Market Street

Market Street is one of the main streets in the city of San Francisco and has long been well-traveled by residents and visitors to the city. It begins at The Embarcadero by the Ferry Building, passes the Civic Center and Castro District to the area of Twin Peaks, where it becomes Portola Drive. The street has been traveled by horse drawn carriages, streetcars, cable cars, trolleys and diesel buses. The modern day Muni buses run up and down the street, sharing the space with the historic streetcars and trolleybuses for which the city is known. The subway runs below the street. Market Street is one of the more well-known streets in the country and the world and has been compared to New York's Fifth Avenue and the Champs-Elysees in Paris. The street was designed by Jasper O'Farrel from Yerba Buena and runs for three miles from the waterfront to the hills. During the 1970's and 1980's the street underwent reconstruction when the Metro service was moved underground. The street has been host to events including the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the Preparedness Day Bombing, Armistic Day, the celebration of the end of World War II and parades of dignitaries on their way to the first United Nations conferences. Holiday and New Year's Eve celebrations are also held on the street.