As a result of not being affected by the earthquake itself nor the large fires that ensued, it quickly became one of the major commercial and cultural centers of the city.

[4] After the earthquake, the district experienced a large influx of diverse ethnic populations as other neighborhoods in San Francisco would not allow non-whites to move there.

Each group significantly contributed to the local culture and earned the Fillmore district a reputation for being "One of the most diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco".

[8] The city planners claim redevelopment was a way to combat the extremely high rates of crime in the area and to reinvigorate the local economy.

Some definitions, particularly older ones, include Hayes Valley, Japantown, and what is now known as North of Panhandle as part of the district and extend the western border further.

This change in socio-economic identity has caused the Upper Fillmore to be commonly called "Lower Pacific Heights" in recent times, especially by its non-native residents.

[11] After the 1906 earthquake Fillmore Street, which had largely avoided heavy damage, temporarily became a major commercial center as the city's downtown rebuilt and began a period where the district where migrant groups from Jews to Japanese and then African-Americans predominated.

In 1906, there were approximately 5,000 Japanese who lived within that section of town, making them the largest minority of the Fillmore district for a significant period of time.

It was a widely held belief that the Japanese in San Francisco and the Fillmore were still loyal to Japan even though many were 2nd or 3rd generation American citizens.

[13] Noted Japanese monk Nyogen Senzaki, who is credited with introducing Zen Buddhism in the United States opened the first zendo in an apartment on Bush Street in the Fillmore.

[16] Additionally, many African Americans had left the south in the Great Migration in order to escape Jim Crow laws.

[16] The Civil Rights Movement succeeded in making significant legal gains for African Americans and many other ethnic groups.

After the war, the African American population contributed significantly to the growing jazz culture in the Fillmore, with clubs, such as Jimbo's Bop City (ca 1950–1965),[17] flourishing there.

In addition, the trend of African American migration to the city and the district continued at a fast pace until it reached a peak of about 13 percent in the 1970s.

Finally, developers did not want to invest in commercial stores in the area because there was still a racialized stigma that the Fillmore District was a "bad" neighborhood.

[7][14] As a result of the project's displacement of residents and businesses, its mixed and arguably discriminatory economic impact, and its design (featuring mid-century renewal concepts such as superblocks and strict separation of uses), the redevelopment of the Fillmore is considered by most to have been unsuccessful and regrettable.

Post-redevelopment, encroaching gentrification and the physical decay of cheaply constructed housing complexes have led to a neighborhood of stark contrasts between rich and poor.

[19] In the 1990s–2000s, the neighborhood underwent another wave of urban renewal and gentrification in the form of a new "Jazz District" along Fillmore Street with mostly upscale jazz-themed restaurants, and proposed condominium construction.

[20] Many senior citizens and disabled persons with limited mobility came to rely on that store as their most convenient destination for purchasing groceries and other basic supplies.

[21][22] In a statement, the company explained that the closure was "due to ongoing concerns about associate and customer safety, as well as persistent issues with theft".

[22] Safeway had already agreed to sell the underlying land to Align Real Estate, which had indicated that it planned to build a mixed-use development on the site.

[25] In the 1940s and 1950s, it was known as the "Harlem of the West" and attracted many leading jazz performers including Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and the "Bird" (Charlie Parker).

[29] Many nightclubs (Leola Kings Bird Cage, Wesley Johnson's Texas PlayHouse, Shelton's Blue Mirror, and Jacks of Sutter) existed on the Fillmore, bringing major musical icons to the neighborhood including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday.

In 1971, the Peoples Temple, a new religious organization, established its headquarters at 1859 Geary Boulevard, situated on the edge of the Fillmore district.

[32] Led by Jim Jones, the church began spreading its message of apostolic socialism and racial integration to the Fillmore district.

This resonated well with the residents, who viewed Jones as a promising figure amidst the challenging conditions that followed urban renewal in the area.

Additionally, he utilized charisma, manipulative tactics, and mind control techniques to gain the loyalty and obedience of numerous residents in the Fillmore.

[36] In 1974, Jim Jones made the decision to relocate the Peoples Temple to Guyana, believing it to be the ideal setting to establish the socialist racially integrated mission he envisioned.