The Castro in San Francisco is known for its active gay community, but it was originally a suburb for Scandinavian immigrants. Castro Street is the heart of the neighborhood, and it has landmarks such as the Castro Theater and Harvey Milk Plaza. The area has become less working-class and more expensive, with families moving in. The neighborhood hosts pride events and a famous Halloween party.
The Castro is a neighborhood in the city of San Francisco, California that is probably most famous for its very active and out-of-town gay community. The history of this area is actually much older; it was originally a suburb inhabited mainly by Scandinavian immigrants, and some legacies of the Scandinavian population survive, including a Finnish bath. This neighborhood is a popular stop for San Francisco visitors interested in seeing the city’s gay culture on display.
The heart of this neighborhood is Castro Street, named for Jose Castro, a prominent figure in California’s early history. As a general rule, Castro Street’s boundaries are agreed upon as Market Street north to 19th Street south, with the district running west to east between Eureka Street and Church Street. The MUNI subway has stops at Castro and Market Streets, and the F trolley line also runs through the neighborhood, along with an assortment of buses.
The demographic nature of the Castro began to change in the wake of World War II as the neighborhood had a more suburban feel and former military service members, many of whom were gay, began settling in the area. By the 1960s, the Eureka Valley area, which is home to the Castro, had become decidedly middle-class, and by the 1970s, it was considered a gay mecca.
Today, Il Castro is far from a working-class neighborhood. San Francisco’s notorious rents are approaching the area’s stratospheric levels, with some gays and lesbians complaining that high rents have made living very difficult. The traditionally gay neighborhood also started to change demographically once again in the early 21st century as many families started moving into the neighborhood, perceiving it as safe and pleasant.
A number of landmarks can be seen in the region, including an assortment of popular gay bars, the Castro Theater, and various parks and plazas, including Harvey Milk Plaza, dedicated to one of the Castro’s most famous residents. The neighborhood also has a number of gay-oriented shops, along with an assortment of restaurants.
This neighborhood is often decorated with rainbow flags, a symbol of the gay community, and during Gay Pride, several pride-oriented events are hosted at the Castro. It’s also famous for its boisterous Halloween party, which the city of San Francisco has been trying to suppress since 2006, when several attendees were shot and injured.
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