Survey Says SF Castro District Is Becoming (Slightly) Less Gay
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A November 2014 business survey of visitors and residents in San Francisco's Castro and Upper Market neighborhoods indicates that new arrivals to the rapidly-growing area are less likely to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
According to the Castro & Upper Market Retail Strategy survey, over the past five years 500 dwelling units have opened in the area, providing space for about a thousand new residents.
The survey asked 1,200 residents whether they identified as LGBTQ. Of the 600 who replied to that specific question, 73 percent answered in the affirmative.
Further analysis of the survey by the website Hoodline, reveals that 77 percent of respondents who have lived in the neighborhood ten or more years identify as LGBTQ. But the percentage drops steadily among recent arrivals, as only 55 percent of those who have lived in the neighborhood for one year or less identify as LGBTQ.
The Castro and Upper Market area is one of the wealthiest in San Francisco with a median home value of $1.5 million, according to Zillow.