Balboa Park is a public park in the
Mission Terrace neighborhood of
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. It was originally dedicated in 1909 when the park included the land now used by
City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a public community college in San Francisco, California. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, annually enrolling as many as one in nine San Franci ...
Ocean Campus west of
I-280 Freeway.
The park is located in the Outer Mission neighborhood group, and is adjacent to the neighborhoods of
Cayuga,
Ingleside,
Oceanview, and
Sunnyside. The park covers about 25 acres and includes among its facilities: Balboa Park Swimming Pool, Balboa Park Playground,
Matthew J. Boxer Stadium (soccer), Sweeney Field (baseball), Balboa Skate Park, an off-leash dog area, a picnic area, tennis courts, and a basketball court.
Balboa Park is bounded on the north by Havelock Street, on the east by San Jose Avenue, on the west side by the I-280 Freeway, and on the south by Ocean Avenue. Located at the center of the park on the west side is the Ingleside Police Station, built about the same time the park was dedicated.
History
Balboa Park was originally dedicated in 1909 and named after the explorer and conquistador
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Vasco Núñez de Balboa (; c. 1475around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an ...
. The City stated plans to develop the park to serve the residents of the Outer Mission district. At that time the dedicated park included the entire 100-acre House of Refuge lot, which included the current City College of San Francisco Ocean Campus, on the west side of the
Southern Pacific Railroad tracks (now I-280 Freeway).
The presence of the Ingleside Jail complex on the original park land retarded development or improvement of Balboa Park from 1910 until the jail was removed in 1934. In 1936 the portion of the park on the west of the railroad tracks was given to City College, and the remaining portion, about 26 acres east of the freeway line, became Balboa Park as it is known today.
Gallery
File:Off-leash dog area (1), Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg, Off-leash dog area, January 2021
File:Boxer Stadium (2), Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg, Boxer Stadium
Boxer Stadium (also known as Matthew J. Boxer Stadium) is a soccer stadium in San Francisco, California. Located in Balboa Park, the stadium has a capacity of 3,500. It is owned and operated by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department and ...
, January 2021
File:Balboa Park Playground (3), Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg, Balboa Park Playground, January 2021
File:Sweeney Field, Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg, Sweeney Field, January 2021
File:Balboa Skate Park (1), Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg, Balboa Skate Park, January 2021
File:Balboa Park (2), San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg, Tennis courts, January 2021
File:Balboa Park and station complex from Diamond Heights, March 2018.JPG, Balboa Park viewed from Diamond Heights, March 2018
File:Monterey Pine trees, Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg
File:Balboa Park Playground (2), Balboa Park, San Francisco CA, Jan 2021.jpg
See also
*
Balboa Park station
*
Balboa High School
References
{{reflist
External links
Balboa Park History
Parks in San Francisco