Editing San Francisco

{{short description|Consolidated city-county in California, US}}
{{About|the city and county in California}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{use American English|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!--See the table at Template:Infobox settlement for all fields and descriptions of their usage-->
| name                            = San Francisco, California
| official_name                   = City and County of San Francisco
| settlement_type                 = [[Consolidated city-county]]
| image_skyline                   = San_Francisco_from_the_Marin_Headlands_in_March_2019.jpg
| imagesize                       = 300px
| image_caption                   = San Francisco from the [[Marin Headlands]]
| image_flag                      = Flag of San Francisco.svg
| flag_size                       = 100px
| image_seal                      = Seal of San Francisco.svg
| seal_size                       = 100px
| nickname                        = See [[List of nicknames for San Francisco]] <ref name=TBI20130630 />
| motto                           = ''Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra'' (Spanish)<br />(English: "Gold in Peace, Iron in War")
<!-- Location ------------->
| pushpin_map                     = California#San Francisco Bay Area#USA#North America
| pushpin_label                   = San Francisco
| pushpin_map_alt                 = 
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location within California##Location within the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]##Location within the contiguous United States##Location within North America
| coordinates                     = {{coord|37|46|39|N|122|24|59|W|region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type                = Country 
| subdivision_name                = {{flagu|United States|size=23px}}
| subdivision_type1               = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2               = [[Combined Statistical Area|CSA]]
| subdivision_type3               = [[Metropolitan statistical area|Metro]]
| subdivision_name1               = {{flag|California}}
| subdivision_name2               = [[San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area|San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland]]
| subdivision_name3               = [[San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward]]
<!-- Politics ----------------->
| established_title               = Mission
| established_date                = June 29, 1776<ref name="DeAnza-Moraga-Palou"/>
| established_title1              = [[Municipal incorporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date1               = April 15, 1850<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www6.sfgov.org/index.aspx?page=4|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316222315/http://www6.sfgov.org/index.aspx?page=4|archive-date = March 16, 2012|title = San Francisco: Government|publisher = SFGov.org|accessdate = March 8, 2012|quote = San Francisco was incorporated as a City on April 15th, 1850 by act of the Legislature.}}</ref>
| founder                         = [[José Joaquín Moraga]]<br />[[Francisco Palóu]]
| named_for                       = [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis of Assisi]]
| government_type                 = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor-council]]
| governing_body                  = [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors|Board of Supervisors]]
| leader_title                    = [[Mayor of San Francisco|Mayor]]
| leader_name                     = [[London Breed]] ([[California Democratic Party|D]])<ref>{{cite web|url = http://sfmayor.org/|title = Office of the Mayor : Home|publisher = City & County of San Francisco|accessdate = July 11, 2018}}</ref>
| leader_title1                   = [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors|Supervisors]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Board of Supervisors|url = http://www.sfbos.org/|website = City and County of San Francisco|accessdate = January 28, 2017}}</ref>
| leader_name1                    = {{Collapsible list
 |frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;
 |list_style = text-align:left;
 |1 = [[Sandra Lee Fewer]] (D)
 |2 = [[Catherine Stefani]] (D)
 |3 = [[Aaron Peskin]] (D)
 |4 = [[Gordon Mar]] (D)
 |5 = [[Vallie Brown]] (D)
 |6 = [[Matt Haney]] (D)
 |7 = [[Norman Yee]] (D)
 |8 = [[Rafael Mandelman]] (D)
 |9 = [[Hillary Ronen]] (D)
 |10 = [[Shamann Walton]] (D)
 |11 = [[Ahsha Safaí]] (D)
 }}
| total_type                      = City and county
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=June 28, 2017}}</ref>
| area_total_km2                  = 600.59
| area_total_sq_mi                = 231.89
| area_land_km2                   = 121.46
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 46.89
| area_water_km2                  = 479.14
| area_water_sq_mi                = 185.00
| area_water_percent              = 80.00
| area_metro_sq_mi                = 3524.4
<!-- Elevation ------------------------->
| area_note                       = 
| elevation_footnotes             = <ref>{{Cite GNIS|277593|San Francisco}}</ref>
| elevation_ft                    = 52
| elevation_min_ft                = 0
<!-- Population ----------------------->
| elevation_max_footnotes         = <ref name=elvadist>{{cite web |url = http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States|publisher=US Geological Survey|date=April 29, 2005|accessdate=October 29, 2014}}</ref>
| elevation_min_footnotes         = <ref name=elvadist/>
| population_total                = 883305
| population_as_of                = 2018
| population_footnotes            = <ref name="2018CensusEst">{{cite web |title=QuickFacts: San Francisco County, California |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanfranciscocountycalifornia,CA,US/PST045217 |publisher=US Census Bureau |accessdate=April 22, 2019}}</ref>
| population_density_km2          = 7272
| population_density_sq_mi        = 18838
| pop_est_footnotes               = <ref name=PopHousingEst>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates |date=August 15, 2017 |accessdate=August 15, 2017|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
| population_metro                = 4729484 ([[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|12th]])
| population_rank                 = [[List of largest California cities by population|4th]] in California<br />[[List of United States cities by population|13th]] in United States
| population_blank1_title         = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
| population_blank1               = 9666055 ([[List of Combined Statistical Areas|5th]])
| population_demonym              = San Franciscan<br />San Francisqueño/a
| blank2_name                     = [[GDP]]
| blank2_info                     = $183.2billion<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-county | title=GDP by County &#124; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)}}</ref> (2018)
<!-- General information --------------->
| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP Code]]s<ref>{{cite web|url = https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action|title = ZIP Code(tm) Lookup|publisher = [[United States Postal Service]]|accessdate = November 9, 2014}}</ref>
| postal_code                     = {{Collapsible list 
|94102–94105
|94107–94112
|94114–94134
|94137
|94139–94147
|94151
|94158–94161
|94163–94164
|94172
|94177
|94188}}
| area_code                       = [[Area codes 415 and 628|415/628]]<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nanpa.com/enas/npa_city_query.do |title = NPA City Report |publisher = North American Numbering Plan Administration |accessdate = November 5, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141104200810/http://www.nanpa.com/enas/npa_city_query.do |archive-date = November 4, 2014 |url-status = dead }}</ref>
| area_code_type                  = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area codes]]
| website                         = {{URL|sf.gov/}}
| footnotes                       = 
| leader_title2                   = [[California State Assembly|Assembly members]]<ref>{{cite web|url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip|title = Communities of Interest – City|publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission|accessdate = September 23, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151023054757/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_ad_finaldraft_splits.zip|archive-date = October 23, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers|title = Members Assembly|publisher = California State Assembly|accessdate = September 23, 2014}}</ref>
| leader_name2                    = {{Representative|caad|17|fmt=sleader}}<br />{{Representative|caad|19|fmt=sleader}}
| leader_title3                   = [[California's 11th State Senate district|State senator]]
| leader_name3                    = {{Representative|casd|11|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html|title=Statewide Database|publisher=UC Regents|accessdate=November 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201113744/http://statewidedatabase.org/gis/gis2011/index_2011.html|archive-date=February 1, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| leader_title4                   = [[United States House of Representatives|United States Representatives]]<ref>{{cite web|url = http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip|title = Communities of Interest – City|publisher = California Citizens Redistricting Commission|accessdate = September 23, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130930184128/http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_072011/handouts_20110729_q2_cd_finaldraft_splits.zip|archive-date = September 30, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ca|title = Directory of Representatives|publisher = U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref>
| leader_name4                    = {{Representative|cacd|12|fmt=usleader}}<br />{{Representative|cacd|14|fmt=usleader}}
<!-- Area------------------>
| elevation_max_ft                = 934
| timezone                        = [[Pacific Time Zone]]
| utc_offset                      = −8
| timezone_DST                    = [[Pacific Daylight Time]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = −7
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
| blank_name_sec1                 = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info_sec1                 = 06-67000
| blank1_name_sec1                = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info_sec1                = {{GNIS 4|277593}}, {{GNIS 4|2411786}}
}}

'''San Francisco''', officially the '''City and County of San Francisco''' and colloquially known as '''SF''', '''San Fran''', '''Frisco''', or '''The City''',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brinklow |first1=Adam |title=Is it ever okay to use "San Fran?"|url=https://sf.curbed.com/2018/1/26/16936872/san-fran-frisco-survey-nickname-francisco |website=Curbed |accessdate=August 31, 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513094720/https://sf.curbed.com/2018/1/26/16936872/san-fran-frisco-survey-nickname-francisco  |url-status=live |archivedate=May 13, 2019 |date=January 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Best Nicknames For San Francisco |url=https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/top-5-nicknames-for-san-francisco/ |url-status=dead |website=The Culture Trip |access-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812002808/https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/top-5-nicknames-for-san-francisco/ |archive-date=August 12, 2019 }}</ref> is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of [[Northern California]]. San Francisco is the [[List of United States cities by population|15th most populous city in the United States]], and the [[List of California cities by population|fourth most populous in California]], with 883,305 residents as of 2018.<ref name="2018CensusEst"/> It covers an area of about {{convert|46.89|sqmi|km2}},<ref name="Census 2010-GCT-PH1-density"/> mostly at the north end of the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], making it the second most densely populated large U.S. city, and the [[County statistics of the United States|fifth most densely populated U.S. county]], behind only four of the five [[New York City boroughs]]. San Francisco is the [[list of metropolitan statistical areas|12th-largest metropolitan statistical area]] in the United States by population, with 4.7 million people, and the fourth-largest by economic output, with GDP of $549 billion in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bureau of Economic Analysis|url=https://apps.bea.gov/itable/drilldown.cfm?reqid=70&stepnum=40&Major_Area=5&State=5&Area=XX&TableId=501&Statistic=1&Year=2018&YearBegin=-1&Year_End=-1&Unit_Of_Measure=Levels&Rank=1&Drill=1&nRange=5|website=apps.bea.gov|access-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref> With [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], it forms the fifth most populous [[combined statistical area]] in the United States, the [[San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area]] (9.67 million residents in 2018).

