San Francisco

lt;/ref>Some tourists refer to San Francisco as "Frisco." However, locals discourage this. Samuel D. Cohen writes that many credit "Friscophobia" to newspaper columnist Herb Caen whose first book, published in 1953, was "Dont Call it Frisco" after a 1918 newspaper article of the same name. Caen was considered by many to be the recognized authority on what was, and what was not, beneath the citys dignity, and to him, Frisco was intolerable. lt;/ref>
The City That Knows How (antiquatedlt;/ref>
Baghdad by the Baylt;/ref>
The Paris of the Westlt;/ref> |settlement_type Consolidated city-county |motto Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerralt;br />(Spanish language for "Gold in Peace, Iron in War") |image_skyline SF From Marin Highlands3.jpg |imagesize 280px |image_caption San Francisco from the Marin Headlands, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the foreground |image_flag Flag of San Francisco.svg |flag_size 100px |image_seal Sfseal.png |seal_size 100px |image_map California county map (San Francisco County enlarged).svg |mapsize 200px |map_caption Location of San Francisco, California |pushpin_map USA |pushpin_map_caption Location in the United States |coordinates_region US-CA |subdivision_type List of countries |subdivision_name United States |subdivision_type1 Political divisions of the United States |subdivision_name1 California |government_type Mayor-council government |leader_title Mayor of San Francisco |leader_name Gavin Newsom (Democratic Party of the United States |leader_title1 San Francisco Board of Supervisors |leader_name1 |leader_title2 California State Assembly |leader_name2 Fiona Ma (Democratic Party (United States)
Tom Ammiano (Democratic Party (United States) |leader_title3 California State Senate |leader_name3 Mark Leno (Democratic Party (United States)
Leland Yee (Democratic Party (United States) |leader_title4 United States House of Representatives |leader_name4 Nancy Pelosi (Democratic Party (United States)
Jackie Speier (Democratic Party (United States) |established_title Founded |established_date June 29, 1776 |established_title1 Municipal incorporation |established_date1 April 16, 1850lt;/ref> |founder Lieutenant José Joaquin Moraga and Francisco Palóu |named_for Francis of Assisi |unit_pref Imperial |area_total_sq_mi 231.92 |area_land_sq_mi 46.7 |area_water_sq_mi 185.2 |area_water_percent 79.8 |area_urban_sq_mi |area_metro_sq_mi 3524.4 |elevation_ft 52 |elevation_max_ft 925 |elevation_min_ft 0 |population_as_of 2008 |population_footnotes lt;/ref>lt;/ref> |population_total 808977 |population_density_sq_mi 17323 |population_metro 4203898 |population_urban 3228605 |population_blank1_title Demonym |population_blank1 San Franciscan |timezone Pacific Time Zone |utc_offset -8 |timezone_DST Pacific Time Zone |utc_offset_DST -7 |latd 37 |latm 46 |lats 45.48 |latNS N |longd 122 |longm 25 |longs 9.12 |longEW W|coordinates_display8 |postal_code_type ZIP Code |postal_code 94101–94112, 94114–94147, 94150–94170, 94172, 94175, 94177 |area_code Area code 415 |website http://www.sfgov.org/ www.sfgov.org] |footnotes }} San Francisco officially the City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States with a 2008 estimated population of 808,977.lt;/ref> The only Consolidated city–county in California, it encompasses a land area of lt;ref>lt;/ref> on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula giving it a density of 17,323 people/mi² (6,688.4 people/km²). It is the most densely-settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the List of United States cities by population density large city in the United States San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area lt;/ref> In 1776, the Spanish colonization of the Americas established Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate and Mission San Francisco de Asís named for Francis of Assisi on the site.lt;/ref> The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000, and thus transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast of the United States at the time. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) nine years later. During World War II San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes, and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the LGBT rights in the United States movement, cementing San Francisco as a center of Liberalism in the United States Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian architecture and modern San Francisco architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco cable car system and Chinatown, San Francisco The city is also a principal banking and finance center, and the home to more than 30 international financial institutions, helping to make San Francisco eighteenth place in the worlds list of cities by GDP ninth in the United States, and Global Financial Centres Index in the top twenty Global Financial Centers.

