Mission Street is arguably one of San Francisco's busiest thoroughfares. Starting at The Embarcadero near the Bay Bridge, it runs parallel to Market Street until it crosses South Van Ness, at which point it curves south and runs north-south until it crosses Cesar Chavez Street and gets all wonky. South of Cesar Chavez, Mission runs roughly north-south through Daly City until it reaches Colma, crosses A St. and becomes El Camino Real.
In San Francisco, Mission passes from the SoMa neighborhood at the north, through the Mission, Bernal Heights and then the Excelsior at the south.
Mission Street hosts two BART stations: one at 16th Street and one at 24th Street. Two major bus lines run the majority of its length, but the 14 line is the true winner, as it stretches from Steuart Street at the San Francisco Bay to San Jose Avenue in Daly City. The 14X line, which also reaches from First to San Jose, veers onto the Highway 101 at 6th Street and touches back onto pedestrian-friendly territory on Alemany Boulevard (along Highway 280), finally reaching Mission again at its intersection with Alemany. The 49 bus travels down Mission between 12th Street and Ocean Avenue.
As most of Mission Street is relatively flat, it is extremely popular with bicyclists.
History
Various small lakes and ponds were filled in in the area of Mission Street in the 1800s, including Lake McCoppin and Mission Lake.
Mission Creek originates in the Twin Peaks area and runs to the bay, crossing Mission Street.
In the late 1930's, Mission Street's nickname of "The Miracle Mile" (after its many churches) was promoted to boost business and create a reputation for the areas as a shopping district second only to Market Street. You can see one remnant of this nickname in the sleazy yet charming little corner store That's It - The Center of the Mile on Mission and 22nd Street.
In 1952 the streetcar tracks were torn up.