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Stroll along the
Mission's wide avenues and
you'll be struck by the
profusion of taquerias,
pupuserias, produce markets,
Salvadoran bakeries, salon
de bellezas (beauty salons),
auto-repair shops and
check-cashing centers that
post rates for wiring money
to Guatemala and Nicaragua
-- all evidence of the
Central American and Mexican
families that have been
settling the Mission en
masse since the 1950s.
Mission Vics
You'll also notice plenty of
cafés, thrift shops and
used-book stores that cater
to the college grads,
artists, activists and other
alterna-types that have
historically been drawn to
the Mission.
The Internet boom brought on
heavy gentrification --
trendy restaurants and
boutiques blazed in, rents
shot up and many Latinos and
artists were displaced by
the influx of highly paid
young professionals. Today,
there's an interesting mix
of places that survived the
changes and new arrivals
that are trying to make the
Mission home.
Whether you're looking to
take in the newer,
locally-owned stores and
cafes or get a taste of the
neighborhood's history and
Latin culture, the area is
crawling with things to see
and do. We've broken it down
into four areas. While the
flavor of the neighborhood
changes subtly from block to
block, bear in mind that
these areas are contiguous
and you can easily walk from
one to the other. Generally
speaking, the 24th Street
area is the culturally rich
heart of the Mission, the
stretch from Dolores Street
through to Valencia Street
is young and upscale, the
area around 16th and
Valencia streets hops with
nightlife and the industrial
area near Bryant Street has
some hip, trendy
restaurants.
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