History

File:Mission San Francisco de Asis old.jpg (Mission Dolores)]]The earliest archaeological evidence of inhabitation of the territory of the city of San Francisco dates to 3000 BC.lt;/ref> The Yelamu group of the Ohlone people resided in several small villages when a Spanish colonization of the Americas led by Don Gaspar de Portolà arrived on November 2, 1769, the first documented European visit to San Francisco Bay lt;/ref> Seven years later, on March 28, 1776, the Spanish established the Presidio of San Francisco followed by a Spanish Missions of California Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores). Upon Mexican War of Independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico Under Mexican rule, the mission system gradually ended and its lands began to be Ranchos of California In 1835, Englishman William A. Richardson erected the first independent homestead,lt;/ref> near a boat anchorage around what is today Portsmouth Square Together with Alcalde Francisco de Haro he laid out a street plan for the expanded settlement, and the town, named Yerba Buena (town) began to attract American settlers. Commodore John D. Sloat claimed California for the United States on July 7, 1846, during the Mexican-American War and Captain John B. Montgomery arrived to claim Yerba Buena two days later. Yerba Buena was renamed San Francisco the next year,lt;/ref> and Mexico officially Mexican Cession to the United States at the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo Despite its attractive location as a port and naval base, San Francisco was still a small settlement with inhospitable geography.lt;/ref> File:SanFrancisco1851a.jpg in 1851]]The California Gold Rush brought a flood of treasure seekers. With their sourdough in tow,Sourdough bread was a staple of western explorers and miners of the 19th century. It became an iconic symbol of San Francisco, and is still a staple of city life today.lt;/ref> prospectors accumulated in San Francisco over rival Benicia, California lt;/ref> raising the population from 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 by December 1849.lt;/ref> The promise of fabulous riches was so strong that crews on arriving vessels deserted and rushed off to the gold fields, leaving behind a forest of masts in San Francisco harbor.lt;/ref> California was quickly Compromise of 1850 and the U.S. military built Fort Point, San Francisco at the Golden Gate and a fort on Alcatraz Island to secure the San Francisco Bay. Silver discoveries, including the Comstock Lode in 1859, further drove rapid population growth.lt;/ref> With hordes of fortune seekers streaming through the city, lawlessness was common, and the Barbary Coast, San Francisco, California section of town gained notoriety as a haven for criminals, prostitution, and gambling."The miners came in forty-nine, / The whores in fifty-one, / And when they got together / They produced the native son." lt;/ref> Many San Francisco entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush. Among the winners were the banking industry which saw the founding of Wells Fargo in 1852 and the Bank of California in 1864. The development of the Port of San Francisco established the city as a center of trade. Catering to the needs and tastes of the growing population, Levi Strauss opened a dry goods business and Domingo Ghirardelli began manufacturing chocolate. Immigrant laborers made the city a polyglot culture, with Han Chinese railroad workers creating the citys Chinatown, San Francisco, California quarter. The first San Francisco cable car system carried San Franciscans up Clay Street Hill Railroad in 1873. The citys sea of Victorian house began to take shape, and civic leaders campaigned for a spacious public park, resulting in plans for Golden Gate Park San Franciscans built schools, churches, theaters, and all the hallmarks of civic life. The Presidio of San Francisco developed into the most important American military installation on the Pacific coast.lt;/ref> By the turn of the century, San Francisco was a major city known for its flamboyant style, stately hotels, ostentatious mansions on Nob Hill, San Francisco, California and a thriving arts scene.lt;/ref> File:San francisco fire 1906.jpg after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and firelt;/ref>]] At 5:12 am on April 18, 1906, a major 1906 San Francisco earthquake and northern California. As buildings collapsed from the shaking, ruptured gas lines ignited fires that would spread across the city and burn out of control for several days. With water mains out of service, the Presidio of San Francisco Artillery Corps attempted to contain the inferno by dynamiting blocks of buildings to create firebreaks.lt;/ref> More than three-quarters of the city lay in ruins, including almost all of the downtown core.lt;/ref> Contemporary accounts reported that 498 people lost their lives, though modern estimates put the number in the several thousands.lt;/ref> More than half the citys population of 400,000 were left homeless.lt;/ref> Refugees settled temporarily in makeshift tent villages in Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, on the beaches, and elsewhere. Many fled permanently to the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) File:PalaceofFineArts1915.jpg at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) ] Rebuilding was rapid and performed on a grand scale. Rejecting calls to completely remake the street grid, San Franciscans opted for speed.lt;/ref> Amadeo Giannini s Bank of Italy (USA) later to become Bank of America provided loans for many of those whose livelihoods had been devastated. The destroyed mansions of Nob Hill became grand hotels. San Francisco City Hall rose again in splendorous Beaux-Arts architecture style, and the city celebrated its rebirth at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) in 1915.lt;/ref> In ensuing years, the city solidified its standing as a financial capital; in the wake of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 not a single San Francisco-based bank failed.lt;/ref> Indeed, it was at the height of the Great Depression that San Francisco undertook two great civil engineering projects, simultaneously constructing the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge completing them in 1936 and 1937 respectively. It was in this period that the island of Alcatraz Island a former military stockade, began its service as a federal maximum security prison, housing notorious inmates such as Al Capone George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert Franklin Stroud The Birdman of Alcatraz. San Francisco later celebrated its regained grandeur with a Expo (exhibition) the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939–40, creating Treasure Island (California) in the middle of the bay to house it. During World War II, the San Francisco Naval Shipyard became a hub of activity, and Fort Mason became the primary port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater of Operations lt;/ref> The explosion of jobs drew many people, especially African American Second Great Migration (African American) to the area. After the end of the war, many military personnel returning from service abroad and civilians who had originally come to work decided to stay. The United Nations Charter creating the United Nations was drafted and signed in San Francisco in 1945 and, in 1951, the Treaty of San Francisco officially ended the Pacific War File:USS San Francisco (CA-38) enters San Francisco Bay, December 1942.jpg steams under the Golden Gate Bridge in 1942, during World War II.]] Urban planning projects in the 1950s and 1960s saw widespread destruction and redevelopment of west side neighborhoods and the construction of new freeways, of which only a series of short segments were built before being halted by citizen-led opposition.lt;/ref> The Transamerica Pyramid was completed in 1972,lt;/ref> and in the 1980s the Manhattanization of San Francisco saw extensive high-rise development downtown.lt;/ref> Port activity moved to Port of Oakland the city began to lose industrial jobs, and San Francisco began to turn to tourism as the most important segment of its economy. The suburbs experienced rapid growth, and San Francisco underwent significant demographic change, as large segments of the white population left the city, supplanted by an increasing wave of Immigration to the United States from Asia and Latin America.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Over this period, San Francisco became a magnet for Americas counterculture. Beat Generation writers fueled the San Francisco Renaissance and centered on the North Beach, San Francisco, California neighborhood in the 1950s.lt;/ref> Hippie flocked to Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s, reaching a peak with the 1967 Summer of Love lt;/ref> In the 1970s, the city became a center of the LGBT social movements with the emergence of The Castro, San Francisco, California as an urban gay village the election of Harvey Milk to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and his Moscone-Milk assassinations along with that of Mayor George Moscone in 1978.lt;/ref> The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused destruction and loss of life throughout the Bay Area. In San Francisco, the quake severely damaged structures in the Marina District, San Francisco, California and South of Market, San Francisco, California districts and precipitated the demolition of the damaged California State Route 480 and much of the damaged Central Freeway allowing the city to reclaim its historic downtown waterfront. During the Dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, startup company invigorated the economy. Large numbers of entrepreneurs and computer application developers moved into the city, followed by marketing and sales professionals, changing the social landscape as once-poorer neighborhoods became gentrified When the bubble burst in 2001, many of these companies folded, and their employees left, although high technology and entrepreneurship continue to be mainstays of the San Francisco economy.lt;/ref>

