Mission Dolores in San Francisco was originally one church surrounded by farmers and gold traders. It was founded in 1776 by the Spanish in order to spread catholicism to indigenous people. The mission used to be the heart of San Francisco, but that changed following the post industrial revolution. In the late 1800s the Mission became a cultural hub for people seeking gold, religious clarity, work on the intercontinental railroad and simply a different type of life from what the rest of the United States had to offer at the time.
The 1906 earthquake unexpectedly took the city by surprise. With a force of 7.6 on the richter scale, the earthquake destroyed nearly 70% of the city. Back in the early 1900s their were no regulations as to how buildings were suppose to be built, everything was vulnerable at natures mercy. However, the Mission was mainly unaffected and was serving to help those in need as a temporary shelter. Due to the lack of proper housing many people simply abandoned their homes to live in the surrounding suburbs of San Francisco. |
After the reconstruction, the city was only booming and able to get new types of inhabitants. WWII was largely responsible because it led to the creation of many industrial and factory jobs. Many of these people were middle class people who were able to buy new homes with their GI Bill.
Following the 1970s, their was another great migration of immigrants to the already diverse city of San Francisco. This migration was from people simply seeking better living conditions, work opportunities, and the American dreams. The Mission District was the main place where new immigrants went to live due to it's relative cheapness and cultural diversity. The financial district had already gone through "manhattanization" so immigrants decided not live their. The Mission District became home to hardworking people who simply wanted better lives. Over the next thirty years San Francisco became the place everyone wanted to live in. Not only because of it's amazing location, work opportunities, but simply because it was one of the most diverse cities in the United States. Specifically, the Mission District now had immigrants from over 40 different countries. In a simple eight block radius you were able to have pupusas from El Salvador, naam from India, Korean BBQ, Greek Yogurt, handmade Mexican bread, Vietnamese pho and more. Following the tech boom in the 2000s, the mission district significantly changed. Most of the immigrants in San Francisco's Mission District were renters because they arrived with nothing and were not able to afford a home. With an unprecedented demand for housing many landlords started to raise rent prices. Slowly, most of the minorities were forced to relocate to the cheaper parts of the Bay Area and to abandon their homes. The Mission District is not as diverse as it once was. It now caters to the mid 20s tech worker. |