Mission Terrace

Alright, you shouldn’t really think of Mission Terrace as anything like the Mission. In fact, I think that it doesn’t actually even border the Mission District, being separated by part of Bernal Heights. This neighborhood is not exactly beautiful, but it does have a certain quality to it that some might find attractive. It is made up of Spanish Revival style bungalows. They are fairly nicely kept and judging by the luxury cars parked outside, this neighborhood must have some high end sections.

So what should we make of this neighborhood?

Rents—The rents are fairly varied in this neighborhood—which is a little strange because from the outside the small lots and Mission style can look fairly homogenous. Most homes however go for about $850/mo. You can definitely find some for twice that amount.

Crime—Crime is only moderate here and there were no murders here last year.
Parks and Recreation—One of the nice things about this neighborhood is the presence of Balboa Park.

Education—The neighborhood is also to the east of City College of San Francisco, perhaps the best community college in the Bay Area. The local school, Balboa High is actually considered a fairly strong school although when you look at their scores on standardized tests they are strangely all over the board with some areas coming in the bottom quarter while others reach up into the top (and a fair number in between as well).

Restaurants—Like with its neighbor, the Excelsior District, restaurants are mostly along Mission and are mostly un-impressive. These are the kind of places you go to when you are too lazy or tired to go anywhere else.

Bars—The bars are a lot better. There are about a half dozen dives worth dropping in on—all on Mission. (Mission Street here, like in many parts of the actual Mission, has sort of slightly run down look to it, but definitely feels authentic.)

Some of the lower rent prices in this neighborhood can be explained by the nearby college, though I don’t think it is very common for students to move near community colleges in the same way they do for UCs or private universities like Stanford.

Overall, a little boring but definitely worth a look if you want to keep rents low or are a student in the area.

Much of the Mission district survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and refugees, primarily Italians and Irish, flooded in from across the city. They were joined by Mexican immigrants from the 1910 Mexican Revolution and Central Americans fleeing political oppression. Wave after wave of primarily Latino immigrants arrived in the ensuing years, melding the area into a rich and vibrant cultural community. It is with this history that we have Mission Terrace.

There are rich neighborhood murals in Balmy Alley, the Cesar Chavez School, the 24th Street Bart Station and numerous other locations. Working class social causes, art and music thrive in the Mission area today.

The latest wave of immigrants to Mission Terrace are the young, affluent, high-tech set, and easily lured by burritos and bungalows with potential. This new scene is creating quite a stir in the community and the gentrification debate roars on.