Geography

File:San Francisco Landsat7 Lg.jpg San Francisco is located on the West Coast of the United States at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay within its boundaries. Several islands of San Francisco Bay Alcatraz Island Treasure Island, California and the adjacent Yerba Buena Island and a small portion of Alameda, California Red Rock Island and Angel Island, California lt;!--Alameda island is capitalized correctly; "island" is not part of the proper noun and is uses here to distinguish the island from the municipality, which also includes of Bay Farm Island, Balena Bay, Coast Guard Island, etc. --> are part of the city. Also included are the uninhabited Farallon Islands offshore in the Pacific Ocean The mainland within the city limits roughly forms a "seven-by-seven-mile square," a common local colloquialism referring to the citys shape, though its total area, including water, is nearly File:Lombardst.jpeg to descend Russian Hill, San Francisco, California ]] San Francisco is famous for List of San Francisco, California Hills There are more than 50 hills within city limits.lt;/ref> Some neighborhoods are named after the hill on which they are situated, including Nob Hill Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California and Russian Hill, San Francisco, California Near the geographic center of the city, southwest of the downtown area, are a series of less densely populated hills. Twin Peaks (San Francisco) a pair of hills resting at one of the citys highest points, forms a popular overlook spot. San Franciscos tallest hill, Mount Davidson is high and is capped with a tall cross built in 1934.lt;/ref> Dominating this area is Sutro Tower a large red and white radio and television transmission tower. The nearby San Andreas Fault and Hayward Fault are responsible for much earthquake activity, although neither physically passes through the city itself. It was the San Andreas Fault which slipped and caused the earthquakes in 1906 and 1989. Minor earthquakes occur on a regular basis. The threat of major earthquakes plays a large role in the citys infrastructure development. The city has repeatedly upgraded its building codes, requiring retrofits for older buildings and higher engineering standards for new construction.lt;/ref> However, there are still thousands of smaller buildings that remain vulnerable to quake damage.lt;/ref> San Franciscos shoreline has grown beyond its natural limits. Entire neighborhoods such as the Marina District, San Francisco, California and Hunters Point, San Francisco, California as well as large sections of the The Embarcadero (San Francisco) sit on areas of Landfill#Land_reclamation Treasure Island, California was constructed from material dredged from the bay as well as material resulting from tunneling through Yerba Buena Island during the construction of the Bay Bridge. Such land tends to be unstable during earthquakes; the resultant Earthquake liquefaction causes extensive damage to property built upon it, as was evidenced in the Marina district during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake lt;/ref>

Climate

File:San francisco in fog with rays.jpg is a regular feature of San Francisco summers.]] A popular quote incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain is "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."lt;/ref>lt;/ref> San Franciscos climate is characteristic of the cool-summer Mediterranean climate lt;ref>Also known as Dry-Summer Subtropical (Köppen climate classification Csb of California’s coast with mild, wet winters and dry summers.http://ggweather.com/sf/narrative.html Climate of San Francisco: Narrative Description] Golden Gate Weather Services, Accessed on September 5, 2006 Since it is surrounded on three sides by water, San Franciscos weather is strongly influenced by the California Current of the Pacific Ocean which tends to moderate temperature swings and produce a remarkably mild year-round climate with little seasonal temperature variation. Among major U.S. cities, San Francisco has the coldest daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures for June, July and August.lt;/ref> During the summer, rising hot air in Californias interior valleys creates a low pressure area which draws winds from the North Pacific High through the Golden Gate creating the citys San Francisco fog generation lt;/ref> The fog is less pronounced in eastern neighborhoods and during the late summer and early fall, which is the warmest time of the year. Due to its sharp topography and maritime influences, San Francisco exhibits a multitude of distinct microclimate . The high hills in the geographic center of the city are responsible for a 20% variance in annual rainfall between different parts of the city. They also protect neighborhoods directly to their east from the foggy and sometimes very cold and windy conditions experienced in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California for those who live on the eastern side of the city, San Francisco is sunnier, with an average of 260 clear days, and only 105 cloudy days per year. Temperatures exceed on average only 28 days a year.lt;/ref> The dry period of May to October is mild to warm, with average high temperatures of and lows of The rainy period of November to April is slightly cooler with high temperatures of and lows of On average, there are 67 rainy days a year, and annual precipitation averages Snow is extraordinarily rare, with only 10 instances recorded since 1852, most recently in 1976.http://ggweather.com/sf/snow.html Climate of San Francisco: Snowfall] Golden Gate Weather Services, Accessed on 2006-12-03 The highest recorded temperature at the official National Weather Service office was on July 17, 1988, and June 14, 2000. The lowest recorded temperature was on December 11, 1932.(http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca7772 Main page ])

Cityscape

File:San_Francisco_1_crop.jpg ]

Neighborhoods

File:SF Chinatown CA.jpg is the oldest and one of the largest in North America.]] The historic center of San Francisco is the northeast quadrant of the city bordered by Market Street (San Francisco) to the south. It is here that the Financial District, San Francisco, California is centered, with Union Square (San Francisco) the principal shopping and hotel district, nearby. Cable car (railway) carry riders up steep inclines to the summit of Nob Hill once the home of the citys business tycoons, and down to Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California a tourist area featuring Dungeness crab from a still-active fishing industry. Also in this quadrant are Russian Hill, San Francisco, California a residential neighborhood with the famously crooked Lombard Street (San Francisco) North Beach, San Francisco, California the citys Little Italy, and Telegraph Hill, San Francisco which features Coit Tower Nearby is San Franciscos Chinatown, San Francisco, California established in the 1840s.The Official San Francisco Chinatown Website http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/history/index.html] From a book covering life in SF Chinatown from 1840-1950http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/101102/chinatown.shtml] ,Bacon, Daniel: Walking the Barbary Coast Trail 2nd ed., pages 52-53, Quicksilver Press, 1997 San Francisco Days http://www.sanfranciscodays.com/chinatown/] The Mission District, San Francisco, California was populated in the 19th century by Californio and working-class immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Scandinavia. In the 1910s, a wave of Central American immigrants settled in the Mission and, in the 1950s, immigrants from Mexican American began to predominate.lt;/ref> Recent years have seen rapid gentrification primarily along the Valencia Street corridor which is strongly associated with modern hipster (contemporary subculture) sub-culture. Haight-Ashbury famously associated with 1960s hippie culture, later became home to expensive boutiqueslt;/ref> and a few controversial chain stores,lt;/ref> although it still retains some Bohemianism character. Historically known as Eureka Valley, the area now popularly called The Castro, San Francisco, California is the center of homosexuality life in the city.lt;/ref> File:Balmy Alley Mission SF2.jpg is known for its colorful murals. This 2002 mural by Precita Eyes Martin Travers was applied to a security gate.]] The citys Japantown, San Francisco, California district suffered when its Japanese American residents were Japanese American internment during World War II The nearby Western Addition, San Francisco, California became established with a large African American population at the same time. The "Painted Ladies , a row of well-restored Victorian house stand alongside Alamo Square and the mansions built by the San Francisco business elite in the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake can be found in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California The Marina District, San Francisco, California to the north is a lively area with many young urban professionals.lt;/ref> The Richmond District, San Francisco, California the vast region north of Golden Gate Park that extends to the Pacific Ocean, has a portion called "New Chinatown" but is also home to immigrants from other parts of Asia and Russian people South of Golden Gate Park lies the Sunset District, San Francisco, California with a predominantly Asian population.lt;/ref> The Richmond and the Sunset are largely middle class and, together, are known as Neighborhoods in San Francisco, California These two districts are each sometimes further divided into two regions, the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset can refer to the more Western portions of their respective district and the Inner Richmond and Inner Sunset can refer to the more Eastern portions. Hunters Point, San Francisco, California in the southeast section of the city is one of the poorest neighborhoods and suffers from a high rate of crime, though the area has been the focus of controversial plans for urban renewal The South of Market, San Francisco, California once filled with decaying remnants of San Franciscos industrial past, has seen significant redevelopment. The locus of the Dot-com bubble during the late 1990s, by 2004 South of Market began to see skyscrapers and condominiums dot the area (see Manhattanization . Following the success of nearby South Beach, San Francisco, California another neighborhood, Mission Bay, San Francisco, California underwent redevelopment, anchored by a second campus of the University of California, San Francisco Just southwest of Mission Bay is the Potrero Hill neighborhood featuring sweeping views of downtown San Francisco.

