We have seen a constant change of our environment afflicted by the human, nature and nurture influence, creating and reinventing what we know of a culture, city and society. San Francisco, a city of multi-diverse neighborhoods of highly trending culture, commerce, fashion and finance, has been immensely affected by it; seeing a consistent development before and after the 1906 earthquake which destroyed over 80% of San Francisco. The earthquake and the subsequent fires, one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States, took from the people of the Bay Area their houses and families, leaving roughly 3000 deaths and at least 270,000 people homeless. Nonetheless, this mayor disaster also gave the opportunity for a rebuild …show more content…
of the city, a new beginning base on a mosaic of colorful and distinctive neighborhoods. The favorable circumstances to change the wicked, lawless and infamous district like the Barbary Coast. The Barbary Coast, before the 1906 earthquake was a district with a notorious reputation for being a lawless location which offered what no other places could, prostitution, vigilante justice, gambling, dance halls, concert saloons, unlicensed bars, jazz clubs and the art of shanghaiing.
This district was an immense center of bizarre entertainment for miners, entrepreneurs and sailors. After the 1906 earthquake, the city saw an opportunity to clean up the Barbary Coast, transforming it into an acceptable area for the everyday San Franciscans. The Barbary Coast evolves immensely throughout the decades to what we know nowadays as Chinatown, North Beach, and Jackson Square. We will mainly focus on North Beach, a district which preserves his roots and rebuild a new social and environmental determinism throughout the passage of time.
On the other hand, different as night and day, we have a previous site of a Coast Miwok settlement nowadays known as Sausalito. A location not affected by the 1906 earthquake, but by William A. Richardson, the North Pacific Coast Railroad, and the World War Two. Sausalito has seen a constant development deeply moved by social stratification, fundamental basic needs and the consequence of an evolving economy base on the war. Sausalito throughout the decades became a place with multiple options, offering visitors and residents different, but not constant ways of entertainment and
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sustainability. This sociological study had taken place in North Beach and Sausalito, due to the different development of the district being affected by structural inequality, cultural infrastructure and historical event which let both districts to be so different, but at the same time, so similar. Everything would be based on events after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, addressing the three following guiding questions. How do factors such as culture, lifestyle, age, education, occupation, mode of travel, residence, etc., factor into how people see their city and interactions with each other? How do symbols affect social behavior and interaction? How do events from the past connect to current phenomena in these neighborhoods? “North Beach is that rare thing - a neighborhood that manages to be a perennial hit with tourists, and also to remain beloved by San Franciscans” (SFGate). First, it is better to know about the past of each location, the principal events that made the districts. We are going to begin our journey in a place known for its sausage companies, dance halls, bars, restaurants, bank of Italy, the Coit Tower, Italian Parish and the first Italian hospital in the United States. We are going to begin with North Beach, or as it was known in the 1920’s “Little Italy.” Originally, the large area that we know as North Beach was an actual beach with later throughout the years was filled in with landfill.
