be found near the beach in the Outer Sunset.

Several playgrounds are located in the Sunset, including Sunset Playground and Recreation Center, Blue Boat Playground, West Sunset, McCoppin Square, and South Sunset.

Climate

Like much of the coast of Northern California, the Sunset district has a cool summer Mediterranean-type climate, albeit with an unusual annual temperature distribution. The warmest days of the year occur in October and then the coldest nights of the year occur just two months later in December. Its climate is strongly influenced by the Pacific Ocean and therefore has even cooler summers and milder winters than downtown San Francisco. Rainfall follows a seasonal pattern with plentiful precipitation in the winter (almost all of this falling as rain) and extremely dry albeit foggy summers. [22]

Climate data for San Francisco Oceanside, California, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1958–2021
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)79
(26)
77
(25)
81
(27)
85
(29)
82
(28)
82
(28)
85
(29)
89
(32)
96
(36)
99
(37)
90
(32)
73
(23)
99
(37)
Mean maximum °F (°C)66.4
(19.1)
69.0
(20.6)
71.0
(21.7)
71.6
(22.0)
67.3
(19.6)
66.1
(18.9)
65.8
(18.8)
69.6
(20.9)
77.3
(25.2)
83.9
(28.8)
75.2
(24.0)
65.4
(18.6)
86.3
(30.2)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)59.0
(15.0)
60.4
(15.8)
60.8
(16.0)
60.4
(15.8)
59.8
(15.4)
60.9
(16.1)
61.8
(16.6)
63.7
(17.6)
65.0
(18.3)
66.4
(19.1)
63.5
(17.5)
59.1
(15.1)
61.7
(16.5)
Daily mean °F (°C)52.4
(11.3)
53.5
(11.9)
54.4
(12.4)
54.8
(12.7)
55.4
(13.0)
56.8
(13.8)
58.1
(14.5)
59.5
(15.3)
60.1
(15.6)
59.8
(15.4)
56.5
(13.6)
52.5
(11.4)
56.2
(13.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)45.7
(7.6)
46.6
(8.1)
47.9
(8.8)
49.1
(9.5)
51.0
(10.6)
52.7
(11.5)
54.3
(12.4)
55.4
(13.0)
55.3
(12.9)
53.2
(11.8)
49.5
(9.7)
45.8
(7.7)
50.5
(10.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C)37.8
(3.2)
39.7
(4.3)
40.7
(4.8)
42.4
(5.8)
44.8
(7.1)
46.9
(8.3)
50.4
(10.2)
50.0
(10.0)
49.6
(9.8)
46.1
(7.8)
41.7
(5.4)
36.5
(2.5)
34.0
(1.1)
Record low °F (°C)29
(−2)
29
(−2)
26
(−3)
27
(−3)
35
(2)
35
(2)
40
(4)
40
(4)
38
(3)
35
(2)
26
(−3)
23
(−5)
23
(−5)
Average precipitation inches (mm)3.94
(100)
4.01
(102)
2.98
(76)
1.37
(35)
0.64
(16)
0.19
(4.8)
0.01
(0.25)
0.05
(1.3)
0.11
(2.8)
0.90
(23)
2.22
(56)
4.22
(107)
20.64
(524)
Average precipitation days10.610.710.06.13.51.20.20.50.93.06.912.265.8
Source: NOAA [23] [24]

Related Research Articles

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

The Richmond District is a neighborhood in the northwest corner of San Francisco, California, developed initially in the late 19th century. It is sometimes confused with the city of Richmond, which is 20 miles (32 km) northeast of San Francisco; accordingly, the neighborhood usually is referred to as "the Richmond."