Street Names and Place Names

The history of San Francisco is reflected in its place names. While there are few place names associated with its Native American origins, the groups that followed are enshrined in street signs and placards. The names of Spanish explorers, Mexican rulers, American seamen, gold rush miners and businesspeople known as the Forty-Niners, today name many familiar locations in San Francisco.

Beaches and parks

File:SF Conservatory of Flowers 2.jpg in Golden Gate Park ] San Francisco is unique in that a few of its parks and nearly all of its beaches within city limits form part of the regional Golden Gate National Recreation Area which is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year. It is also one of the largest urban parks in the world. The beaches and parks that form the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco include Ocean Beach (San Francisco) runs along the Pacific Ocean shoreline and is frequented by a vibrant surfing community; Baker Beach which is located in a cove west of the Golden Gate and part of the former military base, the Presidio of San Francisco Within the Presidio is Crissy Field a former airfield that was restored to its natural salt marsh ecosystem The GGNRA also administers Fort Funston Lands End, San Francisco Fort Mason and Alcatraz. The National Park Service also separately administers the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park a fleet of historic ships and waterfront property around Aquatic Park Historic District There are more than List of parks in San Francisco maintained by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.lt;/ref> The largest and best-known city park is Golden Gate Park lt;/ref> which stretches from the center of the city west to the Pacific Ocean Once covered in native grasses and sand dunes, the park was conceived in the 1860s and was created by the extensive planting of thousands of non-native trees and plants. The large park is rich with cultural and natural attractions such as the Conservatory of Flowers Japanese tea garden at Golden Gate Park and San Francisco Botanical Garden Lake Merced is a fresh-water lake surrounded by parkland and near the San Francisco Zoo a city-owned park which houses more than 250 animal species, many of which are designated as endangered.lt;/ref> The only List of California state parks managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation system located principally in San Francisco, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area was the states first urban recreation area.lt;/ref>

Culture and contemporary life

In recent years, the wealth resulting from the Information technology boom from the nearby Silicon Valley as well as from the recent Dot-com bubble has created a high standard of living in San Francisco, attracting white-collar workers to recent University graduate Young adult (psychology) to San Francisco from all over the world.lt;/ref> Many neighborhoods that were once blue-collar middle, and lower class have been Gentrification as many of the citys traditional business and industrial districts have experienced a renaissance driven by the redevelopment of the The Embarcadero (San Francisco) including the neighborhoods South Beach, San Francisco, California and Mission Bay, San Francisco, California The citys property values and household income have risen to among the highest in the nation,lt;/ref>lt;/ref>lt;/ref> creating a large, and upscale restaurant, retail, and entertainment scene. Due to the exceptionally high cost of living, many of the citys middle and lower class families have been leaving the city for the outer suburbs of the Bay Area, or for Californias Central Valley lt;/ref> File:Fillmore-sidewalk-1.jpg in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California ] Although the centralized commerce and shopping districts of the Financial District (San Francisco) and the area around Union Square, San Francisco, California are well-known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by its culturally rich streetscapes featuring mixed-use development neighborhoods anchored around central commercial corridors to which residents and visitors alike can walk. Because of these characteristics, San Francisco was rated "most walkable" city by the website Walkscore.com.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Many neighborhoods feature a mix of businesses, restaurants and venues that cater to both the daily needs of local residents while also serving many visitors and tourists. Some neighborhoods are dotted with boutiques, cafes and nightlife such as List of streets in San Francisco in Cow Hollow, San Francisco, California and List of streets in San Francisco in Noe Valley, San Francisco, California Others are less so, such as List of streets in San Francisco in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California or List of streets in San Francisco in the Mission District, San Francisco, California This approach especially has influenced the continuing South of Market neighborhood redevelopment with businesses and neighborhood services rising alongside high-rise residences.lt;/ref> File:Castro Rainbow Flag.jpg symbol of LGBT pride, originated in San Francisco; banners like this one decorate streets in The Castro, San Francisco, California ]] The international character San Francisco has fostered since its founding is continued today by large numbers of immigrants from Asia and Latin America With 39% of its residents born overseas,lt;/ref> San Francisco has numerous neighborhoods filled with businesses and civic institutions catering to new arrivals. In particular, the arrival of many ethnic Chinese, which accelerated beginning in the 1970s, has complemented the long-established community historically based in Chinatown, San Francisco, California throughout the city and has transformed the annual San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade into the largest event of its kind outside China.lt;/ref> Following the arrival of the Beat Generation writers and artists of the 1950s, to the societal changes that culminated with the Summer of Love in the Haight-Ashbury district during the 1960s, San Francisco became an epicenter of Modern liberalism in the United States activism, with Democratic Party (United States) and Green Party (United States) dominating Politics of San Francisco, California San Francisco has not voted more than 20% for a Republican Party (United States) presidential or senatorial candidate since United States presidential election, 1988 lt;/ref> The citys large gay population has created and sustained a politically and culturally active community over many decades, developing a powerful presence in San Franciscos civic life. The most popular destination for gay tourists internationally, the city hosts San Francisco Pride the largest and oldest of the worlds pride parades

