It’s difficult to say when the spirited residents of a quaint Western Addition neighborhood suddenly decided to label their ‘hood’ with a trendy acronym like “NoPA,” but one thing’s for certain: that coinage marked the beginning of their self-determined gentrification process. District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, now running for his second term, has been hard at work to keep his communities safe, commercially prosperous and appealing to potential residents—and NoPA is the prime example. Although the City’s efforts have been focused heavily on Hayes Valley for the past five years, just over Alamo Square, the social and commercial developments have proven to be well worth the noisy construction. With some 3 million dollars in Federal funding now allocated for Divisadero’s “greening and streetscaping,” (scheduled to break ground in early 2009), NoPA is well underway to becoming San Francisco’s newest cultural hotspot. Absolutely screaming renaissance—much like Hayes Valley did twelve years back—this rejuvenated neighborhood offers the essence of old San Francisco, with a varied taste of hospitality that’ll have you coming back with friends. With all its charm and character, we suggest you enjoy it all before it changes too soon.