Why The Mission District is Special

Businesses in the Mission District (Photo Courtesy of Author)

Conventional wisdom tells us that cities are defined by their neighborhoods, but can one neighborhood encompass the soul of an entire city? Each section of San Francisco is known for something. Chinatown is known for its Chinese history and tourist friendly boutiques, the Castro is known as being an epicenter for LBGT community, and SoMa  (the neighbohood I live in) is known for its Filipino history and a safe space for sexual expression.

There’s a beautiful chaos in the Mission that can rob you of your faith in humanity and then instantly restore it.

San Francisco prides itself on this diversity, but there’s no neighborhood that truly embodies this more than the Mission District. While SF is a city where you can observe all walks of life, each walk seems to have its own neighborhood. The Mission District is the only place where you can see them all at once. 

There’s a beautiful chaos in the Mission that can rob you of your faith in humanity and then instantly restore it. You can find murals celebrating San Francisco’s political history tragically looming over a homeless person selling bootleg DVDs. Not far from there you’ll see gang tags written in marker on the window of a vegan bakery. The whole neighborhood feels like an experiment conducted by a sociologist gone mad. But madness gives the neighborhood its flavor.

You might see a guy dressed like a clown juggling dildos on a unicycle or you might see Mark Zuckerberg, either way, you probably wouldn’t be fazed. I promise that’s a compliment

Every community seems to commingle in the Mission. Packed taquerias sit beside alternative bookstores and nothing looks out of place. Everyone and everything seems to belong here. You might see a guy dressed like a clown juggling dildos on a unicycle or you might see Mark Zuckerberg, either way, you probably wouldn’t be fazed. I promise that’s a compliment. 

I walk from my apartment in SoMa to Cesar Chavez on the southern end of the Mission District and every time feels new. The buildings are the same, but the atmosphere is different. It’s dynamic and alive in the truest sense of the word. My connection to this neighborhood started with my mom. She grew up on Albion street, but even if that wasn’t the case, I would still find myself in awe of the insanity and eclectic nature of the neighborhood. 

I love it. Well, I don’t love all of it. I don’t love the display of human misery on the streets, especially around the BART stations. While London Breed is apparently cleaning up the Tenderloin, it seems that homelessness in the Mission has gotten worse. What used to be two or three tents has stretched for over a block. 

Despite its problems, the Mission is undeniably special. Cities are segregated, not just by race, but by class. San Francisco suffers from segregation, maybe not as blatantly as other major cities in the United States, but it’s there. While many label the Mission a Latino neighborhood, I feel that’s not the whole story. Is there a strong Latin American presence in the Mission, just as there was an Italian and Irish presence in the past? Yes, but the idea that this is just an ethnic enclave with some street art is silly. Everyone is here. The LGBT community is in the Mission, Punk rockers are in the Mission, Communists are in the Mission, yuppies and techies are in the Mission. Gang members are in the Mission. Fucking Mark Zuckerberg is in the Mission.

And that’s the best part about the Mission, they find a way to coexist.

Except for Mark Zuckerberg. He can fuck off

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