As of 2018, San Francisco was the seventh-highest-income county in the United States, with a per capita personal income of $130,696.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-county-metro-and-other-areas|title=Personal Income by County, Metro, and Other Areas {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)|website=www.bea.gov|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref> In the same year, San Francisco proper had a GDP of $183.2 billion, and a GDP per capita of $207,371.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-county|title=GDP by County {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)|website=www.bea.gov|access-date=December 13, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk|title=American FactFinder – Results|last=Bureau|first=U. S. Census|website=factfinder.census.gov|language=en|access-date=December 13, 2018}}</ref> The [[San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area|CSA San Francisco shares with San Jose and Oakland]] was the country's third-largest urban economy as of 2018, with a GDP of $1.03 trillion.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-metropolitan-area|title=GDP by Metropolitan Area {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)|website=www.bea.gov|language=en|access-date=August 16, 2018}}</ref>  Of the 500+ [[primary statistical area]]s in the U.S., this CSA had among the highest GDP per capita in 2018, at $106,757.<ref name=":4" /> San Francisco was ranked 12th in the world and 2nd in the United States on the Global Financial Centres Index as of September 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zyen.com/media/documents/GFCI_26_Report_v1.0.pdf|title=Global Financial Centers Index, September 2019|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>  As of 2016, the San Francisco metropolitan area had the highest GDP per capita, labor productivity, and household income levels in the [[OECD]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://measuringurban.oecd.org/#story=0|title=OECD Metropolitan eXplorer|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> {{As of|2019}}, it is the highest rated American city on [[World's most liveable cities|world liveability rankings]].<ref name="MercerSurvey2019">{{cite web|url=https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/Insights/quality-of-living-rankings|title=Quality of Living City Ranking – 2019|website=[[Mercer (consulting firm)|Mercer]]|access-date=April 6, 2019}}</ref>

San Francisco was founded on June 29, 1776, when [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|colonists from Spain]] established [[Presidio of San Francisco]] at the [[Golden Gate]] and [[Mission San Francisco de Asís]] a few miles away, all named for [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis of Assisi]].<ref name="DeAnza-Moraga-Palou">{{cite web
 |author=Edward F. O'Day
 |title=The Founding of San Francisco
 |date=October 1926
 |url=http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/founding.html
 |accessdate=February 14, 2009
 |work=San Francisco Water
 |publisher=Spring Valley Water Authority
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727190828/http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/founding.html
 |archivedate=July 27, 2010
 |df=
}}</ref> The [[California Gold Rush]] of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] at the time. San Francisco became a consolidated city-county in 1856.<ref name="Coy 1919 409">{{cite book
|last = Coy
|first = Owen Cochran
|title = Guide to the County Archives of California
|publisher=California Historical Survey Commission
|year = 1919
|location = Sacramento, California
|page = 409
}}</ref> San Francisco's status as the West Coast's largest city peaked between 1870 and 1900, when around 25% of California's population resided in the city proper.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schroeder|first=Jonathan P.|date=August 10, 2016|title=Historical Population Estimates for 2010 U.S. States, Counties and Metro/Micro Areas, 1790–2010|url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/181605|language=en|doi=10.13020/D6XW2H|hdl=11299/181605|journal=Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM)|type=Data Set}}</ref>  After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake and fire]],<ref name="Montagne"/> San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the [[Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)|Panama-Pacific International Exposition]] nine years later. In [[World War II]], San Francisco was a major port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater]].<ref name="WWII"/> It then became the birthplace of the [[United Nations]] in 1945.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/charter-united-nations/|title=Charter of the United Nations {{!}} United Nations|website=www.un.org|access-date=December 29, 2016|date=August 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/sections/history/history-united-nations/index.html|title=History of the United Nations {{!}} United Nations|website=www.un.org|access-date=December 29, 2016|date=August 21, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/San-Francisco-the-birthplace-of-the-United-6336655.php|title=San Francisco – the birthplace of the United Nations|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=December 29, 2016}}</ref> After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, significant immigration, [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberalizing]] attitudes, along with the rise of the "[[hippie]]" [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]], the [[Sexual Revolution]], the [[Peace Movement]] growing from [[opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War]], and other factors led to the [[Summer of Love]] and the [[LGBT rights in the United States|gay rights]] movement, cementing San Francisco as a center of [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal activism in the United States]]. Politically, the city votes strongly along liberal [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] lines.

A popular tourist destination,<ref>[http://www.hotel-price-index.com/2013/fall/american-travel-habits/top-locations-for-americans.html Top U.S. Destinations for International Visitors]. The Hotel Price Index. Retrieved April 12, 2014.</ref> San Francisco is known for its cool summers, [[San Francisco fog|fog]], steep rolling hills, [[Architecture of San Francisco|eclectic mix of architecture]], and landmarks, including the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], [[San Francisco cable car system|cable cars]], the former [[Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary]], [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]], and its [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]] district. San Francisco is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other companies such as [[Levi Strauss & Co.]], [[Gap Inc.]], [[Fitbit]], [[Salesforce.com]], [[Dropbox (service)|Dropbox]], [[Reddit]], [[Square, Inc.]], [[Dolby]], [[Airbnb]], [[Weebly]], [[Pacific Gas and Electric Company]], [[Yelp]], [[Pinterest]], [[Twitter]], [[Uber]], [[Lyft]], [[Mozilla]], [[Wikimedia Foundation]] and [[Craigslist]]. The city, and the surrounding Bay Area, is a global center of the sciences and arts<ref name="Nature Index 2018 Science cities">{{cite web | title= Top 200 Science cities|url=https://www.natureindex.com/supplements/nature-index-2018-science-cities/tables/overall|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Cultural times: the first global map of cultural and creative industries">{{cite web | title=The Global Creative Economy Is Big Business|url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000235710|access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> and is home to a number of educational and cultural institutions, such as the [[University of San Francisco]] (USF), [[University of California, San Francisco]] (UCSF), [[San Francisco State University]] (SFSU), the [[De Young Museum]], the [[San Francisco Museum of Modern Art]], the [[SFJAZZ Center]], and the [[California Academy of Sciences]].

==History==
{{see also|History of San Francisco|Timeline of San Francisco}}
{{Quote box
| title = Historical affiliations
| quote = {{flagicon image|Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg}} [[Spanish Empire]] 1776–1821<br />{{flagicon image|Bandera del Primer Imperio Mexicano.svg}} [[First Mexican Empire]] 1821–1823<br />{{flagicon|MEX}} [[United Mexican States]] 1823–1848<br />{{flag|United States|1848}} 1848–present
| align = left
| width = 22em
| fontsize = 90%
| bgcolor = #B0C4DE
}}
[[File:Mission San Francisco de Asis old.jpg|thumb|[[Mission San Francisco de Asís]] (Mission Dolores)|left]]
[[File:Yelamu_map.svg|thumb|Yelamu villages in San Francisco]]
[[File:City and County of San Francisco 1863.jpg|thumb|Bond of the City and County of San Francisco, issued 1. October 1863|left]]
The earliest archaeological evidence of human habitation of the territory of the city of San Francisco dates to 3000&nbsp;BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonoma.edu/asc/projects/pointreyes/overview2.pdf|title=Archaeological Research Issues for the Point Reyes National Seashore – Golden Gate National Recreation Area|accessdate=June 12, 2008|last=Stewart|first=Suzanne B.|date=November 2003|publisher=Sonoma State University – Anthropological Studies Center}}</ref> The [[Yelamu]] group of the [[Ohlone]] people resided in a few small villages when an overland [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish exploration party]], led by Don [[Gaspar de Portolá]], arrived on November 2, 1769, the first documented European visit to [[San Francisco Bay]].<ref name="Portola">{{cite web
|title= Visitors: San Francisco Historical Information
|url= http://sfgov.org/site/visitor_index.asp?id=8091
|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060301022510/http://sfgov.org/site/visitor_index.asp?id=8091
|archivedate= March 1, 2006
|date= n.d.
|accessdate=June 10, 2008
|publisher=City and County of San Francisco
}}</ref> Seven years later, on March 28, 1776, the Spanish established the [[Presidio of San Francisco]], followed by a [[Spanish Missions of California|mission]], [[Mission San Francisco de Asís]] (Mission Dolores), established by the Spanish explorer [[Juan Bautista de Anza]].<ref name="DeAnza-Moraga-Palou"/>

