SOMA (South of Market, San Francisco)

SOMA (South of Market, San Francisco)
Name	South of Market
Other name	SoMa
Settlement type	Neighborhood
Coordinates	37.7786°N 122.4056°W
Country	United States
State	California
City	San Francisco
Area total km2	3.5
Population total	32000

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SOMA (South of Market, San Francisco) South of Market is a mixed-use neighborhood in San Francisco near the Financial District, Mission District, Chinatown, South Beach and Mission Creek waterfront. The area is defined by proximity to landmarks such as the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, Oracle Park, Moscone Center and the Transamerica Pyramid, and has been shaped by interactions among Port of San Francisco, Central Pacific Railroad, WPA projects and Silicon Valley–era investment.

History

The district emerged from 19th-century industrialization tied to the California Gold Rush, Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Southern Pacific Railroad and the Portola Expedition, later affected by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. During the early 20th century warehouses serving Pacific Mail Steamship Company and Matson, Inc. paralleled development of the United States Navy facilities at Treasure Island and the Presidio of San Francisco, while New Deal projects under the Works Progress Administration altered urban fabric. Postwar changes involved conversion of lofts influenced by artists associated with Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg and galleries linked to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, followed by booms tied to computing firms such as Apple Inc., Google, Twitter and Salesforce and the dot-com era centered near Market Street. Redevelopment initiatives reflected policy debates involving San Francisco Planning Commission, San Francisco Board of Supervisors and advocates like Janice Mirikitani and organizations such as SPUR and Causa Justa.

Located between Market Street and the San Francisco Bay, the neighborhood includes subareas like Yerba Buena, South Park, Mission Bay, Showplace Square, Tennessee Hollow and the Embarcadero. Boundaries abut Twin Peaks vistas and align with historic parcels parcelized by Larkin Street and Folsom Street, with waterfront edges at Mission Creek and marinas near China Basin. The topography shifts from reclaimed land near China Basin to former sand dunes preserved in pockets near Potrero Hill and city parcels proximate to Market Street intersections with 4th Street and 7th Street.

Population changes track waves of migration associated with Port of San Francisco laborers, the Migrant Farmworker Movement, LGBTQ communities linked to Harvey Milk politics, and recent tech worker influxes tied to Silicon Valley companies. Census data reflect shifts in income distribution near Union Square, with pressures documented by housing advocates including Coalition on Homelessness and policy groups such as Urban Land Institute. Ethnic communities have included Filipino populations connected to Manilatown history, Latino residents from the Mission District corridor, and rising international professionals from regions represented by consulates such as Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco and Consulate General of India, San Francisco.

The neighborhood hosts headquarters and offices for technology firms such as Salesforce Tower, Uber Technologies, Lyft, Inc., Airbnb, and startups spun out of University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. Convention and tourism economies revolve around the Moscone Center, Oracle Park, and exhibition spaces like the San Francisco Design Center, tied to hospitality providers including Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt. Manufacturing remnants coexist with biotech campuses anchored by Genentech-related ventures in Mission Bay and research partnerships with institutions like University of California, San Francisco and California Institute of Integral Studies. Real estate development has stimulated investment from firms such as Tishman Speyer and Related Companies and financing by entities like Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs.

Cultural institutions include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Jewish Museum, Museum of the African Diaspora, and performance venues such as the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Nightlife and arts scenes have been shaped by clubs and venues formerly associated with SF MOMA contemporaries, gallery districts influenced by curators tied to SFMOMA collections, and historical sites like the Folsom Street Fair, Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, and museums preserving Beat Generation history near North Beach. Public spaces and plazas such as Yerba Buena Gardens, South Park and the Embarcadero Center host festivals linked to organizations including SFJAZZ, Outside Lands, and the San Francisco Opera outreach.

Transportation infrastructure includes Market Street Railway, Muni Metro, Bay Area Rapid Transit, and ferry services connected to Transbay TerminalTransbay Terminal and routes serving San Francisco International Airport via BART. Major thoroughfares like Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 101 connect to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, while bike networks align with San Francisco Bicycle Coalition planning and corridors near Embarcadero. Transit-oriented projects have involved coordination with agencies such as San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Caltrans.

Redevelopment has been contested among stakeholders including the San Francisco Planning Department, neighborhood groups like SoMa Pilipinas, labor unions such as SEIU Local 87, affordable housing advocates like Tenants Together, and developers including CIM Group. Major plans have encompassed Transit Center District Plan, Eastern Neighborhoods Plan, and projects around Mission Bay and China Basin with impacts assessed by environmental review under California Environmental Quality Act. Zoning changes, inclusionary housing policies and oversight by the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco have interacted with investment cycles driven by venture capital from firms such as Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and federal programs administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Category:Neighborhoods in San Francisco