Lower Haight, San Francisco, California

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

Geography

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 on south. The eastern boundary is variously placed at Webster Street, Laguna Street, or even Market Street. 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.

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 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. The Association considers the neighborhood to be a subset of the Hayes Valley (District 6B). [http://www.propertiessanfrancisco.com/Neighborhoods/district6.htm]

Description

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 abandoned UC Berkeley Extension.

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.cite news | last = Levy | first = Dan | title = Fillmore Flap Hits Nerve | publisher = San Francisco Chronicle | pages = A-17 | date = 1997-02-11 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/02/11/MN65421.DTL | accessdate = 2008-09-01 ]

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 [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/27/BAGQQCVLAU1.DTL&type=printable] , and shootings among local gang members [http://lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=3344] gradually reduced the crime rate. While it is now relatively safe compared to years past, crime remains a problem, with crack cocaine and marijuana resold from nearby cannabis dispensaries contributing to street-level drug dealing and use [http://www.yelp.com/biz/everett-brooks-san-francisco] .

In response to crime, a moratorium was placed in 2006 on new liquor licenses in the neighborhood [http://www.examiner.com/a-89657~Supervisor__No_more_bars_in_Lower_Haight.html] . 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 [http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=20&clip_id=4826] [http://groups.google.com/group/lowerhaightorg/browse_frm/thread/adc9cfc51e7ce37e/ecc39fe9608670ee#ecc39fe9608670ee] .

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.

Transportation

The area is served by several San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) bus lines and it is a few blocks away from all of the MUNI Metro lines. The heart of the neighborhood, at the corner of Fillmore and Haight, is six blocks away 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 neighborhoodFact|date=September 2008, and walking is also very popular.

Buses

The neighborhood is served by the east-west Haight Street lines of 6, 7, and 71, which connect downtown with various neighborhoods around and west of the Upper Haight. The 22 line runs north-south along Fillmore Street, connecting the Marina District with the bay side of Potrero Hill. The 24 line also runs north-south, along Divisadero, connecting Pacific Heights with the Mission and Hunter's Point neighborhoods. The 16 follows Oak (inbound) and Fell (outbound) Streets, but is a commuter express with only one stop inbound (Oak at Franklin in the morning) and outbound (Fell at Gough in the afternoon).

Metro

All Muni Metro lines pass nearby, either along Market Street or through the adjacent Duboce Triangle neighborhood. The N and J lines stop at Duboce and Church. The K, L, M, S and T stop at Church Street Station, at Church and Market. The historic streetcars of the F line stop on Market at Church, although they are organizationally distinct from Muni Metro.

Parking

There are no commercial parking lots in this neighborhood, and most on-street parking is free and therefore congested. As with most central and downtown San Francisco neighborhoods, it is advisable to find other methods of transportation, such as bicycles, public transportation, or taxis.

Commerce

The Lower Haight is dominated by food and drink establishments, whose regional appeal contribute to parking congestion during evenings and weekends. Other businesses include numerous hair and beauty salons, art galleries, several used record shops, a pet supply store, and a heavy concentration of Medical Cannabis dispensaries. Walgreens is one of the few storefronts not locally owned — indeed several of the businesses in the neighborhood are eclectic and owner-operated.

Cafés, Bars and Restaurants

* Ali Baba's Cave - Mediterranean food
* [http://www.axumcafe.com Axum] - Ethiopian cafe
* Baghdad Nights
* Bean There
* Burger Joint
* Café du Soleil
* Café International
* Chili Cha Cha
* Cuco's - Mexican / Salvadoran
* [http://www.menukarma.com/menus/menu-for-estelas-fresh-sandwiches-in-san-francisco Estela's] - sandwiches
* Hanabi - Japanese restaurant
* Indian Oven
* Kate's Kitchen
* Katz's Bagels
* La Carreta
* Love 'n' Haight - sandwiches
* Mad Dog in the Fog
* Memphis Minnie's - BBQ
* Metro Cafe - burgers and cheesesteaks
* Molotov's
* Mythic Pizza
* Naan and Chutney - Indian restaurant
* [http://www.nocnocs.com Noc Noc]
* [http://rajasf.com/ Raja Cuisine of India]
* [http://www.rnmrestaurant.com/ RNM]
* Rosamunde Sausage Grill
* Rotee - Indian/Pakistani restaurant [http://www.roteesf.com]
* [http://www.squatandgobble.com Squat and Gobble] - crepes and breakfast fare
* The Grind
* [http://www.thepphanom.com/ Thep Phenom]
* [http://www.toronado.com Toronado]
* [http://www.uvaenoteca.com/ Uva Enoteca]
* Visit Thai
* [http://sfvolarepizza.com/ Volare Pizza]

Other Local Commerce

* [http://www.upperplayground.com Upper Playground] - flagship store to the internationally-distributed clothing label
* [http://www.fifty24sf.com Fifty24 SF] - gallery in partnership with Upper Playground
* [http://www.vanguardsf.com Vanguard Properties] - an independent local real estate firm
* [http://www.lowerhater.com LowerHaters] - gallery and clothing

ee also

* Maps and aerial photos at Coord|37.772116|-122.430466|name=Lower Haight
* Haight-Ashbury

References

External links

* [http://www.lowerhaight.org/ Lower Haight Neighborhood Site]
* [http://wikitravel.org/en/San_Francisco/Haight-Fillmore WikiTravel: Haight-Fillmore]
* [http://www.sfstation.com/districts/lowerhaight.html SFStation: Districts: Lower Haight]
* [http://lowerhaight.tribe.net/ Lower Haight group] , "Tribe.net".
* [http://dubocepark.com/ Friends of Duboce Park]