The name " Dogpatch " was first used for this area of San Francisco before World War II . There is no definitive explanation for the name ; popular hypotheses are : Because it survived the 1906 earthquake and fire relatively undamaged , and until recently had not been redeveloped , Dogpatch has some of the oldest houses in San Francisco , dating from the 1860s . Between the 1860s and 1880s , the marshes at the edge of the bay were filled , and the area was connected to the main part of the city by bridges across what was then Mission Bay ( which has since been filled in ) . Located nearby was the now-defunct working-class neighborhood of Irish Hill . This proximity allowed for development of industry and housing . Waterfront-oriented industry , including shipbuilding , drydocks and ship outfitting and repairs , warehouses , steel mills , and similar industries flourished until after World War II , when they began to decline
1906 earthquake and fire
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Dogpatch, San Francisco