Oceanview/Ingleside - First Look

My first impressions of the Oceanview/Ingleside area were nothing what I expected. The area is rich with history, diversity, gentrification, and socio-economic boundary lines. My first trip through the area took me down to the southern end of Oceanview. While I was there, I snapped pictures of the many churches often within 10-15 feet of one another. In stark contrast to the heavily non-secular communities, was the rich graffiti and artistic counter-culture presence. Beautiful art can be found on buildings as well as vehicles.

The main stretch of road that I chose to explore was Broad Street. The M line of the MUNI travels here, and it seemed like the logical place to start. Stretching from Arch to San Jose, Broad Street is the main thoroughfare of southern Oceanview. The area extends all the way up the hill to Ocean Avenue, and as far south as the freeway.

Not all of the graffiti was artistic. There is a definite gang culture in place in Oceanview that will need to be explored further in future posts. I'm not really looking forward to that, but it should provide a rich if not exhilarating semester to come.

One home struck me as unique. It is the picture in the lower right hand corner. Starkly yellow, and set back against two towering, white, more modern homes, I was determined to learn more about it. This house at 173 Farrallones Street was built in 1913 only seven years after the Great San Francisco earthquake. Perhaps a family looking to rebuild away from the fires and destruction of the downtown area chose this quiet little plot of land further away from the city's interior. Less than half a century later it was back nestled close to its larger neighbors.

All in all, it was a beautiful day and people seemed genuinely willing to talk about what ails them and their neighborhood. Should be fun.