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

Grandview Park, also referred to as Turtle Hill by local residents, is a small, elevated park in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California. It is surrounded by 14th and 15th Avenues, as well as Noriega Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Highway</span> Road that forms the western edge of San Francisco along the Pacific Ocean

The Great Highway is a road in San Francisco that forms the city's western edge along the Pacific coast. Built in 1929, it runs for approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) next to Ocean Beach. Its southern end is at Skyline Boulevard near Lake Merced; it extends to Point Lobos Avenue and the Cliff House at its northern end. In 2020 a portion of the road was closed to vehicular traffic, opening back to traffic in 2021 during weekdays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panhandle (San Francisco)</span> Linear park in the California city

The Panhandle is a public park in San Francisco, California, so named because it forms a panhandle with Golden Gate Park. It is long and narrow, being three-quarters of a mile long and just one block wide. Fell and Oak Streets border it to the north and south, Baker Street to the east, and to the west Stanyan Street which separates the smaller Panhandle from the much larger Golden Gate Park. The Panhandle is bisected by Masonic Avenue, which runs north to south and cuts through the middle of the park. In its westernmost block, Oak and Fell Streets angle across the Panhandle, converge with one another, and continue west of Stanyan as John F. Kennedy Drive and Kezar Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geary Boulevard</span> Thoroughfare in San Francisco, United States

Geary Boulevard is a major east–west 5.8-mile-long (9 km) thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, United States, beginning downtown at Market Street near Market Street's intersection with Kearny Street, and running westbound through downtown, the Civic Center area, the Western Addition, and running for most of its length through the predominantly residential Richmond District. Geary Boulevard terminates near Sutro Heights Park at 48th Avenue, close to the Cliff House above Ocean Beach at the Pacific Ocean. At 42nd Avenue, Geary intersects with Point Lobos Avenue, which takes through traffic to the Cliff House, Ocean Beach and the Great Highway. It is a major commercial artery through the Richmond District; it is lined with stores and restaurants, many of them catering to the various immigrant groups who live in the area. The boulevard borders Japantown between Fillmore and Laguna Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octavia Boulevard</span> Major road in San Francisco

Octavia Boulevard is a major street in San Francisco, California, United States, that replaced the Hayes Valley portion of the damaged two-level Central Freeway. Once a portion of Octavia Street alongside shadowy, fenced-off land beneath the elevated U.S. Route 101 roadway, Octavia Boulevard was redeveloped and redesigned upon the recommendation of a "Central Freeway" planning committee representing a broad array of neighborhoods, including the surrounding Hayes Valley and Western Addition, the Richmond District, Pacific Heights and the Sunset District with representatives appointed by Mayor Willie Brown and the Board of Supervisors and led by the Planning Department of San Francisco. Elements of the San Francisco General Plan were consulted for issues such as urban design, transportation mobility and congestion management, community safety and historic preservation, along with the evaluation of the impacts following the recent removal (1991) of the elevated Embarcadero Freeway and the revitalization of the Embarcadero as a surface boulevard complemented by an extension of the Muni Metro light-rail transit subway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal Rocks (San Francisco, California)</span> Rock islands in Pacific Ocean in western San Francisco, California

Seal Rock is a group of small rock formation islands in the Lands End area of the Outer Richmond District in western San Francisco, California. They are located just offshore in the Pacific Ocean, at the north end of the Ocean Beach, near the Cliff House and Sutro Baths ruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Anne of the Sunset Church in San Francisco</span>

St. Anne of the Sunset Catholic Church in San Francisco is a parish of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in San Francisco, California. St. Anne is one of four Sunset District Catholic churches and mainly caters to the Inner Sunset area near Golden Gate Park and the University of California, San Francisco hospital campus.

The 49-Mile Scenic Drive is a designated scenic road tour highlighting much of San Francisco, California. It was created in 1938 by the San Francisco Down Town Association to showcase the city's major attractions and natural beauty during the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Lake Park</span> Park in San Francisco, California

Mountain Lake Park is a 14-acre (5.7 ha) San Francisco park in the Richmond District neighborhood, located north of the intersection of Lake and Funston. It was designed by engineer William Hammond Hall in the late 19th century, circa 1875. Hall also designed Golden Gate Park and was significantly influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted.

