Mission Bay, San Francisco facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mission Bay
Neighborhood
Construction of the new UCSF campus at Mission Bay began in 1999.
Mission Bay Location in San Francisco
Country	United States
State	California
City-county	San Francisco
Area
• Total	0.472 sq mi (1.22 km2)
Population
• Total	5,390
• Density	11,419/sq mi (4,409/km2)
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP codes	94158, 94107
Area codes	415/628

Mission Bay is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It covers about 303 acres on the city's east side. To the north, you'll find China Basin. To the south is Dogpatch. The San Francisco Bay borders it to the east.

Mission Bay used to be an area for factories and businesses. But it has changed a lot! The UCSF built a large campus here. This helped the area grow and develop. Today, Mission Bay is home to the Chase Center, a big sports arena. It also has the main office for Uber, a well-known technology company.

Where is Mission Bay Located?

Mission Bay has clear boundaries. On the north side, it reaches Townsend Street. To the east, it's bordered by Third Street and the San Francisco Bay. Mariposa Street marks its southern edge. Finally, 7th Street and Interstate 280 are on its western side.

View of San Francisco from the east. Mission Bay is in the lower center.

A Look Back: Mission Bay's History

From Marsh to Industrial Hub

Before cities grew here, Mission Bay was a huge salt marsh and lagoon. It was over 500 acres in size. Water filled the area all year round. This natural wetland was a safe home for many water fowl. You could see ducks, geese, herons, egrets, ospreys, and gulls.

Native American tribes lived in this area for thousands of years. The Costanoan people spoke eight different languages. The Patwin people were very common in the Bay area. They lived here for more than 5,000 years.

In the mid-1800s, people started using Mission Bay to dump waste. They threw in trash from building projects. After the 1906 earthquake, even more debris was dumped here. As the marsh filled up, the ground became stable. Soon, the area turned into a busy industrial district.

By 1850, Mission Bay was used for building and fixing ships. It also had places for meat production and fishing for oysters and clams. When the railroad arrived, more businesses came. Shipyards, canneries, a sugar factory, and many warehouses filled the area.

Modern Development and Growth

In 1998, the Board of Supervisors decided to redevelop Mission Bay. Much of the land used to be a railyard for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. This land was later sold to other developers. Another part of the area was a site with toxic materials. It had to be cleaned up.

Since then, Mission Bay has changed a lot. It has become a wealthy neighborhood. You can find luxury condominiums (apartments you own). There are also hospitals and biotechnology research centers. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of people living in Mission Bay grew by over 200%!

What Can You Find in Mission Bay?

Mission Bay is a hub for many important places.

• It was the first home of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This group works on new medical treatments.
• The main office for Old Navy is here. Old Navy is a popular clothing brand owned by The Gap.
• The University of California, San Francisco has a large research campus in Mission Bay. This is known as UCSF Mission Bay.

Key Buildings and Projects

• The Chase Center is a major sports and entertainment arena. It is the home of the Golden State Warriors basketball team.
• The Third Street Light Rail Project is a train line that starts here. It is part of the San Francisco Municipal Railway.
• Caltrain, a commuter rail system, also has a northern stop in Mission Bay.
• The Mission Bay Branch Library opened in 2006. It was the first new branch of the San Francisco Public Library in over 40 years! It's about 7,500 square feet.
• The San Francisco Public Safety Building is located here. It includes the Police headquarters, a Police Station, and the Mission Bay Fire Station.
• Many biotechnology companies are located in Mission Bay. In 2010, there were about 56 biotech companies here.
• The San Francisco Bay Trail and the Blue Greenway waterfront trail offer great places for walking and biking along the bay.

Getting Around Mission Bay

Mission Bay is well-connected by public transport.

• The N Judah and T Third Street lines of San Francisco's Muni Metro serve the neighborhood. These lines connect Mission Bay to Downtown, BART, and other parts of the city.
• The Caltrain commuter rail system links Mission Bay to cities like San Jose and Gilroy.
• The Central Subway project opened in 2022. It connects Mission Bay to San Francisco Downtown and Chinatown.

Healthcare and Living Spaces

While Oracle Park (the baseball stadium) is nearby, it's actually in the South Beach neighborhood.

• UCSF opened a new hospital in Mission Bay in 2015. It has 289 beds and cares for children, women, and cancer patients.
• Mission Bay has many homes. Around 6,404 apartments and condos are planned. About 1,806 of these are designed to be affordable.

Some of the notable residential buildings include:

• The Beacon is one of the largest condo complexes. It has 595 units.
• Madrone is a high-end condo building with 329 modern homes.
• Glassworks has about 40 modern condos.
• 255 Berry Street and 235 Berry Street are two mid-rise condo buildings.
• Arterra is San Francisco's first LEED-certified condo building. This means it was built using environmentally friendly methods. It has 268 condos.
• Park Terrace has 110 homes.
• Radiance at Mission Bay has 99 condos.
• Strata and Arden are other apartment and condo complexes.

Other important buildings include The Gladstone Institute and the Kaiser Permanente medical offices.

Parks and Green Spaces

Mission Bay has several parks and green areas:

• Mission Creek Park
• MissionBay Commons
• The 5th street plaza
• Sports courts
• Koret Quad
• China Basin Park

Future plans include Bay Front Park, a little league baseball field, and a junior soccer field.

Education in Mission Bay

The University of California, San Francisco opened its Mission Bay campus in 2015. This campus is a major center for health sciences education and research.

The Mission Bay School is the neighborhood's first public school. It is expected to be finished in 2025. This will provide a local school for children living in the area.

Images for kids

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  Construction of the new UCSF campus at Mission Bay began in 1999.