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About San Francisco
The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth
most populous city in California and the fourteenth
most populous city in the United States, with a 2006
estimated population of 744,041.[4] One of the most
densely populated major cities in the U.S.,[6] San
Francisco is part of the much larger San Francisco
Bay Area, which is home to approximately 7.2 million
people. The city is located on the tip of the San
Francisco Peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean to the
west, San Francisco Bay to the east, and the Golden
Gate to the north.
In 1776, the Spanish settled the tip of the
peninsula, establishing a fort at the Golden Gate
and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. The
California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into
a period of rapid growth. After being devastated by
the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was
quickly rebuilt.
San Francisco is a popular international tourist
destination renowned for its steep rolling hills, an
eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture,
and famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate
Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, Coit Tower,
and Chinatown. The city is also known for its
diverse, cosmopolitan population, including a large
and long-established LGBT community. While the
climate includes chilly summer fog, the winters are
mild.
The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as
the Bay Area or The Bay, is a geographically and
ethnically diverse metropolitan region that
surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo bays in
Northern California. It encompasses the cities of
San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. It also
includes the smaller urban and rural areas of the
North Bay. Overall, the Bay Area consists of nine
counties, 101 cities, and comprises 7,000 square
miles.[1] The nine counties are Alameda, Contra
Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa
Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.[2] As of July 2006, the
Bay Area is home to 7.2 million people, making it
the fifth most populous metropolitan area in the
United States, with the majority of the growth due
to international immigration.[3][4] The Bay Area
comprises many cities, towns, military bases,
airports, and associated regional, state, and
national parks sprawled over nine counties
(sometimes defined as ten or eleven counties) and
connected by a massive network of roads, highways,
railroads, bridges, tunnels and commuter rail.
While San Jose is now the largest city in the Bay
Area, having surpassed San Francisco in the 1990
census, for most of its history San Francisco was
the most populous city. San Francisco remains the
focal point and major cultural center in the region.
The Bay Area has the highest median household and
per capita income of any metropolitan area in the
United States[5] and is also one of the most
politically liberal areas in the nation.[6] The cost
of living is also one of the highest in the nation
(San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, 2007).
