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The Western Addition was the
City's first multicultural
neighborhood. The Fillmore,
in particular, has long been
considered the heart of San
Francisco's first
full-fledged
African-American community.
Before World War II it was
home to many
Japanese-Americans as well,
but internment resulted in
hundreds of sudden vacancies
that were quickly filled by
Jewish immigrants and then
African-American GIs
returning from the war.
The Jazz scene on Fillmore
began to define the area,
with greats like Duke
Ellington and Billie Holiday
frequently playing clubs in
the neighborhood.
Tightly-knit
African-American church
congregations also found
places to worship on every
block.
In 1948, however, San
Francisco declared the
Western Addition a slum and
planned to tear it down in
the name of urban renewal
(or "urban removal," as
residents called it). New
housing attracted young
professionals, and the
African-American community
was pushed south toward
Market Street.
Today it remains
predominantly working-class,
with mix of African-American
families, young people in
their twenties and thirties
and others attracted by the
central location and
moderate rents. Various
groups have tried over the
years to revitalize the jazz
scene, but so far the grand
visions have gone unfulilled.
On Japantown
Japan Center, built during
the height of hippiedom in
1968, was not a destination
point for the flower
children, but it was a
welcome addition to a
neighborhood that had been
through many ups and downs.
At its height, in the 1920s
and '30s, Japantown spread
over 20 blocks. But Japanese
Americans were forced out of
their neighborhood twice --
once during the internment
years during World War II,
and again in the late '50s,
this time in the name of
urban renewal. Japanese
Americans never came back in
big numbers to live here,
but they do come on the
weekends to shop.
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