Entertainment and performing arts

File:SFWMOHLobbySouth.jpg one of the last buildings erected in Beaux-Arts architecture style in the United States]] San Franciscos San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center hosts some of the most enduring performing-arts companies in the U.S. The War Memorial Opera House houses the San Francisco Opera the second-largest opera company in North AmericaThe San Francisco Opera is second in size only to New York Citys Metropolitan Opera lt;/ref> as well as the San Francisco Ballet while the San Francisco Symphony plays in Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall The Herbst Theatre stages an eclectic mix of music performances, as well as National Public Radio s [[City Arts & Lectures]]. The Fillmore is a music venue located in the Western Addition, San Francisco, California It is the second incarnation of the historic venue that gained fame in the 1960s under concert promoter Bill Graham (promoter) housing the stage where now-famous musicians such as the Grateful Dead Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane first performed, fostering the San Francisco Sound [[Beach Blanket Babylon]]is a zany musical revue and a civic institution that has performed to sold-out crowds in North Beach, San Francisco, California since 1974. The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) has been a force in Bay Area performing arts since its arrival in San Francisco in 1967, regularly staging productions. San Francisco frequently hosts national touring productions of Broadway theatre shows in a number of vintage 1920s-era venues in the Theater District, San Francisco, California including the List of theatres in San Francisco List of theatres in San Francisco and List of theatres in San Francisco Theatres. File:Yerba-Buena-Gardens-MOMA.jpg as seen from Yerba Buena Gardens The Art Deco style PacBell Building (1925) rises behind the museum.]]

Museums

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) houses 20th century and contemporary works of art. It moved to its current building in the South of Market, San Francisco, California neighborhood in 1995 and now attracts more than 600,000 visitors annually.lt;/ref> The California Palace of the Legion of Honor holds primarily European antiquities and works of art at its Lincoln Park (San Francisco) building modeled after its Palais de la Légion d'Honneur It is administered by Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco which also operates the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park. The de Youngs collection features American decorative pieces and anthropological holdings from Africa Oceania and the Americas Prior to construction of its current copper-clad structure, completed in 2005, the de Young also housed the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco which, with artifacts from over 6,000 years of history across Asia, moved into the former San Francisco Public Library next to Civic Center, San Francisco in 2003. Opposite the Music Concourse from the de Young stands the California Academy of Sciences a natural history museum which also hosts the Morrison Planetarium and Steinhart Aquarium Its current structure, featuring a living roof is an example of sustainable architecture and opened in 2008. The Palace of Fine Arts built originally for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) has since 1969 housed the Exploratorium an interactive science museum.

Media

The major daily newspaper in San Francisco is the [[San Francisco Chronicle]] which is currently Northern Californias most widely circulated newspaper.lt;/ref> The Chronicle is most famous for a former columnist the late Herb Caen whose daily musings attracted critical acclaim and represented the "voice of San Francisco." The [[San Francisco Examiner]] once the cornerstone of William Randolph Hearst s media empire and the home of Ambrose Bierce declined in circulation over the years and now takes the form of a free daily tabloid.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> [[Sing Tao Daily]]claims to be the largest of several Chinese language dailies that serve the Bay Area.lt;/ref> Alternative weekly newspapers include the [[San Francisco Bay Guardian]]and [[SF Weekly]] [[San Francisco Magazine]]and [[7x7 Magazine|7x7]]are major glossy magazines about San Francisco. The national newsmagazine [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]is also based in San Francisco. The San Francisco Bay Area is the sixth-largest designated market area lt;ref>lt;/ref> and the fourth-largest designated market area lt;ref>lt;/ref> in the U.S. The citys oldest radio station, KCBS (AM) began as an experimental station in San Jose in 1909. KALW was the citys first FM radio station when it signed on the air in 1941. All major U.S. television network have List of television stations in the San Francisco Bay Area serving the region, with most of them based in the city. There also are several unaffiliated stations, and BBC CNN and ESPN have regional news bureaus in San Francisco. The citys first television station was KPIX which began broadcasting in 1948. Public broadcasting outlets include both a KQED-TV and a KQED-FM both broadcasting under the call letters KQED from a facility near the Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California neighborhood. KQED-FM is the most-listened-to National Public Radio affiliate in the country.lt;/ref> San Francisco–based CNET Networks and Salon.com pioneered the use of the Internet as a media outlet.

Sports

The San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) are the longest-tenured major professional sports franchise in the city. The team began play in 1946 as an All-America Football Conference (AAFC) league charter member, moved to the NFL in 1950 and into Candlestick Park in 1971. The 49ers won five Super Bowl titles in the 1980s and 1990s behind coaches Bill Walsh (American football coach) and George Seifert & stars Joe Montana Steve Young (athlete) Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice File:SFBaseballPark.jpg vehicle passes AT&T Park home of the San Francisco Giants ]] Major League Baseball s San Francisco Giants left New York for California prior to the 1958 Major League Baseball season Though boasting stars such as Willie Mays Willie McCovey and Barry Bonds and making three appearances in the World Series the club has yet to win a world championship while based in San Francisco. The Oakland Athletics swept the Giants in the 1989 World Series after Game 3 in San Francisco was infamously pre-empted by the Loma Prieta earthquake The Giants play at AT&T Park which was opened in 2000, a cornerstone project of the Neighborhoods in San Francisco, California#South Beach and Mission Bay, San Francisco, California redevelopment.lt;/ref> At the collegiate level, the Dons of the University of San Francisco compete in NCAA NCAA Division I where Bill Russell guided the program to NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1955 and 1956. The San Francisco State University Gators and the Academy of Art University Urban Knights compete in NCAA Division II AT&T Park hosts college football s annual Emerald Bowl The Bay to Breakers footrace, held annually since 1912, is best known for colorful costumes and a celebratory community spirit.lt;/ref> The San Francisco Marathon is an annual event that attracts more than 7,000 participants.lt;/ref> The Escape from Alcatraz (triathlon) triathlon has, since 1980, attracted 2,000 top professional and amateur triathletes for its annual race.lt;/ref> The Olympic Club founded in 1860, is the oldest Sports club in the United States. Its private golf course, situated on the border with Daly City, California has hosted the U.S. Open (golf) on four occasions. The public Harding Park Golf Course is an occasional stop on the PGA Tour With an ideal climate for outdoor activities, San Francisco has ample resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation. There are more than of segregated cycle facilities and bike routes in the city,lt;/ref> and the Embarcadero and Marina Green are favored sites for skateboarding Extensive public tennis facilities are available in Golden Gate Park and Dolores Park as well as at smaller neighborhood courts throughout the city. Boating, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are among the popular activities on San Francisco Bay, and the city maintains a yacht harbor in the Marina District, San Francisco, California San Francisco residents have often ranked among the fittest in the U.S.lt;/ref>

