Richmond District Park-Presidio District (1917–2009) |
|
---|---|
Neighborhood | |
San Francisco's Richmond District in foreground, with Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, and the Presidio in background
|
|
Nickname(s): The Richmond, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond, | |
Location within San Francisco | |
Coordinates: 37°46′40″N 122°28′58″W / 37.77778°N 122.48278°WCoordinates: 37°46′40″N 122°28′58″W / 37.77778°N 122.48278°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
City and county | San Francisco |
Named for | Richmond, Victoria |
Government | |
• Supervisor | Sandra Lee Fewer |
• Assemblymember | Phil Ting (D) |
• State Senator | Scott Wiener (D) |
• U. S. Repr. | Nancy Pelosi (D) |
Area | |
• Total | 7.01 km2 (2.705 sq mi) |
• Land | 7.01 km2 (2.705 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Total | 59,297 |
• Density | 8,460/km2 (21,920/sq mi) |
Time zone | Pacific (UTC−8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC−7) |
ZIP codes | 94118, 94121 |
Area codes | 415/628 |
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 Richmond, a city 20 miles (32 km) northeast of San Francisco.
The Richmond is in many ways defined by its relation to the parks; bordered by Golden Gate Park on the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Lincoln Park, Land's End, Mountain Lake Park and the Presidio of San Francisco to the north, bisected by the Presidio Greenbelt and with the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge in full and clear view, the neighborhood, which is otherwise a simple but far-reaching grid, has a feeling of being encapsulated by nature. It is thus known as a safe, peaceful, serene, family neighborhood, and one of the city's largest as a whole, both in terms of housing stock and population.
The Richmond is home to a vast affluent Chinese population and its commercial strips on Geary Blvd. and Clement Street are commonly referred to as the second Chinatown and boasts more highly rated Chinese restaurants than Chinatown itself.
The Richmond also has deep Irish and Russian roots and has many Catholic and Orthodox churches.
The district 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. 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, virtually every San Franciscan continued to use the old name.
Still, 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.