Why did Charles Manson move to San Francisco after leaving prison in 1967?

Following his release from prison in 1967, Charles Manson moved to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. At that time, the district was the epicenter of the hippie counterculture, attracting thousands of young people during the "Summer of Love."12

Manson, who had learned to play the guitar while incarcerated, gravitated toward this environment to establish himself as a musician and a spiritual guru. In this setting, he successfully recruited a devoted group of followers—primarily young women—from among the city's bohemian youth, forming the core of what would become known as the "Family."32