Economy

File:Alcatraz11.JPEG receives 1.5 million visitors per year.lt;/ref>]] File:San Francisco skyline from Potrero Hill.jpg ] Tourism is the backbone of the San Francisco economy. Its San Francisco in popular culture in music, film, and popular culture has made the city and its landmarks recognizable worldwide. It is the city where Tony Bennett "left I Left My Heart in San Francisco " where the [[Birdman of Alcatraz]]spent many of his final years, and where Rice-a-Roni lt;ref>lt;/ref> was said to be the favorite treat. San Francisco attracts the third-highest number of foreign tourists of any city in the U.S.lt;ref name"TravelandTourism">lt;/ref> and claims Pier 39 near Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California as the third-most popular tourist attraction in the nation.lt;/ref> More than 16 million visitors arrived in San Francisco in 2007, injecting nearly $8.2 billion into the economy—both all-time high figures for the city.lt;/ref> With a large hotel infrastructure and a world-class convention facility in the Moscone Center San Francisco is also among the top-ten North American destinations for conventions and conferences.lt;/ref> The legacy of the California Gold Rush turned San Francisco into the principal banking and finance center of the West Coast in the early twentieth century. Montgomery Street in the Financial District (San Francisco) became known as the "Wall Street of the West," home to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco the Wells Fargo corporate headquarters, and the site of the now-defunct Pacific Exchange Bank of America a pioneer in making banking services accessible to the middle class, was founded in San Francisco and in the 1960s, built the landmark modern skyscraper at 555 California Street for its corporate headquarters. Many large financial institutions, multinational banks and venture capital firms are based in or have regional headquarters in the city. With over 30 international financial institutions,lt;/ref> seven Fortune 500 companies,lt;/ref> and a large support infrastructure of professional services—including law, public relations, San Francisco architecture and design—also with significant presence in the city, San Francisco is designated as one of the ten Global city lt;/ref> The city ranks eighteenth in the worlds list of cities by GDP ninth in the United States, and is fifteenth place in the top twenty Global Financial Centres Index (http://www.pwc.co.uk/eng/publications/research_archive_uk_economic_outlook.html PWC Archive]) lt;/ref> San Franciscos economy has increasingly become tied to that of its Bay Area neighbor San Jose, California and Silicon Valley to its south, sharing the need for highly educated workers with specialized skills.lt;/ref> Due to such links with Silicon Valley, San Francisco became an epicenter of the Dot-com bubble of the 1990s-2000s, and the subsequent Web 2.0 boom of the late 2000s. Many popular and prominent Dot-Com companies and "Startup company such as Craigslist.org Twitter Salesforce.com and the Wikimedia Foundation among others have established their head offices in San Francisco. San Francisco has been positioning itself as a biotechnology and biomedical hub and research center. The Mission Bay, San Francisco, California neighborhood, site of a second campus of University of California-San Francisco fosters a budding industry and serves as headquarters of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine the public agency funding stem cell research programs statewide. As of 2009, there were 1,800 full-time biochemists and biophysicists employed in San Francisco, with an annual mean wage of $92,620.lt;/ref> Small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and self-employed firms make up 85% of city establishments as lately, it has been particularly popular with "Startupers and entrepreneurs that flock to the city from all over the world to establish "start-up" companies.lt;/ref> The number of San Franciscans employed by firms of more than 1,000 employees has fallen by half since 1977. Like other big cities nationwide, City government and residents have made it difficult for national big box and formula retail chains to expand in the city as they feel chain stores would make it difficult for small, local businesses to prosper, while ruining unique neighborhood character; The Board of Supervisors has used the planning code to limit the neighborhoods in which formula retail establishments can operate.lt;/ref> an effort affirmed by San Francisco voters.lt;/ref>

Government

San Francisco—officially known as the City and County of San Francisco—is a consolidated city-county a status it has held since 1856.lt;/ref> It is the only such consolidation in California.lt;/ref> The Mayor of San Francisco is also the county executive, and the county San Francisco Board of Supervisors acts as the city council Under the city charter, the government of San Francisco is constituted of two co-equal branches. The executive branch is headed by the mayor and includes other citywide elected and appointed officials as well as the civil service. The 11-member Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch, is headed by a president and is responsible for passing laws and budgets, though San Franciscans also make use of Initiative to pass legislation. File:SFCityHall.png ] The members of the Board of Supervisors are elected as representatives of specific districts within the city.lt;/ref> Upon the death or resignation of mayor, the President of the Board of Supervisors assumes that office, as did Dianne Feinstein after the assassination of George Moscone in 1978. Because of its unique city-county status, local government exercises jurisdiction over property that would otherwise be located outside of its corporation limit. San Francisco International Airport though located in San Mateo County is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco. San Francisco also has a county jail complex located in San Mateo County, in an unincoporated area adjacent to San Bruno, California San Francisco was also granted a perpetual leasehold over the Hetch Hetchy Valley and drainage basin in Yosemite National Park by the Raker Act in 1913. The municipal budget for fiscal year 2007–2008 was just over $6 billion.lt;/ref> San Francisco serves as the regional hub for many arms of the federal bureaucracy, including the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the United States Mint Until Base Realignment and Closure in the early 1990s, the city had major military installations at the Presidio of San Francisco Treasure Island, California and San Francisco Naval Shipyard a legacy still reflected in the annual celebration of Fleet Week The State of California uses San Francisco as the home of the state Supreme Court of California and other state agencies. Foreign governments maintain more than seventy consulate in San Francisco.lt;/ref>