Due to its proximity to the docks, North Beach was part of the Barbary Coast, a lawless place that feature saloons, bars, dance halls, jazz clubs and prostitution. After the earthquake and the subsequent fires of 1906, North Beach saw an immense change due to the almost complete destruction of the buildings, a lot of Germans, Russians, Eastern Europeans moved out permanently. However, the Italians continue to move into the district. North Beach rapidly changes, the creation of the Italian characters of the neighborhood by the Italian immigrants began. The Italian influence peaked between the two World Wars, When five different Italian newspapers circulated the neighborhood and over 60,000 of its residents claimed Italian ancestry. (FoundSF) After Word War Two, a large number of Italian families move out of North Beach to Marin and the East Bay. Since 1980, a major demographic shift in people has happened to Little Italy, changing with a mix of young professionals, Chinese and American
Italians. “Regardless of the many changes our town has experienced, our diversity and vigor remain unchanged. Sausalito will forever be a place with a future - a place with an interesting past.” (Sausalito History-Society) Second, we are going to continue your journey in a previous site of a Coast Miwok settlement which is now Sausalito. The name Sausalito means little willow, given by the Spanish ship San Carlos which brought the first European explorers to San Francisco Bay. William Richardson, in 1838 was given a 19,571 acre land southern and western Marin County, where he builds his hacienda known as Rancho del Sausalito. Eventually, in 1868, Richardson lost his vast holding, selling his hacienda to the Sausalito Land and Ferry Company. They completely rebuild the hacienda, building streets, subdivision of waterfronts with spectacular view lots, and brought wealthy interested customer from San Francisco using The Princess, a small ferry. One thing leads to another, ferries led to railroads turning Sausalito into a transportation hub. However, in 1937 with the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito train and ferries suffer immensely getting to the point of discontinuation. Everything continues the same until the World War Two, when a major Marinship yard that operated 24/7 was constructed on the northern waterfront. Everything changes rapidly, the population of Sausalito raises to an incredible 30,000 up till the end of the war. Then, Sausalito became the home of artist, musicians, poems, writers, actors, hippies and refugees, due to its beauty and cheap rent. The passenger ferries were reopened in 1970 and they continue to function to this day.
In Barbara Berlund’s Making San Francisco American: Cultural Frontiers in the Urban West, Berlund explains how San Francisco grew from a young settlement which grew rapidly thanks to in part of the California Gold Rush which took place in 1949. Of course with the growing of this small settlement came it’s conflicts and how it rised to where it stands present day. A primary factor which helped San Francisco flourish a ton was the influence from those who had power and chose what would happen throughout the city, for example the Big 4. Those who were wealthy did not make this city what it is today without the help of people who made up the middle class as well. Every establishment within this city set the social order as to how the inhabitants of San Francisco would go about their life in society.
Farming the Home Place: A Japanese American community in California 1919-1982 by Valerie J. Matsumoto presents a close and in-depth study of social and culture history of Cortez, a small agricultural settlement located in San Joaquin valley in California. Divided into six chapter, the book is based primarily on the oral interviews responses from eighty three members of Issei, Nisei, and Sansei generations. However, many information are also obtained from the local newspapers, community records, and World War II concentration camp publications.
When one of the worst earthquakes ever hits the town of San Francisco panic ensues, but not for everyone. On April 18, 1906, at 5:15 am the city of San Francisco was demolished by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake which also led to many fires being started. There was $350m in estimated damages, and 400-750 people perished in the earthquake and fire. Around 490 city blocks were destroyed, causing 250,000 people to become homeless (A Brief Account, SF Tourism Tips). In the aftermath of the earthquake there were many eyewitness accounts written about it. The eyewitness account, “Comprehending the Calamity,” by Emma Burke and the eyewitness account,"Horrific Wreck of the City" by Fred Hewitt both describe the same event, but they both have very different
The Fredonia Earthquake that took place in Fredonia, Arizona on July 21st, 1959 was the largest earthquake to ever strike the state and it triggered a rockslide at Mather Point in the Grand Canyon.
In the book Heat Wave A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, by Eric Klinenberg expose how a number of social, political, and economical factors created one of the largest and most traumatic events in recent history. The Chicago heat wave in 1995 was a disaster, which led to over 700 heat-related deaths in Chicago over a five days period creating. Most of the victims of the heat wave were poor elderly residents of the city, who didn’t have any relative or were neglected by the public officials and was unable to purchase air-conditioning units for their home. Most of the elderly isolated themselves and refused to open windows or sleep outside in fear of crime. Alot of lives were loss or in destress because of isolation, poverty and media who played a major role by portraying the countless deaths on the natural disaster and highlighting of negative activities especially in the urban area
This housing affordability crisis is stripping away it’s diversity at increasing rates and I feel that not enough is being done to restore it. Liz Pfeffer article “Is the Bay Area in a Housing Bubble or a Crisis?” describes the situation as, “San Francisco’s chronic problem is a lack of housing for middle and lower-income people. It’s not that they can’t afford it, it’s that it doesn’t exist”. Officials should collaborate on creating solutions to the root causes and offer alternatives that would release some of the pressure. I would suggest promoting micro-homes or smaller scaled homes, limiting foreign investors’s purchases of single-family homes, or expanding campuses of employers to areas that are not heavily populated. It is not too late to restore the balance but it will take collaboration and team work. I am urging these officials and activists to try and save the beloved culture of this area and help retain it as a place where social justice is recognized and
"The Great Quake: 1906-2006 / Rising from the Ashes." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
This paper will discuss the many unique aspects of Oakland, California. Divided into five major parts, Oakland is a very diverse city. The five major parts include: Downtown Oakland which is located in the heart of the city, East Oakland which consists of the majority of the city, West Oakland, North Oakland, and the Oakland hills where the terrain is quite different from other parts of the city. While many may perceive the population to mainly consist of African Americans and Whites, there is a significant growing population of Latinos, and Asians. The topics covered in this paper will shed light on the city of Oakland itself, and discuss the unique city that it is. I will also give my personal experience and perception on the city, after living there for 16 years of my life.
Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
Gentrification is a highly important topic that has not only been occurring all over the United States, but especially closer than we may have thought. San Francisco is home to hundreds of thousands of people who have been a part of how amazing this city has become. San Francisco is one of the most visited places in the world with many of its famous landmarks, endless opportunities not only for daytime fun but also has an amazing nightlife that people cannot get enough of. People come for a great time and could not be done without the help of the people who have grown up to experience and love this city for what it truly is. The cost of living in such an important city has definitely had its affect of lower income San Francisco residents. For decades we have seen changes occurring in parts of San Francisco where minorities live. We have seen this in Chinatown, SOMA, Fillmore district, and especially the Mission district.
This state is full of more cities besides just Los Angeles and San Francisco, for example, my city Richmond, California. I wasn’t born there, but I have lived there most of my life, and there is a certain appeal is there, but its not the stereotypical beauty you see in any infomercial. This city isn’t celebrated nor is it world recognized for its accomplishments, but it is a small city with hidden treasure. The hidden treasure are the success stories that the community does not expect, and that can create a sense of empowerment for everyone around us. That empowerment is something that should be seen nationally, especially since Richmond is not the only impoverished city in
Little Tokyo, which consists of approximately four acres and five large city blocks in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, is one of the most culturally rich and diverse historic districts in Los Angeles in addition to being one of three remaining Japantowns in the United States. Established in the late 19th century, Little Tokyo was once home to tens of thousands of Japanese immigrants as well as one of the largest Japanese American populations in the United States. Over the years, Little Tokyo has been faced with stratification and contradictions in the form of overt discrimination and the internment of Japanese people during WWII. These contradictions have resulted in the transformation/reinvention of Little Tokyo from a thriving Japanese immigrant community, to “Bronzeville” following the outbreak of WWII, to the important historic, cultural, and civic center that is today. Although the Japanese American Population is not as large as it once was, Little Tokyo is still the cultural heart of Los Angeles’s Japanese American population. However, due in part to the recent boom in downtown residential construction, little Tokyo is on the cusp on another transformation. Although Little Tokyo is portrayed as a cultural space for Japanese Americans in Southern California, it is developing into a leisure space . This process is being sped up by the addition of the Metro Little Tokyo/Arts District Gold Line station and by plans to add a Blue Line Station. Nevertheless, the Little Tokyo Community Council (LTCC) and the Little Tokyo Business Association (LTBA) are working to develop a vision for neighborhood sustainability that “respects and enhances the neighbo...
An earthquake occurs abruptly and causes severs damage to people, property, landscape and more. A great mega-thrust earthquake, known as the Great Tohoku Earthquake has shaken Japan at 5:46:24 UTC on March 11, 2011. It caused a severe disaster, including tsunami and nuclear radiation exposure.. This mega-quake located at the latitude 38.297 degree North and longitude of 142.372 degree East, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan (USGS, 2013). An earthquake and tsunami waves caused widespread damage to many areas of Japan. People in Japan are still recovering from the damages.
It was a beautiful day like any other with the clear blue sky and the