[[File:View of San Francisco 1846-7.jpg|thumb|View of San Francisco 1846–47]]
[[File:1853 U.S.C.S. Map of San Francisco, California ^ Vicinity - Geographicus - SanFrancisco3-uscs-1853.jpg|1853 [[United States Coast Survey]] map|thumb|right]]
Upon [[Mexican War of Independence|independence]] from Spain in 1821, the area became part of [[Mexico]]. Under Mexican rule, the mission system gradually ended, and its lands became [[Ranchos of California|privatized]]. In 1835, [[William A. Richardson|William Richardson]], a naturalized Mexican citizen of English birth, erected the first independent homestead,<ref name="Richardson">{{cite web
 |last=The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
 |title=From the 1820s to the Gold Rush
 |date=July 16, 2004
 |url=http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/early.html
 |accessdate=June 13, 2008
 |publisher=The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022224825/http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/early.html
 |archivedate=October 22, 2009
 |df=
}}</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, California|Yerba Buena]], 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 on January 30 of the next year, and Mexico officially [[Mexican Cession|ceded the territory]] to the United States at the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo|end of the war]]. Despite its attractive location as a port and naval base, San Francisco was still a small settlement with inhospitable geography.<ref>{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York |pages = 4–5 |oclc = 44313415
|isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9}}</ref>
[[File:Francis Samuel Marryat, San Francisco, lithograph.jpg|thumb|left|Francis Samuel Marryat, ''Hilltop of San Francisco, California, Looking toward the Bay'', 1849. M.& N. Hanhart Chromolithograph]]
[[File:SanFranciscoharbor1851c sharp.jpg|thumb|[[Port of San Francisco]] in 1851|left]]
The [[California Gold Rush]] brought a flood of treasure seekers (known as "forty-niners", as in "1849"). With their [[sourdough|sourdough bread]] in tow,<ref>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.{{cite journal
|last = Tamony
|first = Peter
|title = Sourdough and French Bread
|journal=Western Folklore
|volume = 32
|issue = 4
|pages = 265–270
|date=October 1973
|doi = 10.2307/1498306
|jstor = 1498306
}}</ref> prospectors accumulated in San Francisco over rival [[Benicia, California|Benicia]],<ref>{{cite web
|title = San Francisco's First Brick Building
|publisher=The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
|date = July 16, 2004
|url = http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/brick.html
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref> raising the population from 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 by December 1849.<ref name="1849pop">{{cite book
|last = Richards
|first = Rand
|title = Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide
|publisher = Heritage House
|year = 1992
|isbn = 978-1-879367-00-5
|oclc = 214330849
|url = https://archive.org/details/historicsanfranc00rich
}}</ref> The promise of great wealth 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.<ref name="buriedships">{{cite news
|last = Harris |first = Ron
|title = Crews Unearth Shipwreck on San Francisco Condo Project
|agency=Associated Press
|date = November 14, 2005
|url = http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/story.asp?story=6287&headline=Crews
|accessdate =September 4, 2006
}}</ref>
Some of these approximately 500 abandoned ships were used at times as storeships, [[bar|saloons]] and hotels; many were left to rot and some were sunk to establish title to the underwater lot. By 1851 the harbor was extended out into the bay by wharves while buildings were erected on piles among the ships. By 1870 [[Yerba Buena Cove]] had been filled to create new land. Buried ships are occasionally exposed when foundations are dug for new buildings.<ref name="buriedshipsSFgenalogy">{{cite web
 |url = http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hgshp1.htm
 |title = Buried Ships
 |last = Filion
 |first = Ron S.
 |website =
 |publisher = SFgenealogy
 |access-date = April 19, 2016
}}</ref>

California was quickly [[Compromise of 1850|granted statehood]] in 1850, and the U.S. military built [[Fort Point, San Francisco|Fort Point]] at the [[Golden Gate]] and a fort on [[Alcatraz Island]] to secure the San Francisco Bay. Silver discoveries, including the [[Comstock Lode]] in [[Nevada]] in 1859, further drove rapid population growth.<ref>{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York |pages = 31–33 |oclc = 44313415
|isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9
}}</ref> With hordes of fortune seekers streaming through the city, lawlessness was common, and the [[Barbary Coast, San Francisco|Barbary Coast]] section of town gained notoriety as a haven for criminals, prostitution, and gambling.<ref>"The miners came in forty-nine, / The whores in fifty-one, / And when they got together / They produced the native son." {{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York
|pages = 237–238 |oclc = 44313415 |isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9}}</ref>

Entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush. Early winners were the banking industry, with the founding of [[Wells Fargo]] in 1852 and the [[Bank of California]] in 1864. Development of the [[Port of San Francisco]] and the establishment in 1869 of overland access to the eastern U.S. rail system via the newly completed [[First Transcontinental Railroad|Pacific Railroad]] (the construction of which the city only reluctantly helped support<ref>Construction of the Pacific Railroad was partially (albeit reluctantly) funded by the [[:File:Pacific RR Bond SF 1865.jpeg|City and County of San Francisco Pacific Railroad Bond issue]] under the provisions of ''"An Act to Authorize the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco to take and subscribe One Million Dollars to the Capital Stock of the Western Pacific Rail Road Company and the Central Pacific Rail Road Company of California and to provide for the payment of the same and other matters relating thereto."'' approved on April 22, 1863, as amended by §5 of the ''"Compromise Act of 1864"'' approved on April 4, 1864. The bond issue was objected to by the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors, however, and they were not delivered to the WPRR and CPRR until 1865 after Writs of Mandamus ordering such were issued by the Supreme Court of the State of California in 1864 (''"The People of the State of California on the relation of the Central Pacific Railroad Company vs. Henry P. Coon, Mayor; Henry M. Hale, Auditor; and Joseph S. Paxson, Treasurer, of the City and County of San Francisco"'' 25 Cal 635) and 1865 (''"The People ex rel The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California vs. The Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, and Wilhelm Lowey, Clerk"'' 27 Cal 655)</ref>) helped make the Bay Area a center for trade. Catering to the needs and tastes of the growing population, [[Levi Strauss]] opened a dry goods business and [[Domingo Ghirardelli]] began manufacturing chocolate. Chinese immigrants made the city a polyglot culture, drawn to "Old Gold Mountain", creating the city's [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]] quarter. In 1870, Asians made up 8% of the population.<ref name=census>{{cite web|title=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places in the United States |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |accessdate=December 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archivedate=August 12, 2012 |df= }}</ref> The first [[San Francisco cable car system|cable cars]] carried San Franciscans up [[Clay Street Hill Railroad|Clay Street]] in 1873. The city's sea of [[Victorian house]]s 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|Presidio]] developed into the most important American military installation on the Pacific coast.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Under Three Flags |work=Golden Gate National Recreation Area Brochures
|publisher=US Department of the Interior
|date=November 2004
|url = http://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/upload/3flags_7-03.pdf |accessdate =June 22, 2011
}}</ref> By 1890, San Francisco's population approached 300,000, making it the [[Largest cities in the United States by population by decade#1890|eighth-largest city]] in the United States at the time. Around 1901, San Francisco was a major city known for its flamboyant style, stately hotels, ostentatious mansions on [[Nob Hill, San Francisco|Nob Hill]], and a thriving arts scene.<ref>{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York |pages = 44–55 |oclc = 44313415
|isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9}}</ref> The first North American plague epidemic was the [[San Francisco plague of 1900–1904]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kalisch |first=Philip A. |title=The Black Death in Chinatown: Plague and Politics in San Francisco 1900–1904 |journal=Arizona and the West |volume=14 |date=Summer 1972 |pages=113–136 |jstor=40168068 |issue=2|pmid=11614219 }}</ref>

At 5:12&nbsp;am on April 18, 1906, a major [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|earthquake struck San Francisco]] and northern California. As buildings collapsed from the shaking, ruptured gas lines ignited fires that spread across the city and burned out of control for several days. With water mains out of service, the [[Presidio of San Francisco|Presidio]] Artillery Corps attempted to contain the inferno by dynamiting blocks of buildings to create firebreaks.<ref name="Funston">{{cite web
|title = 1906 Earthquake: Fire Fighting
|work=Golden Gate National Recreation Area
|publisher=US Department of the Interior |date = December 24, 2003
|url = http://www.nps.gov/prsf/historyculture/1906-earthquake-fire-fighting.htm
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref> More than three-quarters of the city lay in ruins, including almost all of the downtown core.<ref name="Montagne">{{cite news
|last = Montagne |first = Renée
|title = Remembering the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
|work=People & Places |publisher=NPR
|date = April 11, 2006
|url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5334411
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref> Contemporary accounts reported that 498 people lost their lives, though modern estimates put the number in the several thousands.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Casualties and Damage after the 1906 earthquake
|work=Earthquake Hazards Program – Northern California
|publisher=US Geological Survey
|date = January 25, 2008
|url = https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/events/1906calif/18april/casualties.php
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref> More than half of the city's population of 400,000 was left homeless.<ref>{{cite web
|title = 1906 Earthquake and the Army
|work=Golden Gate National Recreation Area
|publisher=US Department of the Interior |date =August 25, 2004
|url = http://www.nps.gov/prsf/historyculture/1906-earthquake.htm
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</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)|East Bay]].
{{Wide image|San francisco fire 1906.jpg|936px|align-cap=center|"Not in history has a modern imperial city been so completely destroyed. San Francisco is gone." –[[Jack London]] after the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fire<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist5/jlondon.html |title=Jack London Writes of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire |publisher=Sfmuseum.org |date=May 5, 1906 |accessdate=June 15, 2013}}</ref>||center}}

[[File:PalaceofFineArts1915.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Palace of Fine Arts]] at the 1915 [[Panama–Pacific International Exposition (1915)|Panama–Pacific Exposition]]]]