Demographics

File:SFPopulation18602008.png The estimated population of San Francisco in the year 2008 was 808,976, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Separately, the California Department of Finance estimated the population at 856,095, as of January 1, 2010.lt;/ref> With over 17,000 people per square mile, San Francisco is the List of United States cities by population density major American city (among cities greater than 200,000 population).After New York City only for cities with greater than 200,000 population. Otherwise it is not 2nd.lt;/ref> San Francisco is the traditional focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area and forms part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California Metropolitan Statistical Area and the greater San Jose, California San Francisco-Oakland, California Combined Statistical Area (CSA) whose population is over seven million, making it the fifth largest in the United States as of the 2000 Census.lt;/ref> Like many larger U.S. cities, San Francisco is a minority-majority city, as non-Hispanic White American comprise less than half of the population. The 2006–2008 American Community Survey estimated that 45.1% of the population was made up of non-Hispanic whites.lt;/ref> Asians of any nationality make up 31.3% of the population with those of Overseas Chinese constituting the largest single ethnic group in San Francisco at about one-fifth of the population. Hispanics in the United States of any race make up 14.0% of the population. San Franciscos Black American population has declined in recent decades, from 13.4% in 1970 to 7.3%. The current percentage of African Americans in San Francisco is similar to that of the state of California; conversely, the citys percentage of Hispanic residents is less than half of that of the state. Native San Franciscans form a relatively small percentage of the citys population: only 37.7% of its residents were born in California, while 25.2% were born in a different U.S. state. More than a third of city residents (35.6%) were born outside the United States. According to the 2005 American Community Survey, San Francisco has the highest percentage of gay and lesbian individuals of any of the 50 largest U.S. cities, at 15.4%.lt;/ref> San Francisco also has the highest percentage of same-sex households of any American county, with the Bay Area having a higher concentration than any other metropolitan area lt;/ref> San Francisco has the second-highest percentage of residents with a college degree, after Seattle Over 44% of adults within the city limits have a bachelors or higher degree.lt;/ref> USA Today reported that Rob Pitingolo, a researcher who measured college graduates per square mile, found that San Francisco had the highest rate at 7,031 per square mile, or over 344,000 total graduates in the citys 49 square miles.lt;/ref> The collective buying power of this highly skilled workforce has led to higher rents and home prices. San Francisco ranks third of American cities in median household incomelt;/ref> with a 2007 value of $65,519. Median family income is $81,136, and San Francisco ranks 8th of major cities worldwide in the number of billionaires known to be living within city limits.lt;/ref> Following a national trend, an emigration of middle class families is contributing to widening income disparity and has left the city with a lower proportion of children, 14.5%, than any other large American city.lt;/ref> The citys poverty rate is 11.8% and the number of families in poverty stands at 7.4%, both lower than the national average.lt;/ref> The unemployment rate stands at 10.1% as of August 2009.http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/allsubs.xls Monthly Labor Force Data for Cities and Census Designated Places (CDP), August 2009 - Preliminary], State of California, Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division, September 8th, 2009, retrieved October 14th, 2009 Homeless ess has been a chronic and controversial problem for San Francisco since the early 1980s. The city is believed to have the highest number of homeless inhabitants per capita of any major U.S. city.lt;/ref>lt;/ref> Crime rate of reported violent and property crimes for 2008 (845 and 4,549 incidents per 100,000 residents, respectively)lt;/ref> are slightly lower than for similarly sized U.S. cities.lt;/ref>

Health care

In 2006, the Board of Supervisors passed the Healthy San Francisco program, which subsidy medical care for certain uninsured residents.lt;/ref> Healthy San Francisco covers most medical services excluding dental and vision, but only pays providers within San Francisco.http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1207599,00.html "San Franciscos Latest Innovation: Universal Health Care"], by Laura A. Locke, Time June 23, 2006http://www.healthysanfrancisco.org/visitors/Participant_Costs.aspx "Participant Costs"], healthysanfrancisco.org, retrieved April 10, 2010http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2006/07/20/70664.htm "Universal Health Care Plan Approved in San Francisco"], Insurance Journal July 20, 2006.

Education

Colleges and universities

File:UCSF-Mission Bay.jpg campus of University of California, San Francisco ] The University of California, San Francisco is part of the University of California but is solely dedicated to graduate education in health and biomedical sciences. It is ranked among the top-five medical schools in the United States.lt;/ref> and operates the UCSF Medical Center ranks among the top 10 hospitals in the country.lt;/ref> UCSF is a major local employer, second in size only to the city and county government.dead link|dateJuly 2010}}lt;/ref>lt;/ref> A 43-acre Mission Bay, San Francisco, California campus was opened in 2003, complementing its original facility in List of hills in San Francisco, California It contains research space and facilities to foster biotechnology and life sciences entrepreneurship and will double the size of UCSFs research enterprise.lt;/ref> The University of California, Hastings College of the Law founded in Civic Center, San Francisco, California in 1878, is the oldest law school in California and claims more judges on the state bench than any other institution.lt;/ref> San Francisco State University is part of the California State University system and is located near Lake Merced lt;/ref> The school has close to 30,000 studentslt;/ref> and awards undergraduate and masters degrees in more than 100 disciplines. The City College of San Francisco with its main facility in the Ingleside, San Francisco, California district, is one of the largest two-year community college in the country. It has an enrollment of about 100,000 students and offers an extensive continuing education program.lt;/ref> Founded in 1855, the University of San Francisco a private Society of Jesus university located on Lone Mountain (California) is the oldest institution of higher education in San Francisco and one of the oldest universities established west of the Mississippi River.lt;/ref> Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university formed in 1901 and located in the Financial District. It is primarily a post-graduate institution focused on professional training in law and business, with smaller undergraduate programs linked to its graduate and professional schools. With an enrollment of 13,000 students, Academy of Art University is the largest institute of art and design in the nation.lt;/ref> Founded in 1871, the San Francisco Art Institute is the oldest art school west of the Mississippi.lt;/ref> The San Francisco Conservatory of Music the only independent school of music on the West Coast, grants degrees in orchestral instruments, chamber music, composition, and conducting. The California Culinary Academy associated with the Le Cordon Bleu program, offers programs in the culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management.

