About the Mission

The Mission District is San Francisco's oldest neighborhood, dating back to the completion of Mission Dolores by Spanish priests, soldiers and ranchers in 1776.  Many immigrants of Irish, Italian and German descent settled in the area after the Gold Rush of 1849. By the early twentieth century, the area was home to a high concentration of movie theaters and a bustling stretch of stores on Mission Street, dubbed the "Mission Miracle Mile." Following World War II, many residents moved out of the neighborhood to the rapidly developing suburbs. At about the same time, the neighborhood began experiencing a new immigration wave from individuals coming from Latin America. It is this last set of immigrants that have given the Mission District its distinctive Latin character.