The Haight-Ashbury in 2001
The Haight-Ashbury is a district of San Francisco California, named after the intersection of Haight Street and Ashbury Street, commonly known as The Haight. The district is famous for its role as an epicenter of the 1960s hippie movement, and also as a hangout of the earlier beatnik movement.
The Haight-Ashbury became an attraction for hippies during the 1960s due to the high availability of cheap Victorian properties for rent in the district. As a result, it gained a reputation as a center of illegal drug culture, and especially with the use of cannabis. The area was thus sometimes known as The Hashbury. The first coffee house in the Haight-Ashbury was the Blue Unicorn , owned by Robert Stubbs .
Today the district has lost much of its status as a center of such alternative lifestyles. Though the area still maintains a bohemian atmosphere, it has become a major tourist attraction. Perhaps the best illustration of the district's movement into the mainstream is the presence of a Gap store, a major international retailer, located exactly at the famous Haight-Ashbury intersection. It remains, however, a thriving center of independent local business. It is home to a number of independent clothing, smoke, and record stores, including Amoeba Music: one of San Francisco's largest record stores. As it is located between Buena Vista Park and the Golden Gate Park, the district is also an attractive destination for the homeless, and for teen runaways. Both commercial and residential property in the district are today in high demand.
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