Primary and secondary schools

Public school (government funded) are run by the San Francisco Unified School District as well as the State Board of Education for some charter schools. Lowell High School (San Francisco) the oldest public high school in the U.S. west of the Mississippi,lt;/ref> and the smaller School of the Arts High School (San Francisco) are two of San Franciscos magnet school at the secondary level. Just under 30% of the citys school-age population attends one of San Franciscos more than 100 private school or parochial school , compared to a 10% rate nationwide.lt;/ref> Nearly 40 of those schools are Catholic school managed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco lt;/ref>lt;/ref>

Transportation

Roads and highways

File:Oakland Bay Bridge from Yerba Buena Island.jpg connects downtown San Francisco with Yerba Buena Island and the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) ]] Because of its unique geography—making beltway somewhat impractical—and the results of the Freeway and expressway revolts of the late 1950s,lt;/ref> San Francisco is one of the few American cities that has opted for European-style arterial thoroughfares instead of a large network of freeways This trend continued following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake when city leaders decided to demolish the Embarcadero Freeway and voters approved demolition of a portion of the Central Freeway converting them into street-level boulevards. Interstate 80 in California begins at the approach to the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and is the only direct automobile link to the East Bay. U.S. Highway 101 in California extends Interstate 80 to the south along the San Francisco Bay toward Silicon Valley Northbound, 101 uses arterial streets Van Ness Avenue (San Francisco) and Lombard Street (San Francisco) to the Golden Gate Bridge the only direct road access from San Francisco to Marin County and points north. California State Route 1 also enters San Francisco at the Golden Gate Bridge, but diverts away from 101, bisecting the west side of the city as the 19th Avenue (San Francisco) arterial thoroughfare, and joining with Interstate 280 (California) at the citys southern border. Interstate 280 continues this route along the central portion of the Peninsula south to San Jose, California Northbound, 280 turns north and east and terminates in the South of Market area. California State Route 35 which traverses the majority of the Peninsula along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains enters the city from the south as Skyline Boulevard following city streets until it terminates at its intersection with Highway 1. California State Route 82 enters San Francisco from the south as Mission Street following the path of the historic El Camino Real (California) and terminating shortly thereafter at its junction with 280. The cross-country Lincoln Highway s western terminus is in Lincoln Park (San Francisco) Major east–west thoroughfares include Geary Boulevard the List of streets in San Francisco List of streets in San Francisco corridor, and Market Street (San Francisco) List of streets in San Francisco Cycling is a popular mode of transportation in San Francisco, with about 40,000 residents commuting to work regularly by bicycle.lt;/ref>

Public transportation

File:Cable Car.jpg descending Nob Hill ] A third of commuters in San Francisco use public transport tion in 2005.lt;/ref> Public transit solely within the city of San Francisco is provided predominantly by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). The city-owned system operates both a combined light rail and subway system (the Muni Metro and a bus network that includes trolleybus s, standard diesel motorcoaches and diesel hybrid buses. The Metro streetcars run on surface streets in outlying neighborhoods but underground in the downtown area.lt;/ref> Additionally, Muni runs the highly visible F Market which runs on surface streets from The Castro to Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California (through Market Street), and the iconic San Francisco cable car system which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark lt;/ref> Commuter rail is provided by two complementary agencies. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is the regional rapid transit system which connects San Francisco with the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) through the Transbay Tube The line runs under Market Street (San Francisco) to Civic Center, San Francisco where it turns south to the Mission District, the southern part of the city, and through northern San Mateo County, California to the San Francisco International Airport and Millbrae, California The Caltrain rail system runs from San Francisco along the San Francisco Peninsula down to San Jose, California The line dates from 1863, and for many years was operated by Southern Pacific The Transbay Terminal serves as the terminus for long-range bus service (such as Greyhound Lines and as a hub for regional bus systems AC Transit (Alameda County, California , SamTrans (San Mateo County, California , and Golden Gate Transit (Marin and Sonoma County, California .lt;/ref> Amtrak also runs a shuttle bus from San Francisco to its Emeryville (Amtrak station) in Emeryville, California lt;/ref> A small fleet of commuter and tourist ferries operate from the Ferry Building and Pier 39 to points in Marin County, California Oakland, California and north to Vallejo, California in Solano County, California

Airports

File:International Terminal of San Francisco International Airport2.jpg ] San Francisco International Airport (SFO), though located south of the city in San Mateo County, California is under the jurisdiction of the City and County of San Francisco. SFO is primarily near the cities of Millbrae, California and San Bruno, California but also borders the most southern part of the city of South San Francisco, California SFO is a hub for United Airlines its largest tenant,lt;/ref> and the decision by Virgin America to base its operations out of SFOlt;/ref> reversed the trend of low-cost carrier opting to bypass SFO for Oakland International Airport and San Jose International Airport SFO is an international gateway, with the largest international terminal in North America.lt;/ref> The airport is built on a land reclamation extension into the San Francisco Bay During the economic boom of the late 1990s, when traffic saturation led to frequent delays, it became difficult to respond to calls to relieve the pressure by constructing an additional runway as that would have required additional landfill. Such calls subsided in the early 2000s as traffic declined, and, in 2006, SFO was the 14th busiest airport in the U.S. and 26th busiest in the world, handling 33.5 million passengers.lt;/ref>

Seaports

File:FerryBuildingEmbarcaderoBayBridge.JPG along the The Embarcadero (San Francisco) ] The Port of San Francisco was once the largest and busiest seaport on the West Coast. It featured rows of piers perpendicular to the shore, where cargo from the moored ships was handled by cranes and manual labor and transported to nearby warehouses. The port handled cargo to and from trans-Pacific and Atlantic destinations, and was the West Coast center of the West coast lumber trade The 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike an important episode in the history of the Labor unions in the United States brought the port to a standstill. The advent of container shipping made pier-based ports obsolete, and most commercial berths moved to the Port of Oakland A few active berths specializing in break bulk cargo remain alongside the Islais Creek Channel. Many piers remained derelict for years until the demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway reopened the downtown waterfront, allowing for redevelopment. The centerpiece of the port, the Ferry Building while still receiving commuter ferry traffic, has been restored and redeveloped as a gourmet marketplace. The ports other activities now focus on developing waterside assets to support recreation and tourism.

Notes

References

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