Mission District Part 1: From Ranchos to Dolores Park

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series exploring the Mission District, one of San Francisco’s most vibrant and storied neighborhoods.

The Mission takes its name from Mission Dolores, founded in 1776, making it the oldest surviving building in San Francisco. For decades, the surrounding land was open ranchos and farmland, home to Ohlone people long before Spanish colonization. By the late 1800s, the district became a working-class hub, filled with immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Italy, and later Latin America, who gave the Mission its distinctive cultural mix.

Today, the neighborhood’s beating heart is Dolores Park. Once a Jewish cemetery, later a refuge camp after the 1906 earthquake, it has become San Francisco’s favorite front yard. On sunny weekends, the hillside is a patchwork of picnics, music, and frisbee games, with unbeatable skyline views. It is where history, diversity, and everyday San Francisco life come together.

In Part 2, we’ll wander into the nightlife — from legendary dives to cocktail lounges with stories in their walls.