The Bayview stretches along
Third Street south of Evans Avenue, west of the
Hunters Point neighborhood. The neighborhood library was recently renamed the Linda Brooks-Burton Branch Library after a new and larger building was constructed at the same location on Third Street and Revere. Within a block or two of the library are three urban gardens and public art projects, developed entirely by residents, known as the Quesada Gardens Initiative (the Quesada Garden, Bridgeview Garden, and Latona Garden). The Bayview is known for its friendly and diverse residents, warm weather and inviting vistas, community gardens, independent businesses, artists' community, and rich history as an African American and working-class neighborhood. During the 1950s it was largely an
Italian,
Maltese and French
Basque neighborhood, centered on St. Paul of the Shipwreck Church and the Maltese American Social Club, both on Oakdale Avenue. The Bayview district was known as "Butcher Town" because of the slaughterhouse on Third Street. The area is served by the
T-Third light rail line, and is home to the
Bayview Opera House and
City College Evans and Southeast Campus. The area is undergoing rapid development as the City tries to meet the demands of population growth and corporate investors have revalued the relatively large amount of buildable land.
Hunters Point Shipyard and
Candlestick Park areas are primary centers of development in the neighborhood. Despite its diversity, residents have a long history of coming together to create change and protect neighborhood assets. The Bayview Footprints Network maintains the neighborhood's longest-running blog, and the
San Francisco Bay View is the local newspaper. Hunters Point Shipyard, a former
Superfund site, and a polluting power plant have been focal points for environmental activists. The neighborhood was highly organized during the
Civil rights movement, led by social justice advocates such as Julia Commer, Osceola Washington, Ruth Williams, Rosie Williams,
Elouise Westbrook, Essie Webb, Espanola Jackson, Shirley Jones, and Alex Pitcher. Sam Jordan, boxing champion and tavern owner, was the first African American to run for Mayor of San Francisco. ==Belden Place==