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Many San Franciscans never
travel to Bernal Heights,
located as it is at the
southern edge of the Mission
valley, served by only a few
city bus lines and perched
atop a steep hill, to boot.
Those who do wander up the
incline may be surprised by
this quaint urban village
that seems forgotten by
time. The main shopping
strip of Cortland Avenue is
populated by small markets,
cafés, fruit stands and
barber shops, and the
residential streets are a
cluster of diminutive
bungalows and community
gardens. However, Bernal
Heights bears the influence
of city sophistication, with
trendy boutiques and
innovative restaurants
scattered among its homely
storefronts. Bernal Heights
The neighborhood is a
bastion of artists and
progressives, popular with
the lesbian community and
attractive to young families
looking for a first home and
quiet streets (the
neighborhood is also
affectionately referred to
as "Maternal Heights"). It
is also a mecca for dog
owners, thanks to a high
concentration of
single-family houses with
yards and the nearby haven
of Bernal Park, a canine
free-for-all of off-leash
frolicking.
Originally, Bernal Heights
was part of the Rancho de
las Salinas y Potrero Nuevo,
and owes its name to Jose
Cornelio de Bernal, to whom
the land was granted in 1839
by the Mexican government.
In the 1860s the rancho was
subdivided into small lots,
and was first populated
primarily by Irish
immigrants who farmed the
land and ran dairy ranches.
According to legend, a mini
gold rush was triggered in
1876 when con artists
planted the hilltop with
traces of gold.
The district survived the
1906 earthquake and fire,
thanks to the hill's bedrock
foundation, and some
ramshackle houses still
remain that were constructed
out of timber salvaged from
the wreckage. Several small
cottages on Shotwell Street
were originally built as
"bonus plan" dwellings,
provided to people who had
lost their homes in the
disaster but still had jobs.
For these reasons, more
people moved to Bernal
Heights following the
earthquake. World War II
brought another influx, this
time of people who came to
work in the naval shipyards
of nearby China Basin.
In the 1980s Bernal Heights
had a reputation as a
dangerous place to venture,
notorious as a place to
dodge crackheads or at least
get your car radio stolen.
Cortland started to be
cleaned up in the early
'90s, when the Good Life
Grocery moved in, followed
by restaurants like the
Liberty Café, as well as
other small businesses.
During the dot-com boom, the
community feared that Bernal
Heights would be
"discovered" and its
affordable, offbeat charm
ruined by gentrification.
However, while local real
estate prices were
undeniably affected during
the late '90s, the area has
nevertheless weathered yet
another sweeping change
relatively unscathed and
retains its homey, bohemian
atmosphere.
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