Rebuilding was rapid and performed on a grand scale. Rejecting calls to completely remake the street grid, San Franciscans opted for speed.<ref name="NatTrust1">{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York
|pages = 56–62 |oclc = 44313415 |isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9
}}</ref> [[Amadeo Giannini]]'s [[Bank of Italy (United States)|Bank of Italy]], later to become [[Bank of America]], provided loans for many of those whose livelihoods had been devastated. The influential [[San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association]] or SPUR was founded in 1910 to address the quality of housing after the earthquake.<ref>{{cite web|title=SPUR Our Mission and History|url=http://www.spur.org/about/our_mission_and_history|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> The earthquake hastened development of western neighborhoods that survived the fire, including [[Pacific Heights, San Francisco|Pacific Heights]], where many of the city's wealthy rebuilt their homes.<ref>{{cite book
|last = O'Brien |first = Tricia
|title = San Francisco's Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights
|publisher = Arcadia Publishing |year = 2008 |location = San Francisco |isbn = 978-0-7385-5980-3
|page = 7
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=J8dEQubtnqYC&lpg=PA7&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> In turn, the destroyed mansions of Nob Hill became grand hotels. [[San Francisco City Hall|City Hall]] rose again in splendid [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]] style, and the city celebrated its rebirth at the [[Panama–Pacific International Exposition (1915)|Panama–Pacific International Exposition]] in 1915.<ref>{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York |oclc = 44313415 |isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9
|page = 9}}</ref>

It was during this period San Francisco built some of its most important infrastructure. Civil Engineer [[Michael O'Shaughnessy]] was hired by San Francisco Mayor [[James Rolph]] as chief engineer for the city in September 1912 to supervise the construction of the Twin Peaks Reservoir, the [[Stockton Street Tunnel]], the [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]], the [[San Francisco Municipal Railway]], the [[San Francisco Fire Department Auxiliary Water Supply System|Auxiliary Water Supply System]], and new sewers. San Francisco's streetcar system, of which the J, K, L, M, and N lines survive today, was pushed to completion by O'Shaughnessy between 1915 and 1927. It was the [[Hetch Hetchy|O'Shaughnessy Dam]], [[Hetch Hetchy Reservoir]], and [[Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct]] that would have the largest effect on San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|title=Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco – M.M. O'Shaughnessy Employed as City Engineer|url=http://www.sfmuseum.net/bio/mmo.html|accessdate=March 16, 2013}}</ref> An abundant water supply enabled San Francisco to develop into the city it has become today.
[[File:SF-Oakland-Bay-Bridge-Construction.jpg|thumb|right|The [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge|Bay Bridge]], under construction in 1935, took forty months to complete.]]

In ensuing years, the city solidified its standing as a financial capital; in the wake of the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|1929 stock market crash]], not a single San Francisco-based bank failed.<ref>{{cite web
|title = San Francisco Gold Rush Banking – 1849
|publisher=The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
|date = June 24, 2004
|url = http://www.sfmuseum.net/hist9/banking.html
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</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|Alcatraz]], a former military stockade, began its service as a federal maximum security prison, housing notorious inmates such as [[Al Capone]], and [[Robert Franklin Stroud]], the Birdman of Alcatraz. San Francisco later celebrated its regained grandeur with a [[World's fair]], the [[Golden Gate International Exposition]] in 1939–40, creating [[Treasure Island, San Francisco|Treasure Island]] in the middle of the bay to house it.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

[[File:USS San Francisco (CA-38) enters San Francisco Bay, December 1942.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The [[USS San Francisco (CA-38)|USS ''San Francisco'']] steams under the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in 1942, during World War&nbsp;II.]]

During World War II, the [[San Francisco Naval Shipyard|Hunters Point Naval Shipyard]] became a hub of activity, and [[Fort Mason]] became the primary port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater of Operations]].<ref name="WWII">{{cite web
|title = Port of Embarkation Essay—World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area
|work=A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
|publisher=US Department of the Interior |date = August 28, 2007
|url = http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wwIIbayarea/embarkation.htm
|accessdate =June 22, 2011
}}</ref> The explosion of jobs drew many people, especially African Americans [[Second Great Migration (African American)|from the South]], 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|war with Japan]].{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Urban planning projects in the 1950s and 1960s involved 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 [[Highway revolts in the United States#San Francisco|citizen-led opposition]].<ref>{{cite news
 |last=Fang
 |first=Eric
 |title=Urban Renewal Revisited: A Design Critique
 |work=SPUR Newsletter
 |publisher=San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association
 |date=February 1999
 |url=http://www.spur.org/publications/library/article/urbanrenewalrevisited02011999
 |accessdate=August 3, 2009
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011043744/http://www.spur.org/publications/library/article/urbanrenewalrevisited02011999
 |archivedate=October 11, 2009
 |df=
}}</ref> The onset of [[containerization]] made San Francisco's small piers obsolete, and cargo activity moved to the larger [[Port of Oakland]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Rubin
|first = Jasper
|title = The Decline of the Port – A look at the transformation of the Port of San Francisco
|journal=SPUR Newsletter
|date=November 1999
|url = http://www.spur.org/publications/library/article/declineofport11011999
|quote = The final, insurmountable decline in San Francisco's shipping activity was heralded in 1958 by the departure of the first containerized freighter from San Francisco Bay.
|accessdate = January 5, 2013
}}</ref> The city began to lose industrial jobs and turned to tourism as the most important segment of its economy.<ref>{{Cite journal
|last = Terplan
|first = Egon
|title = Organizing for Economic Growth – A new approach to business attraction and retention in San Francisco
|journal=SPUR Report
|date = June 7, 2010
|url = http://www.spur.org/publications/library/report/organizing-economic-growth
|quote = During the 1960s and 1970s San Francisco's historic maritime industry relocated to Oakland. ... San Francisco remained a center for business and professional services (such as consulting, law, accounting and finance) and also successfully developed its tourism sector, which became the leading local industry.
|accessdate = January 5, 2013

}}</ref> 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|immigration]] from Asia and Latin America.<ref>{{cite web
|last = Willis |first = James
|author2 = Habib, Jerry|author3= Brittan, Jeremy
|title = San Francisco Planning Department Census Data Analysis
|publisher=San Francisco State University
|date = April 19, 2004
|url = http://bss.sfsu.edu/pamuk/SFDemographics.ppt
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718191827/http://bss.sfsu.edu/pamuk/SFDemographics.ppt
|archivedate = July 18, 2011
|format = PPT |accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|last = Minton |first = Torri
|title = Race Through Time
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|page = SC-4
|publisher=Hearst Communications
|date = September 20, 1998
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Race-Through-Time-2990221.php
|accessdate =September 11, 2013
}}</ref> From 1950 to 1980, the city lost over 10 percent of its population.

Over this period, San Francisco became a magnet for America's [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]]. [[Beat Generation]] writers fueled the [[San Francisco Renaissance]] and centered on the [[North Beach, San Francisco|North Beach]] neighborhood in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York
|pages = 240–242 |oclc = 44313415 |isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9
}}</ref> [[Hippie]]s flocked to [[Haight-Ashbury]] in the 1960s, reaching a peak with the 1967 [[Summer of Love]].<ref>{{cite web
|url = https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/love/filmmore/fd.html
|title = American Experience: Summer of Love: Film Description
|accessdate =June 17, 2008
|date = March 14, 2007
|work=Website for American Experience documentary on the Summer of Love
|publisher=PBS
}}</ref> In 1974, the [[Zebra murders]] left at least 16 people dead.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911212,00.html |title=Fear in the Streets of San Francisco |date=April 29, 1974 |work=Time |accessdate=August 28, 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203143933/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911212,00.html |archivedate=December 3, 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> In the 1970s, the city became a center of the [[LGBT social movements|gay rights movement]], with the emergence of [[The Castro, San Francisco|The Castro]] as an urban [[gay village]], the election of [[Harvey Milk]] to the [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors|Board of Supervisors]], and his [[Moscone–Milk assassinations|assassination]], along with that of Mayor [[George Moscone]], in 1978.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sanfrancisco/0029033660.html
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010718020050/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sanfrancisco/0029033660.html
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=July 18, 2001
 |title=San Francisco History: The 1970s and 1980s: Gay Rights
 |accessdate=June 17, 2008
 |work=Destinations: San Francisco
 |publisher=Frommers.com
 |df=
}}</ref>

