If you've always thought the Upper Haight was special, the city is about to validate your suspicions. The neighborhood is in the process of being granted landmark status through the Planning Commission. 

Gina Simi, a spokesperson for Planning, confirmed that the Haight-Ashbury will join Fisherman's Wharf, Telegraph Hill, and several other districts in the city with landmark designation. The city will work to preserve the neighborhood, and the Haight will be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. 

According to city documents, the Haight makes the cut thanks to the hippies. 

The district is significant for its association with the events of the counter-culture movement, when this area of San Francisco served as the nation’s epicenter for “hippies” and their anti-establishment lifestyles, which included psychedelic drugs, rock music, free love, and an anti-war ethos.

Defined by the Summer of Love in 1967, the period of significance for social associations could span through c.1960-c.1970. Architectural significance would extend from the c. 1880s to c.1970 and would be due to the high concentration of intact Victorian-era architecture, including original storefronts spanning many decades and many extant counter-culture-era alterations to the district.

Simi said that the city is now working to establish a timeline to make the landmark statusofficial, and that community outreach will begin soon.