Manilatown, San Francisco

Manilatown was a Filipino American neighborhood in San Francisco (i.e., a Little Manila), which thrived from the 1920s to late 1970s. The district encompassed a three block radius around Kearny and Jackson Streets, next to Chinatown. The neighborhood was known for the International Hotel ("I Hotel"), a single room occupancy (SRO) hotel where many of the residents lived. Manilatown was also home to many businesses that catered to the Filipino American community, such as Manila Cafe, New Luneta Cafe, Bataan Lunch, Casa Playa, Sampagita Restaurant, Blanco's Bar, Lucky M. Pool Hall, and Tino's Barber Shop. At its height, over 1000 residents lived in Manilatown, and it contained a total of 30,000 transient laborers. From the late 1960s-70s, the neighborhood was transformed by city initiatives that aimed to gentrify the area. By 1977, the neighborhood had been largely destroyed, and it became part of Chinatown.

Today, San Francisco and the Peninsula's Filipino community is largely centered in the southern part of the city, such as in Crocker-Amazon and in the Excelsior District, and San Mateo County cities such as Daly City, San Bruno, and South San Francisco.