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Bernal Heights, San Francisco, CaliforniaThe Bernal Heights neighborhood, familiarly called Bernal, lies to the south of San Francisco's Mission District. Its most prominent feature is the open parkland and microwave tower on its large rocky hill. Bernal is bounded by Cesar Chavez Street to the north, Mission Street to the west and freeways 280 and 101 to the south and east. History Bernal had its origin in an 1839 land grant to Don Jose Cornelio Bernal, who grazed his cattle on what he called Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo. In 1860 the land belonged to a French merchant, Francios Pioche, who subdivided it into smaller lots. Bernal remained undeveloped, though, until its combination of bedrock with a lack of gas or electricity spared it from the shaking and fires of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Some of the tiny earthquake cottages built to house refugees survive to this day. During World War II the area saw another population surge thanks to its proximity to the San Francisco Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point. By the 1990s, Bernal's pleasant microclimate, traditional Victorian and Edwardian architecture and freeway access to the peninsula and Silicon Valley led to a third wave of migration. Bernal has not gentrified to the extent of its neighbor Noe Valley, but property prices are increasing as middle-class homeowners replace working-class renters. Notable residents include Tom Ammiano and Terry Zwigoff. Features The neighborhood is primarily residential, with a commercial strip along Cortland Avenue featuring restaurants, a bookstore, a bakery, a video store, grocery stores, cafes and bars (including a well-known lesbian hangout, Wild Side West). The local branch of the San Francisco Public Library at 500 Cortland was built by Frederick Myers with funding from the Works Progress Administration and dedicated in 1940. The library is slated to be closed for renovations. A strong tradition of neighborhood activism led to the establishment of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center in 1979. It works to offer community organizing, affordable housing services, senior services and youth services. The grassland on the hilltop is home to a remarkable urban ecosystem, including the California poppy, raccoons, red-tailed hawks and, in November 2003, a coyote. The microwave tower is a major connection point for the metropolitan San Francisco area. External links Bernal Heights Branch, San Francisco Public Library Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
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