red hair and black leather

North Beach declared one of 10 best U.S. neighborhoods
John King, Chronicle Urban Design Writer
Tuesday, October 2, 2007

The nation's top planning organization has confirmed what Bay Area residents and smitten tourists already feel in their gut: San Francisco's North Beach is one of the greatest neighborhoods in America.

The district - which was once an Italian enclave leavened by a sprinkling of bohemians, now a dense agglomeration of sidewalk cafes and a population that spans the ethnic and social spectrum - was named as one of "10 Great Neighborhoods in America" today by the American Planning Association.

The 41,000-member organization took note of the atmospheric collage of low buildings around such historic gathering places as Grant Avenue and Washington Square. They also acknowledged the tenacious way that residents have fought to keep out chain stores and development projects that might water down "its eclectic mix of mom-and-pop shops, nightclubs and polyglot character (that) make it one of the city's most unique and authentic communities," according to the announcement.

The designation from afar, while it might seem like a statement of obvious to the fans of such institutions as Caffe Trieste or City Lights Bookstore, was greeted with proper enthusiasm by local officials. In a statement released by the association, the neighborhood's supervisor, Aaron Peskin, called the award a "fitting tribute to one of America's greatest urban neighborhoods." Mayor Gavin Newsom handed off credit: "Thanks to the efforts of our planners and engaged residents, North Beach continues to reflect the personalities of the many people who have lived or worked here for the past 100 years."

Other neighborhoods singled out by the association include Park Slope in Brooklyn, San Diego's Hillcrest district and the Pike Place Market neighborhood in Seattle.

From the APA website:

Authentic Character Is Intact 150 Years Later

This thriving, European-style neighborhood — nestled in a sunny, wind-protected valley between San Francisco's financial district, Chinatown, and Russian and Telegraph Hills — has evolved into one of the city's most unique and authentic communities. North Beach, with the help of planning and zoning tools, has managed to preserve its essential character: a mix of tolerance and tradition in both its built and social environments.

Designated one of the American Planning Association's top 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2007, North Beach attained international repute in the 1950s as the genesis of the Beat Generation. While it remains a popular pilgrimage destination for former beatniks, the neighborhood is anything but a relic. Its eclectic mix of mom-and-pop shops, nightclubs, and polyglot character make it a favorite among residents and tourists alike.

North Beach is, in many ways, a traditional neighborhood. It's rarely more than a few blocks walk to find a grocer, bakery, barber shop, hardware store, church, school or park. What cannot be found in the neighborhood are chain stores and fast-food outlets. And that's by design.

As early as the 1980s, the city placed controls on the type and scale of commercial uses as a way to help protect North Beach's identity. The idea was to promote homegrown businesses and discourage chains and franchises by including in local regulations descriptions of how North Beach businesses could operate. To further dissuade chain stores, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted in 2005 to ban retailers with more than 11 stores from locating in the neighborhood.

North Beach's identity has been formed over a century or more. Settled in the 1850s, the area's first residents were middle-class Americans. Thirty years later, two-thirds were immigrants, mostly from Ireland, Germany, and France. By 1939, more than 60,000 Italians had moved to this square-mile neighborhood, earning it the nickname of Little Italy. The streets were lined with Italian restaurants, shops, and social clubs. Tourists frequented the area, drawn by the quality and affordability of the local cuisine.

With the 1950s came an influx of beatniks who filled jazz clubs, coffee houses, and esoteric bookstores. Nightclubs along Broadway hosted top entertainers. Today you can find boutique shops and restaurants mixed in with dance clubs and risque venues, making North Beach a neighborhood of contrasts and one of the liveliest parts of town.

Part of North Beach's appeal stems from restrictions on building heights and billboards that were prompted by neighborhood associations and implemented in the 1980s. Today, historic landmarks such as Coit Tower are visible; no skyscrapers block the view. Washington Square, the neighborhood's central open space, is a place for morning Tai Chi classes, dog walking, sky gazing, and several annual festivals.

Affordability — both residential and commercial — remains an issue in North Beach. Roughly 60 percent of the housing stock is rent controlled. An inclusionary housing program requires that new developments set aside a certain percentage of units as affordable. For example, the 341-unit North Beach Place apartments, which replaced crumbling 1950s mid-rises, opened to acclaim in 2004. This mixed-use project contains 34,000 feet of street level retail and a mix of residential units: public housing, low- and moderate-income, and senior citizen.

What truly makes North Beach unique are the people who live there. If they are left behind by the market, so, too, is the character that a century of effort has kept in place.

North Beach, where the men are boys and the women are strippers

At least, that's the impression you'd get if you only came in to my neighborhood on the weekends.

The other North Beach, the one I live in, is a place where everyone is familiar, even if you just met them. Where you're taken care of if you need it. Where there's always a dice game going on. Where you can go insane from all of the heavenly aromas emitting from the bakeries and the coffee shops and the Italian restaurants. Where there's big-band jazz at the Savoy every Saturday and a brass-band funeral almost every day. Where you'll be left alone if you want to be, and welcomed with open arms if you want that. Where you can hear the seals barking and the foghorns at night. Where you can climb a hill and watch the city go by and be in your own little world.

That's my North Beach, and I love it.