Bank of America completed [[555 California Street]] in 1969 and the [[Transamerica Pyramid]] was completed in 1972,<ref>{{cite web
|title = Pyramid Facts and Figures |work=Company Profile
|publisher=Transamerica Insurance and Investment Group
|url = http://www.transamerica.com/company_profile/about_the_pyramid/pyramid_facts_and_figures.asp
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref> igniting a wave of "[[Manhattanization]]" that lasted until the late 1980s, a period of extensive high-rise development downtown.<ref name="NatTrust2">{{cite book
|last = Wiley |first = Peter Booth
|title = National trust guide- San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers
|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year = 2000 |location = New York
|pages = 95–96 |oclc = 44313415 |isbn = 978-0-471-19120-9
}}</ref> The 1980s also saw a dramatic increase in the number of homeless people in the city, an issue that remains today, despite many attempts to address it.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/04/MNGILKB9KV1.DTL&ao=all
|title = S.F.'s Homeless Aging on the Street / Chronic health problems on the rise as median age nears 50
|work = San Francisco Chronicle
|author = Fagan, Kevin
|date = August 4, 2006
|accessdate =March 6, 2012
|quote = The findings support what many social workers have long suspected – that there was a "big bang" homeless population explosion as federal housing programs were slashed and the closing of mental hospitals hit home in the mid-1980s and that this core group constitutes the bulk of the street population.
}}</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|Marina]] and [[South of Market, San Francisco|South of Market]] districts and precipitated the demolition of the damaged [[California State Route 480|Embarcadero Freeway]] and much of the damaged [[Central Freeway]], allowing the city to reclaim [[Embarcadero (San Francisco)|The Embarcadero]] as its historic downtown waterfront and revitalizing the [[Hayes Valley, San Francisco|Hayes Valley]] neighborhood.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Two recent decades have seen two booms driven by the internet industry. First was the [[Dot-com bubble|dot-com boom]] of the late 1990s, [[startup company|startup companies]] invigorated the San Francisco economy. Large numbers of entrepreneurs and computer application developers moved into the city, followed by marketing, design, and sales professionals, changing the social landscape as once-poorer neighborhoods became increasingly [[Gentrification|gentrified]].<ref>{{cite news
|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/05/us/mission-district-fights-case-of-dot-com-fever.html
|title = Mission District Fights Case of Dot-Com Fever
|work = The New York Times
|date = November 5, 2000
|author = Nieves, Evelyn
|accessdate =March 5, 2012
}}</ref> Demand for new housing and office space ignited a second wave of high-rise development, this time in the South of Market district.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/High-rises-are-a-sign-of-the-times-in-changing-3233641.php
|title = High-rises are a sign of the times in changing San Francisco
|work = San Francisco Chronicle
|date = January 2, 2008
|author = Nolte, Carl
|accessdate = July 9, 2012
}}</ref> By 2000, the city's population reached new highs, surpassing the previous record set in 1950. When the bubble burst in 2001, many of these companies folded and their employees were laid off. Yet high technology and entrepreneurship remain mainstays of the San Francisco economy. By the mid-2000s (decade), the [[Web 2.0|social media boom]] had begun, with San Francisco becoming a popular location for tech offices and a common place to live for people employed in [[Silicon Valley]] companies such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] and [[Google]].<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.sfeconomicstrategy.org/site/uploadedfiles/moed/economic_strat/ExecutiveSummary_EconomicPerformanceReview.pdf
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090201053456/http://www.sfeconomicstrategy.org/site/uploadedfiles/moed/economic_strat/ExecutiveSummary_EconomicPerformanceReview.pdf
|archivedate = February 1, 2009
|title = City and County of San Francisco: An Overview of San Francisco's Recent Economic Performance
|accessdate =June 19, 2008
|author=Ted Egan
|date = April 3, 2006
|work=Report prepared for Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development
|publisher=ICF Consulting
|quote = Another positive trend for the future is San Francisco's highly entrepreneurial, flexible and innovative economy...San Francisco's very high reliance on small business and self-employment is typical of other dynamic, fast-growing, high-technology areas across the country.}}</ref>

The [[Ferry Station Post Office Building]], [[Armour & Co. Building]], [[Atherton House]], and [[YMCA Hotel (San Francisco, California)|YMCA Hotel]] are historic buildings among dozens of historical landmarks in the city according to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in San Francisco]].{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

==Geography==
[[File:SanFranciscoFromTheISS(Cropped).jpg|right|upright|thumb|The San Francisco Peninsula]]

San Francisco is located on the [[West Coast of the United States]] at the north end of the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and [[San Francisco Bay]] within its boundaries. Several picturesque [[islands of San Francisco Bay|islands]]—[[Alcatraz Island|Alcatraz]], [[Treasure Island, San Francisco|Treasure Island]] and the adjacent [[Yerba Buena Island]], and small portions of [[Alameda (island)|Alameda Island]], [[Red Rock Island]], and [[Angel Island, California|Angel Island]]<!--Alameda island is capitalized correctly; "island" is not part of the proper noun and is used 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]], {{convert|27|mi|km}} 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 city's shape, though its total area, including water, is nearly {{convert|232|sqmi|km2}}.

[[File:Lombardst.jpeg|thumb|upright|left|Cars navigate [[Lombard Street (San Francisco)|Lombard Street]] to descend [[Russian Hill, San Francisco|Russian Hill]].]]
There are more than 50 hills within the city limits.<ref name=peak_experience>{{cite news
|last = Graham |first = Tom
|title = Peak Experience
|work = San Francisco Chronicle
|page = PK-23
|publisher = Hearst Communications
|date = November 7, 2004
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/11/07/PKGJ99K7KD1.DTL
|accessdate =June 13, 2008
}}</ref> Some neighborhoods are named after the hill on which they are situated, including [[Nob Hill, San Francisco|Nob Hill]], [[Potrero Hill, San Francisco|Potrero Hill]], and [[Russian Hill, San Francisco|Russian Hill]].
Near the geographic center of the city, southwest of the downtown area, are a series of less densely populated hills. [[Twin Peaks (San Francisco)|Twin Peaks]], a pair of hills forming one of the city's highest points, forms an overlook spot. San Francisco's tallest hill, [[Mount Davidson (California)|Mount Davidson]], is {{convert|928|ft|m|0}} high and is capped with a {{convert|103|foot|m|0|adj=on}} tall cross built in 1934.<ref>{{cite news
|first=Henry K. |last = Lee
|title = Mount Davidson Cross Called Landmark by Panel
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/01/16/MN71385.DTL
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|date = January 16, 1997
|accessdate =June 17, 2008}}</ref> Dominating this area is [[Sutro Tower]], a large red and white radio and television transmission tower.

The nearby [[San Andreas Fault|San Andreas]] and [[Hayward Fault]]s are responsible for much earthquake activity, although neither physically passes through the city itself. The San Andreas Fault 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 city's infrastructure development. The city constructed an [[San Francisco Fire Department Auxiliary Water Supply System|auxiliary water supply system]] and has repeatedly upgraded its building codes, requiring retrofits for older buildings and higher engineering standards for new construction.<ref>{{cite news
|first = Charles |last = Smith
|title = What San Francisco didn't learn from the '06 quake
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/15/HOGQ9I7P2T1.DTL
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|date = April 15, 2006
|accessdate =June 30, 2008
}}</ref> However, there are still thousands of smaller buildings that remain vulnerable to quake damage.<ref>{{cite news
|first = Robert |last = Selna
|title = S.F. leaders ignore weak buildings' quake risk
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/06/29/MNDD110U2E.DTL
|page = A-1 |work=San Francisco Chronicle
|date = June 29, 2008
|accessdate =June 30, 2008}}</ref> USGS has released the California earthquake forecast which models earthquake occurrence in California.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2015/3009/pdf/fs2015-3009.pdf California Earthquake forecast – UCERF3 – USGS Factsheet (non-technical) Mar, 2015.] predicts Earthquake risk for 30 years in California, [[California earthquake forecast]].</ref>

San Francisco's shoreline has grown beyond its natural limits. Entire neighborhoods such as the [[Marina District, San Francisco|Marina]], [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]], and [[Hunters Point, San Francisco|Hunters Point]], as well as large sections of the [[The Embarcadero (San Francisco)|Embarcadero]], sit on areas of [[Land reclamation|landfill]]. Treasure Island was constructed from material dredged from the bay as well as material resulting from the excavation of the [[Yerba Buena Tunnel]] through [[Yerba Buena Island]] during the construction of the Bay Bridge. Such land tends to be unstable during earthquakes. The resulting [[soil liquefaction]] causes extensive damage to property built upon it, as was evidenced in the Marina district during the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]].<ref>{{cite web
|title = Liquefaction Damage in the Marina District during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
|publisher=California Geological Survey
|url = http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/outreach/Documents/Marina%20Poster%2011x17rw2b.pdf
|accessdate =June 17, 2008}}</ref> Most of the city's natural watercourses, such as [[Islais Creek]] and [[Mission Creek]], have been culverted and built over, although the [[San Francisco Public Utilities Commission|Public Utilities Commission]] is studying proposals to daylight or restore some creeks.<ref>{{cite web
|title = The Lure of the Creeks Buried Beneath San Francisco's Streets
|publisher = Streetsblog San Francisco
|author = Matt Baume
|url = http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/04/14/the-lure-of-the-creeks-buried-beneath-san-franciscos-streets/
|date = April 14, 2010
|accessdate = January 31, 2013}}
</ref>
{{clear}}

===Cityscape===
{{main|List of Landmarks and Historic Places in San Francisco}}

{{Wide image|SanFrancisco from TwinPeaks dusk MC.jpg|1680px|align-cap=center|Downtown San Francisco, seen from [[Twin Peaks (San Francisco)|Twin Peaks]], in October 2006}}

{{Wide image|Sf twinpeaks sunset.jpg|2000px|align-cap=center|Downtown San Francisco, seen from [[Twin Peaks (San Francisco)|Twin Peaks]] at dusk, in December 2009}}

{{Wide image|San Francisco aerial.jpg|700px|align-cap=center|Aerial view from the west in April 2018. San Francisco is seen in the foreground, with Oakland in the background.}}

====Neighborhoods====
{{Main|Neighborhoods in San Francisco}}
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in San Francisco}}
[[File:SF Chinatown CA.jpg|thumb|upright|left|San Francisco's [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]] is the oldest and one of the largest in North America.]]

