The Castro is the neighborhood that is the gay center of the city. It's densest in the region on Castro Street from Market to 19th Street. The Castro's popular area goes down Market toward Church, and also on 18th Street from Church to Eureka. The Mission, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks, and the Haight surround the Castro.
The area has many bars, restaurants, shops, a plaza, a movie theater, and a museum.
Some Castro residents are concerned that the the neighborhood is losing its character because more families and heterosexuals are moving to the area, supposedly due to the lower crime rates. Conversely, some queer people, for example, Mattilda (Matt Bernstein Sycamore) have criticized the commercialization of the Castro, and the exclusion of people of color, young people and queer women, thus being a welcoming place only to wealthy white gay men.
Landmarks
Community Organizations
- Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center (LYRIC)
- And Castro For All
- Castro Community On Patrol
- The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
- Castro Ambassadors
- Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District (Castro CBD)
