Famous intersection of social, cultural importance

It was the epicenter of the counterculture movement and a place where prominent standup comedians got their start. The neighborhood, the Upper Haight, houses arguably San Francisco’s most popular intersection, HaightAshbury.

In addition to being home to the hippie movement, the neighborhood also included a small cafe off Haight Street called “The Other Cafe,” where comedians like Whoopi Goldberg, Dana Carvey and Robin Williams launched their careers.

The neighborhood reached the peak of its fame during “The Summer of Love”, which attracted a large group of people from various age ranges. It included college students, teenagers, middleclass vacationers and military personnel from nearby bases. HaightAshbury suffered from overcrowding as a result, but the influx of people left in the autumn. There was even a mock funeral for “The Death of the Hippie” on Oct.6, 1967.

Elaborately detailed, 19th Century homes are found throughout the Upper Haight. Many counterculture types moved to the area for its inexpensive cost of living. The reason these dwellings were less expensive was because the Victorians and Edwardians had been changed from singlefamily houses into multiplefamily dwellings during The Great Depression.

But before there were houses, the area consisted of farmlands and sand dunes. A cable car line in 1883 and the construction of the California League Baseball Grounds in 1887 helped develop the area into an entertainment destination. By the early 20th Century, the neighborhood had become a place for upper middle class homeowners.

The Upper Haight is centrally located in San Francisco and bordered by Stanyan Street and Golden Gate Park to the west. Baker Street and Buena Vista Park fashion its eastern border as Oak Street and the Golden Gate Park Panhandle form the northern border.

Shutterstock The Upper Haight neighborhood, houses arguably San Francisco’s most popular intersection, HaightAshbury.