DISTRICT 6

• Anza Vista's modest single-family houses and apartments date from the 1930s and '40s. Next door is Alamo Square, famous for its picturesque Victorians and home to several historical buildings, including the Catholic Archbishops' Mansion (now a bed-and-breakfast) and the Imperial Russian Consulate. Alamo Square Park offers exquisite views of The City and the opposite sex as well.
• U.S. Heavyweight Champion (1892-97) Gentleman Jim Corbett grew up in Hayes Valley, a quaint neighborhood near Downtown between Franklin and Divisadero. After years of decline, Hayes Valley was reborn when the earthquake-damaged 101 Freeway was removed. Hayes Street is the heart of the area, and many of the people who work in its culturally-diverse art galleries, restaurants and designer clothing stores live here as well.
• The Lower Pacific Heights area, often still referred to as part of the Fillmore or Western Addition, also includes Japantown. Redevelopment in the '60s and '70s has made this neighborhood a thriving residential and business center with a diverse urban population. Restored Victorians on Pine Street, new condos on Fillmore, and upscale apartments on California are among the housing options. Japantown, an enclave originally settled by Japanese immigrants after the 1906 quake, offers countless attractions for tourists and locals alike. Communal Japanese baths, flower-arranging and martial arts are just some of the cultural activities available. You can shop for treasures at the Japan Center Mall, check out the lanes at the Japantown Bowl, or catch the latest flick at the Kabuki movie theater.
• The Western Addition, also known as the Fillmore district, was developed in the 1800s when the City began to grow beyond Van Ness Avenue. Music has defined this neighborhood since Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday played and sang at the jazz and blues clubs along Fillmore Street. The Fillmore auditorium, which dominated San Francisco's psychedelic music scene in the 1960s, continues to host new acts as well as old. The legendary John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room keeps the blues alive, helped along by several jazz and hip hop clubs. A wealth of black churches and community organizations looks after this family-oriented neighborhood's spiritual needs.