Richmond District, San Francisco
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.
Richmond District
Park-Presidio District (1917–2009)
2.705 sq mi (7.01 km2)
2.705 sq mi (7.01 km2)
59,297
21,920/sq mi (8,460/km2)
The Richmond is in many ways defined by its relation to the parks; the district is bordered by Golden Gate Park on the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Lincoln Park, Mountain Lake Park and the Presidio of San Francisco to the north, bisected by the Presidio Greenbelt.
Overview[edit]
JFK Drive at Golden Gate Park is permanently closed to traffic. It is a haven for runners, bikers, exercise enthusiasts, tourists, and pedestrians. Many locals and other visitors come to GG Park for its museums, have a picnic, play tennis/soccer/basketball etc., skating, go on its slide with a cardboard, and look at the buffalos and windmill. There are a few hiking trails, rental bikes and boats at the lake, and there are food trucks near the Bandshell on weekends.
The Richmond has many influences from the Chinese, Korean, and Russian culture. The movies Shang-Chi and Always Be My Maybe were filmed here. The commercial strips are Geary Boulevard, Clement, and Balboa Street. The Richmond has many diverse restaurants with cuisines from all over the world.
The Richmond has deep Irish and Russian roots and has many Catholic and Orthodox churches, as well as Irish bars. This neighborhood is known as Little Russia, and has many Russian bakeries, restaurants, grocery stores, and deli. Some people used to also call it New Chinatown. Nowadays many Chinese establishments are in the Sunset instead, but there are still a number of Chinese restaurants, bakeries, hair salons, and grocery stores here. The Richmond also has many Korean establishments including churches, a small grocery store, and at least ten restaurants.
Name[edit]
The neighborhood was given its name by Australian immigrant and art dealer George Turner Marsh, one of the neighborhood's earliest residents, who called his home "the Richmond House" after Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.[4] In 1917, the district was legally named "Park-Presidio District", chosen to avoid confusion between the district and the city of Richmond right across the bay. In spite of the official change, San Franciscans continued to use the old name.
The name Park-Presidio remained on the books until January 2009, when newly elected Supervisor Eric Mar introduced legislation that officially renamed the area north of Golden Gate Park and west of Arguello Boulevard the Richmond District.[5]
Streets[edit]
The Richmond District and the neighboring Sunset District (on the south side of Golden Gate Park) are often collectively known as "The Avenues", because a 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 after Spanish explorers in ascending alphabetical order in a southward direction. First Avenue was renamed Arguello Boulevard and 49th Avenue was renamed La Playa Street.[19]
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 the exception that what would be 13th Avenue is called Funston Avenue named for Frederick Funston, a U.S. Army general, famous for his exploits during the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, and the 1906 earthquake.
Many of the east–west streets are still named after the Spanish Conquistadors, but there are exceptions. The creation of Golden Gate Park took out the streets previously lettered E through G. The former D Street became Fulton, which is the northern boundary of most of the Park.
North of the Park in the Richmond District, the streets are named Anza, Balboa, and Cabrillo.
Major parks in the Richmond District include:
The Richmond is home to San Francisco Unified School District elementary, middle and high schools. Elementary schools have distinct attendance zones.[21]
George Washington High School is located in Outer Richmond,[33] at 32nd Avenue and Anza St.
Additionally, Katherine Delmar Burke School, an independent girls' school for kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as Kittredge School, a small, independent private elementary school serve the district.
The Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch and the Anza Branch of the San Francisco Public Library serve the Richmond District.[34][35] In 1930 voters approved a city charter amendment that would increase funding to the library system so a new library could be built. John Reid, Jr., the architect, designed and landscaped the $57,117.29 new library, which was placed on the site of the former Lafayette School. On April 10, 1932, the Anza Library, the 17th municipal library branch, was dedicated. In May 2009 the library system closed the Anza Branch for repairs.[36] A rebuilt library opened on June 18, 2011. Jing Mo Athletic Association lion dancers provided entertainment at the ceremony.[35]