The Castro, San Francisco
| Castro District | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood | |
Castro Street and its namesake neighborhood, the Castro
|
|
| Nickname(s): The Castro | |
 Castro District
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| Coordinates: 37°45′42″N 122°26′06″W / 37.76171°N 122.43512°WCoordinates: 37°45′42″N 122°26′06″W / 37.76171°N 122.43512°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 California
|
| City-county | San Francisco |
| Named for | José Castro |
| Government | |
| • Supervisor | Scott Wiener |
| • Assemblymember | David Chiu (D) |
| • State Senator | Scott Wiener (D) |
| • U. S. Rep. | Nancy Pelosi (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.36 km2 (0.526 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1.36 km2 (0.526 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 12,064 |
| • Density | 8,900/km2 (23,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
| ZIP codes | 94110, 94114 |
| Area codes | 415/628 |
The Castro District, commonly referenced as The Castro, is a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood through the 1960s and 1970s, the Castro remains one of the most prominent symbols of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activism and events in the world.
San Francisco's gay village is mostly concentrated in the business district that is located on Castro Street from Market Street to 19th Street. It extends down Market Street toward Church Street and on both sides of the Castro neighborhood from Church Street to Eureka Street. Although the greater gay community was, and is, concentrated in the Castro, many gay people live in the surrounding residential areas bordered by Corona Heights, the Mission District, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks, and Haight-Ashbury neighborhoods. Some consider it to include Duboce Triangle and Dolores Heights, which both have a strong LGBT presence.
Castro Street, which originates a few blocks north at the intersection of Divisadero and Waller Streets, runs south through Noe Valley, crossing the 24th Street business district and ending as a continuous street a few blocks farther south as it moves toward the Glen Park neighborhood. It reappears in several discontinuous sections before ultimately terminating at Chenery Street, in the heart of Glen Park.
Castro Street was named for José Castro (1808–1860), a Californian leader of Mexican opposition to U.S. rule in California in the 19th century, and alcalde of Alta California from 1835 to 1836. The neighborhood now known as the Castro was created in 1887 when the Market Street Railway Company built a line linking Eureka Valley to downtown.
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