Balboa Park is a public park in the Mission Terrace neighborhood of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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, United States. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, enrolling as many as 1 in 35 San Franc ...

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 Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada *Cayuga, Ontario United States * Cayuga, Illinois ...

, 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 This is a list of streets in San Francisco, California. They are grouped by type: arterial thoroughfares, commercial corridors, and other streets. Arterial thoroughfares * 19th Avenue bisects the western part of the city, extending from Inter ...

, 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 people, Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for crossing the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to ...

. 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 The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

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

References

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External links

Balboa Park History
Parks in San Francisco

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links