San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia

History
The Castro came of age as a gay center following the controversial Summer of Love in
the neighboring Haight Ashbury district in 1967. The gathering brought tens of thousands
of middle-class youth from all over the United States. Dreams of love, peace, drugs, and
sex were dashed as conditions quickly deteriorated and violent crime became rampant.
During the 1950s and 1960s, when families left the big cities for the suburbs, the Eureka
Valley also suffered this fate. By the early 1970s, rents were low and people who had
been pushed out of homes by the gentrification of the district nearby began to settle in the
Eureka Valley. Local real estate agents played a key role in the process of gentrification.
By 1975, Harvey Milk had opened a camera store there, and began active political
involvement as a gay activist, further contributing to the notion of the Castro as a gay
destination. Some of the culture of the late 1970s included what was termed the "Castro
Street Clone", which was a mode of dress in vogue with the gay population at the time,
and which gave rise to the nickname "Clone Canyon" for the stretch of Castro Street
between 18th Street and Market Street. There were numerous famous waterholes in the
area, contributing to the nightlife, including the Corner Grocery Bar, the Norse Cove, the
Pendulum, and the Elephant Walk. A typical street scene of the period is perhaps best
illustrated by mentioning the male belly dancers who could be found holding forth in
good weather at the corner of 18th and Castro, on "Hibernia Beach", in front of the
financial institution from which it drew its name.
The area was hit hard by the AIDS/HIV crisis of the 1980s. Beginning in the 1980s, city
officials began a crackdown on bath houses and launched initiatives that aimed to prevent
the spread of AIDS. Kiosks lining Market Street and Castro Street now have posters
promoting safe sex and testing right alongside those advertising online dating services.
Like any other part of a vibrant city, the gay community and Castro neighborhood
continue to address these and other issues of gender, race and class amongst others.
Notable locations
Castro Theatre
Corner of 18th St.-Castro
ESPN Broadcasting Relay Centre (SportsCenter is taped here)
The F Market heritage streetcar line's turnaround at Market St.-17th St.-Castro
The Castro Street Station, a Muni Metro subway station