Parkside, San Francisco

Santiago and 34th Ave., looking south

The Parkside is a neighborhood in the western San Francisco, California. It is located in the southern part of the Avenues south of Quintara and north of Sloat Boulevard. The neighborhood has the unique distinction of more parks per capita than any other neighborhood in San Francisco. They include: Parkside Square, Pine Lake, Pine Lake Park (aka Dog Park), Concert Meadow (home of famous free summer concerts), Charlie Sava Pool (formerly Carl Larsen Pool), Carl Larsen Park, Stern Grove, McCoppin Park, and McCoppin Square.

Location

The Parkside as a neighborhood started in July 1905 when a syndicate led by William Crocker announced they had quietly bought land from the estate of Adolph Sutro and others to create a new million-dollar development. The "park" of Parkside was not Golden Gate Park, but rather the stand of trees and plants around Laguna Puerca (now called Pine Lake, and often called "Mud Lake" or "Crawdad Lake" by old-timers)^[1] west of Sigmund Stern Grove.

The exact border of the district is well defined according to long-time locals. Parkside has been a distinct neighborhood of San Francisco since its inception. The boundaries of the Parkside consist of Quintara Street on the north, Sloat Boulevard on the south, 36th Avenue/Sunset Boulevard on the west, and a diagonal eastern boundary line that abuts on the former Rancho San Miguel property, running from 12th Avenue on the north to 19th Avenue and Sloat on the south.^[2] Later with more development to the west from Sloat Boulevard west to the ocean, east to Quintara and south to the San Francisco Zoo the Outer Parkside is also part of the Parkside District of San Francisco.

Parkside Elementary School (located at 25th Avenue and Vicente Street) was closed in 1975 and torn down in 2004.^[3] In its place today stands Dianne Feinstein Elementary School at the Parkside Campus. Parkside Library is located at 22nd Avenue and Taraval.

Attractions and charisteristics

The area is mostly residential, except for the commercial corridor on Taraval Street. The L Taraval of the Muni Metro serves the neighborhood and provides a mode of transportation to downtown. Other transit lines include the 29 Sunset, 48 Quintara-24th Street, 66 Quintara, and 18 46th Avenue.

The Parkside branch of the San Francisco Public Library is also located in the area.

Sigmund Stern Recreational Grove is a big attraction, and the Stern Grove Festival summer concerts at "the Grove" are a popular activity.

The neighborhood is represented by District 4. The current District 4 supervisor is Katy Tang.

References

1. LaBounty, Woody (July 2005). "Parkside District". Western Neighborhoods Project. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
2. LaBounty, Woody; Brandi, Richard (March 2008). "San Francisco's Parkside District: 1905 - 1957" (PDF). Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
3. "Parkside School". Western Neighborhoods Project. November 2007. Retrieved 2013-02-26.

Coordinates: 37°44′38″N 122°29′31″W / 37.7440°N 122.4920°W