The historic center of San Francisco is the northeast quadrant of the city anchored by [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]] and the waterfront. It is here that the [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]] is centered, with [[Union Square (San Francisco)|Union Square]], the principal shopping and hotel district, and the [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]] nearby. [[Cable car (railway)|Cable cars]] carry riders up steep inclines to the summit of [[Nob Hill]], once the home of the city's business tycoons, and down to the waterfront tourist attractions of [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]], and [[Pier 39]], where many restaurants feature [[Dungeness crab]] from a still-active fishing industry. Also in this quadrant are [[Russian Hill, San Francisco|Russian Hill]], a residential neighborhood with the famously crooked [[Lombard Street (San Francisco)|Lombard Street]]; [[North Beach, San Francisco|North Beach]], the city's [[Little Italy]] and the former center of the [[Beat Generation]]; and [[Telegraph Hill, San Francisco|Telegraph Hill]], which features [[Coit Tower]]. Abutting Russian Hill and North Beach is San Francisco's [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]], the oldest [[Chinatown]] in North America.<ref>[http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/history/index.html The Official San Francisco Chinatown Website]. Sanfranciscochinatown.com. Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/101102/chinatown.shtml Depicting Otherness: Images of San Francisco's Chinatown]. College Street Journal (October 11, 2002). Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref><ref name="Bacon, Daniel pages 52-53">Bacon, Daniel: Walking the Barbary Coast Trail 2nd ed., pp. 52–53, Quicksilver Press, 1997</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanfranciscodays.com/chinatown/ |title=Chinatown/Grant Avenue |accessdate=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615053119/http://www.sanfranciscodays.com/chinatown/ |archivedate=June 15, 2011 |df= }}. San Francisco Days</ref> The [[South of Market, San Francisco|South of Market]], which was once San Francisco's industrial core, has seen significant redevelopment following the construction of [[Oracle Park]] and an infusion of [[Startup company|startup companies]]. New skyscrapers, live-work lofts, and condominiums dot the area. Further development is taking place just to the south in [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]] area, a former railroad yard, which now has a second campus of the [[University of California, San Francisco]] and [[Chase Center]], which opened in [[2019–20 Golden State Warriors season|2019]] as the new home of the Golden State Warriors.<ref>{{cite web|title = S.F. supervisors OK Warriors arena for Mission Bay|url = http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-supervisors-OK-Warriors-arena-for-Mission-Bay-6685450.php|website = San Francisco Chronicle|access-date = February 8, 2016|date = December 9, 2015}}</ref>

West of downtown, across [[Van Ness Avenue (San Francisco)|Van Ness Avenue]], lies the large [[Western Addition, San Francisco|Western Addition]] neighborhood, which became established with a large African American population after [[World War II]]. The Western Addition is usually divided into smaller neighborhoods including [[Hayes Valley, San Francisco|Hayes Valley]], [[Fillmore District, San Francisco|the Fillmore]], and [[Japantown, San Francisco|Japantown]], which was once the largest Japantown in North America but suffered when its [[Japanese American]] residents were [[Japanese American internment|forcibly removed and interned]] during World War II. The Western Addition survived the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] with its [[Victorian house|Victorians]] largely intact, including the famous "[[Painted Ladies]]", standing alongside [[Alamo Square]]. To the south, near the geographic center of the city is [[Haight-Ashbury]], famously associated with 1960s [[hippie]] culture. The Haight is now home to some expensive boutiques<ref>{{cite news |title=The Haight |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/haight/ |accessdate=August 3, 2009}}</ref> and a few controversial chain stores,<ref>{{cite news |first=Katherine |last=Bishop |title=Haight-Ashbury Journal; Love and Hate Linger in Ex-Hippie District |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/13/us/haight-ashbury-journal-love-and-hate-linger-in-ex-hippie-district.html?sec=&spon= |work=The New York Times |date=October 13, 1988 |accessdate=August 3, 2009}}</ref> although it still retains some [[Bohemianism|bohemian]] character.

[[File:San Francisco towers and angles.jpg|thumb|right|Skyscrapers are common in northeast San Francisco, the city's downtown.]]

North of the Western Addition is [[Pacific Heights, San Francisco|Pacific Heights]], an affluent neighborhood that features the homes built by wealthy San Franciscans in the wake of the 1906 earthquake. Directly north of Pacific Heights facing the waterfront is the [[Marina District, San Francisco|Marina]], a neighborhood popular with young professionals that was largely built on reclaimed land from the Bay.<ref>{{cite news
|title = The Marina
|work = SFGate San Francisco Neighborhood Guide
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/marina/
|accessdate =August 20, 2013
|date=October 27, 2011
}}</ref>

[[File:SF Transamerica full CA.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The [[Transamerica Pyramid]] was the tallest building in San Francisco until 2016, when [[Salesforce Tower]] surpassed it.]]

In the south-east quadrant of the city is the [[Mission District]]—populated in the 19th century by [[Californio]]s 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|Mexico]] began to predominate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qualityoflife-themovie.com/website/mission.html |title=Quality of Life (film website) |work=Mission District History |author=Morgan, Benjamin (Director) |year=2007 |accessdate=July 25, 2010}}</ref> In recent years, gentrification has changed the demographics of parts of the Mission from Latino, to [[Twentysomething (term)|twenty-something]] professionals. [[Noe Valley, San Francisco|Noe Valley]] to the southwest and [[Bernal Heights, San Francisco|Bernal Heights]] to the south are both increasingly popular among young families with children. East of the Mission is the [[Potrero Hill]] neighborhood, a mostly residential neighborhood that features sweeping views of downtown San Francisco. West of the Mission, the area historically known as [[Eureka Valley, San Francisco|Eureka Valley]], now popularly called [[The Castro, San Francisco|the Castro]], was once a working-class Scandinavian and Irish area. It has become North America's first [[gay village]], and is now the center of [[homosexuality|gay]] life in the city.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Castro |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/castro/ |accessdate=August 3, 2009}}</ref> Located near the city's southern border, the [[Excelsior District, San Francisco|Excelsior District]] is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco. The predominantly African American [[Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco|Bayview-Hunters Point]] in the far southeast corner 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 several revitalizing and controversial [[urban renewal]] projects.

The construction of the [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]] in 1918 connected southwest neighborhoods to downtown via streetcar, hastening the development of [[West Portal, San Francisco|West Portal]], and nearby affluent [[Forest Hill, San Francisco|Forest Hill]] and [[St. Francis Wood, San Francisco|St. Francis Wood]]. Further west, stretching all the way to the Pacific Ocean and north to [[Golden Gate Park]] lies the vast [[Sunset District, San Francisco|Sunset District]], a large middle class area with a predominantly Asian population.<ref>{{cite news
|last = Chow |first = Andrew
|title = Dismal APA Turnout at First Redistricting Meetings
|work=Asian Week
|date = March 22, 2002
}}</ref>
The northwestern quadrant of the city contains the [[Richmond District, San Francisco|Richmond]], also a mostly middle-class neighborhood north of Golden Gate Park, home to immigrants from other parts of Asia as well as many [[Russian people|Russian]] and [[Ukrainian people|Ukrainian]] immigrants. Together, these areas are known as [[Neighborhoods in San Francisco|The Avenues]]. 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.

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 [[San Francisco Ferry Building|Ferry Building]], while still receiving commuter ferry traffic, has been restored and redeveloped as a gourmet marketplace.

===Climate===

San Francisco has a [[warm-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Csb'') characteristic of California's coast, with moist mild winters and dry summers.<ref>[http://ggweather.com/sf/narrative.html Climate of San Francisco: Narrative Description] Golden Gate Weather Services. Retrieved September 5, 2006.</ref> San Francisco's weather is strongly influenced by the [[California Current|cool currents]] of the Pacific Ocean on the west side of the city, and the water of San Francisco Bay to the north and east. This moderates temperature swings and produces a remarkably mild year-round climate with little seasonal temperature variation.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

[[File:San francisco in fog with rays.jpg|upright|thumb|left|[[San Francisco fog|Fog]] is a regular feature of San Francisco summers.]]
Among major U.S. cities, San Francisco has the coolest daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures for June, July, and August.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/coldest-cities-summer.php
|title = Coolest US Cities in Summer
|author=Osborn, Liz
|work=Weather Extremes
|publisher=Current Results Nexus
|accessdate =July 25, 2010
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100724192713/http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/coldest-cities-summer.php |archivedate = July 24, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>
During the summer, rising hot air in California's interior valleys creates a low pressure area that draws winds from the [[North Pacific High]] through the Golden Gate, which creates the city's [[San Francisco fog|characteristic cool winds and fog]].<ref>{{Cite journal
|last = Gilliam
|first = Harold
|author-link = Harold Gilliam
|title = Cutting Through the Fog: Demystifying the Summer Spectacle
|journal=Bay Nature
|date = July–September 2002
|url = http://baynature.org/articles/jul-sep-2002/cutting-through-the-fog
}}</ref> The fog is less pronounced in eastern neighborhoods and during the late summer and early fall. As a result, the year's warmest month, on average, is September, and on average, October is warmer than July, especially in daytime.

