Armenians in San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Early Days: The history of Armenians in San Francisco and its surrounding bay area is similar to other California towns: a few Armenians can be traced back to the late 1800s, but steadily increased after the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The first Oriental rug merchant in California was an Armenian who setup shop in Oakland in 1893. In 1900, the census for the county of San Francisco showed a total of 120 Armenians in the area; this number had jumped to 928 by 1930. Many of the settlers came via Fresno seeking new opportunities after the crash of the raisin business in 1923, which Armenians were heavily involved in.

Over the years as the cities in the Bay Area expanded, so did their Armenian populations. Church groups slowly built their own sanctuaries rather than leasing them, businesses expanded and got passed down one generation to the next, and Armenians began increasing in affluent and professional fields.

Today: Armenians can be found in nearly every city of the bay area. Numerous Armenian organizations and establishments in the area bring the community together from the many neighboring cities.

The city of San Francisco is home to the KZV Armenian School—the only Armenian primary school in Northern California. It is also home of the Mount Davidson Cross—a 103 foot high cross located on a hill in the middle of the city, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The Hamazkayin cultural association also has a 1 hour program on KUSF 90.3 FM every Saturday morning from 9am - 10am.