Get to Know: Inner Sunset

Photo by Tony Webster on Flickr via Creative Commons license

The Inner Sunset is a mainly residential neighborhood in the SFAR’s District 2 - Central West designation, bounded by Lincoln Way to the north, Stanyan and Street and 7th Avenue to the east, Quintara Street and Golden Gate Heights to the south, and 19th Avenue to the west. Before the opening of the Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1917, the western end of the city was a sprawling, sparsely populated tract of mostly sand dunes known as “Outside Lands” — for which the music festival is named. Some development had begun earlier with the construction of Golden Gate Park in the 1860s and 1870s. In 1887 developer Aurelius E. Buckingham bought a plot of land around 5th Avenue and Lincoln Way and began to develop it. The neighborhood’s development was further spurred by the 1894 California Midwinter Exposition in nearby Golden Gate Park and by relocated refugees following the 1906 earthquake.

Initially and well into the 20th century, the neighborhood was a mainly Irish and Italian ethnic enclave. Starting in the 1960s, an influx of Asian (mainly Chinese) immigrants came in following the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which lifted racial quotas allowing for more non-European nationals to immigrate. Today, the Inner Sunset’s population skews young, diverse, and educated. This is reflected in the vibrant commercial center along Irving Street and 9th Avenue, with shops and restaurants influenced by cultures from around the world.

As it is an early suburb of San Francisco, Inner Sunset is desirable for having a housing stock of many single-family homes and relatively larger lots. It offers the conveniences of city living alongside some of the tranquility of suburbia. Public transit connects the area easily to downtown, and 19th Avenue makes for a handy conduit for those commuting to the Peninsula and South Bay. The area also enjoys access to some of San Francisco’s best outdoor spaces, starting of course with Golden Gate Park. Some of the steeper streets in and around Golden Gate Heights are also home to some of the city’s most charming and whimsical tile murals.