Because of its sharp topography and maritime influences, San Francisco exhibits a multitude of distinct [[microclimate]]s. 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|Sunset District]]; 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.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Temperatures reach or exceed {{convert|80|°F|abbr=on}} on an average of only 21 and 23&nbsp;days a year at downtown and [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO), respectively.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> The dry period of May to October is mild to warm, with the normal monthly mean temperature peaking in September at {{convert|62.7|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> The rainy period of November to April is slightly cooler, with the normal monthly mean temperature reaching its lowest in January at {{convert|51.3|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> On average, there are 73 rainy days a year, and annual precipitation averages {{convert|23.65|in|mm|0}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> Variation in precipitation from year to year is high. Above average rain years are often associated with warm [[El Niño]] conditions in the Pacific while dry years often occur in cold water [[La Niña]] periods. In 2013 (a "La Niña" year), a record low {{convert|5.59|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rainfall was recorded at downtown San Francisco, where records have been kept since 1849.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> Snowfall in the city is very rare, with only 10 measurable accumulations recorded since 1852, most recently in 1976 when up to {{convert|5|in}} fell on Twin Peaks.<ref>[http://ggweather.com/sf/snow.html Climate of San Francisco: Snowfall] Golden Gate Weather Services. Retrieved December 3, 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url = http://blog.sfgate.com/thebigevent/2012/11/29/blizzard-of-awesome-the-san-francisco-snowfall-of-1976/
|title = Blizzard of awesome: The San Francisco snowfall of 1976
|author = Peter Hartlaub
|work = San Francisco Chronicle
|date = November 29, 2012
|accessdate = February 1, 2013}}</ref>

The highest recorded temperature at the official [[National Weather Service]] downtown observation station (currently at the [[United States Mint]] building) was {{convert|106|F|C}} on September 1, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruberstein |first1=Steve |last2=Asimov |first2=Nanette |last3=Lyons |first3=Jenna |title=San Francisco hits 106 degrees – shatters all-time record |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hey-San-Francisco-get-ready-for-the-heat-12166706.php |date=September 1, 2017 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref> The lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|27|F|C}} on December 11, 1932.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliGCStT.pl?ca7772
|title = San Fran Mission Dolore, California (047772) Period of Record General Climate Summary – Temperature
|work=Western Regional Climate Center
|publisher=[[Desert Research Institute]]
|year = 2010
|accessdate =July 25, 2010|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110513121708/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca7772 |archivedate = May 13, 2011|url-status=live}} ([http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca7772 Main page])</ref> The National Weather Service provides a helpful visual aid<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/climate/yeardisp.php?wfo=mtr&stn=KSFO&submit=Yearly+Charts|title=San Francisco Bay Area / Monterey}}</ref> graphing the information in the table below to display visually by month the annual typical temperatures, the past year's temperatures, and record temperatures.

San Francisco falls under the [[USDA]] 10b Plant [[Hardiness zone]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url        = http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#
 |title       = USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
 |author      = Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University
 |website     = USDA
 |publisher   = USDA
 |accessdate  = February 24, 2014
 |url-status  = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/
 |archivedate = February 27, 2014
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-california-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php|title=California Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|accessdate=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

{{San Francisco weatherbox}}

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of San Francisco}}
{{Historical populations
|type= USA
|1848|1000
|1849|25000
|1852|34776
|1860|56802
|1870|149473
|1880|233959
|1890|298997
|1900|342782
|1910|416912
|1920|506676
|1930|634394
|1940|634536
|1950|775357
|1960|740316
|1970|715674
|1980|678974
|1990|723959
|2000|776733
|2010|805235
|2018|883305
|source=U.S. Decennial Census,<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name="2018CensusEst" /><ref name="1849pop"/><ref name="SFCensus2010">{{cite book |last = Gibson|first = Campbell|title = Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|date=June 1998|url=https://books.google.com/?id=fHSjSgAACAAJ}}</ref><ref name="1852pop">Official 1850 census results were destroyed by fire. This 1852 figure is from a state Census. [https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab08.txt].</ref>
{{See also|:File:SFPopulation.svg|l1=Population Graph}}
}}

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates San Francisco's population to be 883,305 as of July 1, 2018, with a population density of 18,838/sq mi.<ref name="2018CensusEst" /> With roughly one-quarter the population density of [[Manhattan]], San Francisco is the [[List of United States cities by population density|second-most densely populated]] large American city, behind only New York City among cities greater than 200,000 population, and the [[County statistics of the United States|fifth-most densely populated]] U.S. county, following only four of the five New York City [[Boroughs of New York City|boroughs]].

San Francisco forms part of the five-county [[San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area]], a region of 4.7&nbsp;million people, and has served as its traditional demographic focal point. It is also part of the greater 14-county [[San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area]], whose population is over 9.6&nbsp;million, making it the fifth-largest in the United States as of 2018.<ref name="2018CensusEst" />

===Race, ethnicity, religion, and languages===

San Francisco has a [[minority-majority]] population, as [[non-Hispanic whites]] comprise less than half of the population, 41.9%, down from 92.5% in 1940.<ref name=census/>
As of the 2010 census, the ethnic makeup and population of San Francisco included: 390,387 [[White Americans|whites]] (48%), 267,915 [[Asian Americans|Asians]] (33%), 48,870 [[African Americans]] (6%), and others. There were 121,744 [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics or Latinos]] of any race (15%).

In 2010, residents of [[Chinese Americans|Chinese ethnicity]] constituted the largest single ethnic minority group in San Francisco at 21% of the population; the other Asian groups are [[Filipino Americans|Filipinos]] (5%) and [[Vietnamese Americans|Vietnamese]] (2%).<ref name="Census 2010-GCT-PH1-racial">{{cite web
|title = QT-P3 – Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: 2010
|url = http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP3
|work = [[2010 United States Census]] Summary File 1
|publisher = United States Census Bureau
|accessdate =July 11, 2011}}</ref> 
The population of Chinese ancestry is most heavily concentrated in Chinatown, [[Sunset District, San Francisco|Sunset District]], and [[Richmond District, San Francisco|Richmond District]], whereas Filipinos are most concentrated in the [[Crocker-Amazon]] (which is contiguous with the Filipino community of [[Daly City, California|Daly City]], which has one of the highest concentrations of Filipinos in North America), as well as in [[South of Market, San Francisco|SoMa]].<ref name="Census 2010-GCT-PH1-racial"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faleo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=62 |title=Training and Education /PET |accessdate=April 28, 2012 |publisher=Filipino-American Law Enforcement Officers Association |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116021343/http://www.faleo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=62 |archivedate=January 16, 2013 |df= }}</ref> The [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin District]] is home to a large portion of the city's Vietnamese population as well as businesses and restaurants, which is known as the city's Little Saigon.<ref name="Census 2010-GCT-PH1-racial"/>

The principal [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] groups in the city were those of [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]] (7%) and [[Salvadoran Americans|Salvadoran]] (2%) ancestry. The Hispanic population is most heavily concentrated in the [[Mission District, San Francisco|Mission District]], Tenderloin District, and [[Excelsior District, San Francisco|Excelsior District]].<ref name="interactivemap"/> The city's percentage of Hispanic residents is less than half of that of the state.
The population of [[African Americans in San Francisco]] is 6% of the city's population.<ref name=census/><ref name="SF QuickFacts">{{cite web
 |title=QuickFacts: San Francisco County, California
 |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06075.html
 |publisher=United States Census Bureau
 |accessdate=July 11, 2011
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713075807/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06075.html
 |archivedate=July 13, 2011
 |df=
}}</ref> The percentage of African Americans in San Francisco is similar to that of California.<ref name="SF QuickFacts"/> The majority of the city's black population reside within the neighborhoods of [[Bayview-Hunters Point]], [[Visitacion Valley]], and in the [[Fillmore District]].<ref name="interactivemap">{{cite news
|title = Interactive: Mapping the census
|work=The Washington Post |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/census/2010/
|accessdate =February 9, 2012
}}</ref>

[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley (5560477152).png|thumb|Map of racial distribution in San Francisco Bay Area, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: <span style="color:#f00;">'''White'''</span>, <span style="color:#00f;">'''Black'''</span>, <span style="color:#00ff80">'''Asian'''</span>, <span style="color:#ff8000">'''Hispanic'''</span>, or '''Other''' (yellow)]]
{|
|-
|align="left" |
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;text-align: left;font-size: 90%;"
! Demographic profile<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0667000.html |title=San Francisco (city), California  |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=San Francisco City and County |url=http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/counties/SanFranciscoCounty.htm |website=Bay Area Census |access-date=October 18, 2015}}</ref><ref name="census1">{{cite web|title=California – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archivedate=August 12, 2012 |df= }}</ref>
! 2010
! 2000
! 1990
! 1970
! 1940
|-
|align="left" |[[White Americans|White]] ||48.5% ||49.7% ||53.6% ||71.4% ||95.0%
|-
|align="left" |[[Non-Hispanic whites|Non-Hispanic White]] ||41.9% ||43.6% ||46.6% ||60.4%<ref name="fifteen"/> ||92.5%
|-
|align="left" |[[Asian Americans|Asian]] ||33.3% ||30.8% ||29.1% ||13.3% ||4.2%
|-
|align="left" |[[African Americans|Black]] or African American ||6.1% ||7.8% ||10.9%  ||13.4% ||0.8%
|-
|align="left" |[[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]] ||0.5% ||0.4% ||0.5% ||0.4% ||–
|-
|align="left" |[[Native Hawaiians|Native Hawaiian]] and Other [[Pacific Islands Americans|Pacific Islander]] ||0.4% ||0.5% ||0.5% ||– ||–
|-
|align="left" |Some other race ||6.6% ||6.5% ||5.9% ||1.5% ||-
|-
|align="left" |Two or more races ||4.7% ||4.0% ||- ||- ||-
|-
|align="left" |[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) ||15.1% ||14.1% ||13.9% ||11.6%<ref name="fifteen">From 15% sample</ref> ||2.5%
|}Source: US Census
|}