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

The Parkside is a neighborhood in the western part of San Francisco, California. It is located in the southern part of the Avenues south of Quintara and north of Sloat Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Funston</span> Former harbor defense installation in San Francisco

Fort Funston is a former harbor defense installation located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco. Formerly known as the Lake Merced Military Reservation, the fort is now a protected area within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) and is used widely as an off-leash dog park. It was named in honor of Frederick N. Funston (1865–1917), a Major General in the United States Army with strong connections to San Francisco, and included several artillery batteries. The fort is located on Skyline Boulevard at John Muir Drive, west of Lake Merced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19th Avenue (San Francisco)</span> City street in San Francisco, California

19th Avenue is a north–south city street in San Francisco, California. It consists of two non-contiguous segments that are separated by Golden Gate Park. The southern segment is a six-lane arterial thoroughfare, mostly signed as part of California State Route 1, that goes through the southwestern part of the city. The non-contiguous northern segment is primarily a residential street through the Richmond District.

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

The Marina District is a neighborhood located in San Francisco, California. The neighborhood sits on the site of the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, staged after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to celebrate the reemergence of the city. Aside from the Palace of Fine Arts, all other buildings were demolished to make the current neighborhood.

Merced Manor is a neighborhood in southwestern San Francisco, between Stern Grove and Lake Merced. It is bordered by 19th Avenue to the east, Sloat Boulevard to the north, 26th Avenue to the west and Eucalyptus Drive to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Way (San Francisco)</span> Thoroughfare in San Francisco, United States

Lincoln Way is a major east–west thoroughfare in western San Francisco, California. It has two lanes for traffic and two tracks for streetcars.

References

  1. 1 2 "Statewide Database". UC Regents. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  2. "California's 11th Congressional District - Representatives & District Map". Civic Impulse, LLC.
  3. LaBounty, Woody; Brandi, Richard (March 2008). "San Francisco's Parkside District: 1905 - 1957" (PDF). Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Ungaretti, Lorri (2004). "The Changing Physical Landscape of the Sunset District: The Late 1800s through the Mid-1900s". Encyclopedia of San Francisco. San Francisco Museum & Historical Society. Archived from the original on November 2, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
  5. 1 2 Freeman, John (2003). "Street Naming Controversy - 1909". Encyclopedia of San Francisco. San Francisco Museum & Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
  6. "Sunset District". Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  7. LaBounty, Woody (July 2005). "Parkside District". Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  8. Weinstein, Dave (August 7, 2004). "Brightening the Sunset/Oliver Rousseau, a Depression-era builder, infused the city with rows of romantic homes". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Curtius, Mary (October 11, 1999). "A Coming of Age for S.F. Chinese". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  10. "Members". Inner Sunset Merchants Association. Inner Sunset Merchants Association. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  11. "The 10 Richest Neighborhoods In San Francisco, CA For 2021". April 6, 2022.
  12. "Redfin".
  13. "Realtor Neighborhoods". DataSF. San Francisco Office of the City Administrator. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  14. "SF Find Neighborhoods". DataSF. San Francisco Office of the City Administrator. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  15. "Home Page - PCFMA". Pcfma.org. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  16. Todd, Gail (February 14, 2008). "Grandview Park and the Mosaic Stairway". SFGate.com . Hearst Communications Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  17. "Significant Natural Resource Areas Management Plan". San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. February 2006. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  18. "The Top of the Class". The Daily Beast. May 16, 2008. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  19. Narayan, Shwanika (November 12, 2019). "'Huge loss': Wise Surfboards, one of SF's oldest surf shops, is closing". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  20. "How to surf Ocean Beach in San Francisco". Surfer today. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  21. "Ocean SD, California climate normals". Western Regional Climate Centre. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  22. "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  23. "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 12, 2022.

Further reading

37°45′N122°29′W / 37.75°N 122.49°W / 37.75; -122.49