MISSION DISTRICT

The Mission has a history of welcoming different ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Originally, the area was inhabited by a tribe called the Ramaytush who died of smallpox and various other ailments when the Spanish settlers coaxed them into the rancherias surrounding the Mission Dolores (established in 1776). Yankee squatters followed the missionaries in the 1840s, then came a wave of German and Scandinavian immigrants in the 1860s, and rich local merchants who built the Victorian mansions on South Van Ness and Liberty Hill in the 1870s.

After the 1906 quake destroyed so much of San Francisco, Irish and Italians relocated to the quickly expanding Mission. The neighborhood was far enough from the devastated downtown and populated enough to support a growing number of stores, restaurants and bars.

Since the turn of the century there's been a steady trickle of Central American immigrants to the Mission. Beginning in the 1950s, the Latino population in the Mission has doubled every 10 years, infusing the neighborhood with much of its current flavor. In addition to the Taquerias, Pupuserias, Salvadoran bakeries, and auto repair shops, note the abundance of cafes, thrift shops and used bookstores. These are the establishments that cater to the college grads, artists, and subversives that had been drawn to the Mission for its cheap rents.

It's impossible to be bored in the Mission. There's a lot to see and do, and you can do most of it on foot. The area is large enough, though, to have "sub-sections": the Dolores Street and Valencia Corridor is the "hip" younger section; 24th Street is considered the true heart of the Mission; and 16th and Valencia Street is the place for nightlife.

Three festivals brighten up the Mission: Cinco de Mayo, Carnaval on Memorial Day weekend and Latino Summer Fiesta. For information: Mission Economic and Cultural Association (415-826-1401). Other celebrations: El Grito, Mexican Independence Day, Sept. 16 (415-467-0193); Festival CineLatino, two weeks in September (415- 553-8140); and Dia de Los Muertos, Nov. 2 (415-826-8009).

The district's namegiver, the Mission San Francisco de Assisi - Mission Dolores, was founded in 1776 and is the oldest standing structure in the city. While the Spanish-style adobe Mission has stood for over 200 years, the basilica next door has been rebuilt twice due to destruction by fire and earthquakes.

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