World War II
Wartime Manufacturing & Defense
The World War II years brought another population boom to the city—this time, one that was more international and diverse in race, ethnicity, and background [23]. The war greatly stimulated San Francisco’s economy, notably through demand for defense-related manufacturing and shipbuilding, as the port and active military posts made the city an ideal location for such industry. While these military industries brought great economic activity to the city in the 40s, they also helped fuel one of the America’s greatest economic regions of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Research institutes at Stanford University were heavily involved in weaponry research—connections that paved the way for the high technology research and development that gives the Silicon Valley its current reputation [13].
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Increasing Diversity
The city welcomed a wide array of minorities during this time, to keep up with the demand of the military industries [10]. Mexican, Latino, African-American, and gay communities all found refuge in San Francisco in various ways throughout the war. Homosexual soldiers discharged from service often settled in the city, solidifying a gay presence within San Francisco—a presence that would help fuel the Beat Movement in the 50s [4].
Despite these cases of tolerance, the overall national climate in wartime had devastating consequences for a large segment of San Francisco’s population: Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants. A federal law forced more than 100,000 into internment camps during the war, leaving many vacant residential and commercial properties that were not all returned after the war [9]. A large population of African-American workers filled the vacancies in the Western Addition Japantown as they entered the city for wartime employment. After war years, some Japanese returned to this neighborhood. However, many others, including other Asian populations, moved even further westward—occupying new parts of the city that were not the traditional Japantowns. This redistributed ethnic groups into a pattern that has largely remained through today.
Despite such a blatant demonstration of wartime fear and prejudice, the city was the site of the San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations at the end of the war [10]. Overall, World War II marked a period of great expansion, for both San Francisco’s population and for their overall cultural diversity.
Despite these cases of tolerance, the overall national climate in wartime had devastating consequences for a large segment of San Francisco’s population: Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants. A federal law forced more than 100,000 into internment camps during the war, leaving many vacant residential and commercial properties that were not all returned after the war [9]. A large population of African-American workers filled the vacancies in the Western Addition Japantown as they entered the city for wartime employment. After war years, some Japanese returned to this neighborhood. However, many others, including other Asian populations, moved even further westward—occupying new parts of the city that were not the traditional Japantowns. This redistributed ethnic groups into a pattern that has largely remained through today.
Despite such a blatant demonstration of wartime fear and prejudice, the city was the site of the San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations at the end of the war [10]. Overall, World War II marked a period of great expansion, for both San Francisco’s population and for their overall cultural diversity.