# Armenians in the San Francisco Bay Area

The Armenian community of the San Francisco Bay Area has an impact on some businesses, churches, and politics of San Francisco. An ABC7 News article from 2021 says the population of the Greater Bay Area is at around 50,000.
According to the Census 2021 estimates, there are 3,000 Armenians in Alameda County (0.2% of the county's population), 2,700 in San Mateo County, and 2,700 Armenians in San Francisco proper (0.3% of the county).
Despite the community being overshadowed by the much larger Los Angeles-area community, Armenian-American culture and people have a longstanding presence in the Bay Area.

## Historical features

Mount Davidson in San Francisco has been the subject of much debate among the residents of San Francisco as they have tried to weigh its religious role against its status as an historic landmark. In 1991 the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Congress, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the city over its ownership of the cross. After a long legal battle and loss at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in 1997 the City auctioned 0.38 acres (0.15 ha) of land, including the cross, to the highest bidder. The decision to sell the land was challenged by two members of the group American Atheists, but a federal appeals court ruled against them in 2002 and the Supreme Court declined to hear their case in 2003.

## Distribution

Outside of city proper, there are ethnic Armenian communities in San Mateo County such as in San Bruno and South San Francisco, 0.4-0.5% of said cities' populations. Redwood City also has a community of several hundred (300), about half a percent of its population, and Campbell, near San Jose, is nearly one percent ethnic Armenian.

## Notable individuals

George Mardikian, a chef and restaurateur, in 1938, opened Omar Khayyam's restaurant in San Francisco, California, which was open for more than 40 years. He was important in popularizing Armenian cuisine in the United States. Mardikian was the founder of ANCHA (American National Committee To Aid Homeless Armenians).
Bob Avakian is an activist raised in Berkeley.

## Schools and businesses

There is an Armenian school in San Francisco, Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School. There is an Armenian church and community center in the city's Midtown Terrace neighborhood.
There is an Armenian/Lebanese restaurant in the Fillmore District area, La Mediterranee.
UC Berkeley offers a minor in Armenian Studies, focused on the language and culture of Armenians.

## Educational demographics

From 2021 to 2023, 0.5% to 0.7% of Armenians attended UC Berkeley as new undergraduates; this was comparable to California being 0.7% Armenian, but with the vast majority of them living in Southern California as opposed to Northern California, this was disproportionate for the Bay Area having an estimated 0.2-0.3% Armenian American population. The enrollment of new transfer entrants is even higher, at about 1-1.1%.

## Intimidation of Armenian businesses and schools

Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School became a target for hate crimes as a part of numerous global attacks on Armenians. On July 24, 2020, the Armenian school was vandalized. The school's alumni turned this hate crime into an opportunity for unity and stood together. They raised their flag high, danced for peace and covered the front of the school with a banner that read, "Armenians stand against hate."
Two months after it was vandalized, on September 19, 2020, the school's sign was shot at. Officers have been patrolling the area since the anti-Armenian graffiti, but no suspects were located and there were no injuries reported.
An Armenian church was vandalized in San Francisco.