According to a 2014 study by the [[Pew Research Center]], the largest religious groupings in San Francisco's [[San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area|metropolitan area]] are [[Christianity|Christians]] (48%), followed by those of [[Irreligion|no religion]] (35%), [[Hinduism|Hindus]] (5%), [[Judaism|Jews]] (3%), [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] (2%), [[Islam|Muslims]] (1%) and a variety of other religions have smaller followings. According to the same study by the [[Pew Research Center]], about 20% of residents in the area are [[Protestantism|Protestant]], and 25% professing [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] beliefs. Meanwhile, 10% of the residents in metropolitan San Francisco identifies as [[agnostics]], while 5% identifies as [[Atheism|atheists]].<ref>[http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/29/major-u-s-metropolitan-areas-differ-in-their-religious-profiles/ Major U.S. metropolitan areas differ in their religious profiles], Pew Research Center</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ |title=America's Changing Religious Landscape |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]: Religion & Public Life |date=May 12, 2015}}</ref>

{{As of|2010}}, 55% (411,728) of San Francisco residents spoke only [[English language|English]] at home, while 19% (140,302) spoke a [[variety of Chinese]] (mostly [[Taishanese]] and [[Cantonese]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/2007/12/21/chung-chinese-peasant-dialect-redeemed/|title=Chung: Chinese 'peasant' dialect redeemed – The Mercury News|accessdate=December 19, 2016|date=December 22, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modernluxury.com/san-francisco/story/chinatown-decoded-what-language-everybody-speaking|title=Chinatown Decoded: What Language Is Everybody Speaking?|accessdate=December 19, 2016}}</ref>), 12% (88,147) [[Spanish language|Spanish]], 3% (25,767) [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], and 2% (14,017) [[Russian language|Russian]]. In total, 45% (342,693) of San Francisco's population spoke a language at home other than English.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |title=San Francisco County, California |publisher=[[Modern Language Association]] |accessdate=August 6, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815140430/http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |archivedate=August 15, 2013 |df= }}</ref>

{|
|-
|align="left" |
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;text-align: right;font-size: 90%;"
! Demographic profile<ref>{{cite web
|work=census.gov
|url=https://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ipmtext.php?fl=06:0667000
|title=2010 Census Interactive Population Search – CA – San Francisco city
}}</ref>
! 2010
|-
|align="left" | Total Population || 805,235 – 100%
|-
|align="left" | Hispanic or Latino || 121,774 – 15.1%
|-
|align="left" | White || 390,387 – 48.5%
|-
|align="left" | African American || 48,870 – 6.1%
|-
|align="left" | Asian || 267,915 – 33.3%
|-
|align="left" | American Indian and Alaska Native || 4,024 – 0.5%
|-
|align="left" | Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander || 3,359 – 0.4%
|-
|align="left" | Other || 53,021 – 6.6%
|-
|align="left" | Two or more races || 37,659 – 4.7%
|}
|}

==== Ethnic clustering ====

San Francisco has several prominent Chinese, Mexican, and Filipino ethnic neighborhoods including [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]] and [[Mission District, San Francisco|the Mission District]]. Research collected on the immigrant clusters in the city show that more than half of the Asian population in San Francisco is either Chinese born (40.3%) or Philippine born (13.1%), and of the Mexican population 21% were Mexican born, meaning these are people who recently immigrated to the United States.<ref name=":02"/> Between the years of 1990 and 2000, the number foreign born residents increased from 33% to nearly 40%,<ref name=":02"/> During this same time period, the San Francisco Metropolitan area received 850,000 immigrants, ranking third in the United States after Los Angeles and New York.<ref name=":02"/>

===Education, households, and income===
Of all major cities in the United States, San Francisco has the second-highest percentage of residents with a college degree, behind only [[Seattle]]. Over 44% of adults have a bachelor's or higher degree.<ref name="Bizjournals">{{cite news
|url = http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/12.html
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060701071804/http://www.bizjournals.com/specials/pages/12.html
|archivedate = July 1, 2006
|title = The brainpower of America's largest cities
|accessdate =August 5, 2010
|year = 2006
|publisher = Bizjournals.com (data interpreted from U.S. Census)}}</ref>
San Francisco had the highest rate at 7,031 per square mile, or over 344,000 total graduates in the city's {{convert|46.7|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name="USA Today">{{cite news
|last = Winter |first = Michael
|url = http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/new-measure-ranks-san-francisco-the-smartest-us-city/1
|title = New measure ranks San Francisco the 'smartest' U.S. city
|work = USA Today
|accessdate =August 5, 2010
|date = June 9, 2010}}</ref>

San Francisco has the highest percentage of gay and lesbian individuals of any of the 50 largest U.S. cities, at 15%.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/SameSexCouplesandGLBpopACS.pdf
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070702202709/http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/SameSexCouplesandGLBpopACS.pdf
|archivedate = July 2, 2007
|title = Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey
|last = Gates |first=Gary
|accessdate =July 10, 2008
|date=October 2006
|publisher = The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law
}}</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]].<ref name="gaystats">{{cite web
|title = Gay and Lesbian Families in the United States: Same-Sex Unmarried Partner Households
|url = http://www.hrc.org/documents/gayandlesbianfamilies.pdf
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080413201016/http://www.hrc.org/documents/gayandlesbianfamilies.pdf
|archivedate = April 13, 2008
|accessdate =August 26, 2006
|publisher = Human Rights Campaign}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="float: right; clear: both;"
|-
! colspan="6" |Income in 2011
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Per capita income<ref name="US-CB-B19301">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19301. [http://factfinder2.census.gov American FactFinder]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
|colspan="2" |$46,777
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Median household income<ref name="US-CB-B19013">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013. [http://factfinder2.census.gov American FactFinder]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
|colspan="2" |$72,947
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Median family income<ref name="US-CB-B19113">U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19113. [http://factfinder2.census.gov American FactFinder]. Retrieved October 21, 2013.</ref>
|colspan="2" |$87,329
|}
San Francisco ranks third of American cities in median household income<ref name="Census ACS 2003">{{cite web
 |url=https://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2003/R07T160.htm
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209192629/http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2003/R07T160.htm
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=December 9, 2004
 |title=Median Household Income (In 2003 Inflation-adjusted Dollars) (Place Level)
 |accessdate=June 23, 2009
 |date=August 22, 2007
 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau
 |df=
}}</ref> with a 2007 value of $65,519.<ref name="SF QuickFacts"/> Median family income is $81,136.<ref name="SF QuickFacts"/>
An emigration of middle-class families has left the city with a lower proportion of children than any other large American city,<ref>{{cite news
|first=Aaron|last=Sankin
|url = https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/families-flee-san-francisco_n_1335639
|title = Families Flee San Francisco: City Has Lowest Percentage Of Kids Of Any Major U.S. City
|accessdate =August 8, 2018
|date = March 9, 2012
|work = HuffPost}}</ref> with the dog population cited as exceeding the child population of 115,000, in 2018.<ref>{{cite news
|last = Hendrix |first = Michael
|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/young-americans-loneliness-sets-the-table-for-friendsgiving/2018/11/21/4de85848-ed9c-11e8-8679-934a2b33be52_story.html
|title = Young Americans' loneliness sets the table for Friendsgiving
|work = Washington Post
|access-date = November 21, 2018
|date = November 21, 2018}}</ref>
The city's [[poverty rate]] is 12%, lower than the national average.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=05000US06075&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C05000US06075&_street=&_county=san+francisco&_cityTown=san+francisco&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103041948/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=05000US06075&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C05000US06075&_street=&_county=san%2Bfrancisco&_cityTown=san%2Bfrancisco&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
 |archivedate=January 3, 2011
 |title=Economic Characteristics
 |access-date=January 9, 2015
 |year=2007
 |work=2005–2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates – Data Profile Highlights
 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau
 |url-status=dead
 |df=
}}</ref>
[[Homelessness in San Francisco|Homelessness has been a chronic problem for San Francisco]] since the early 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/special/excerpt.html |publisher=PBS |title=Deinstitutionalization: A Psychiatric 'Titanic' |accessdate=August 9, 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720013649/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/special/excerpt.html |archivedate=July 20, 2014}}</ref>
The city is believed to have the highest number of homeless inhabitants per capita of any major U.S. city.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = San Francisco Program Combats Homelessness with Innovation
 |publisher   = [[PBS]]
 |date        = April 5, 2005
 |url         = https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june05/homeless_4-8.html
 |accessdate  = September 6, 2007
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120110054843/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june05/homeless_4-8.html
 |archivedate = January 10, 2012
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|last = Pratt
|first = Timothy
|title = Critics say regional plan won't solve the problem
|newspaper=Las Vegas Sun
|date = August 12, 2006
|url = http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2005/aug/12/critics-say-regional-plan-wont-solve-the-problem/
|accessdate =August 30, 2006}}</ref>

There are 345,811 households in the city, out of which: 133,366 households (39%) were individuals, 109,437 (32%) were [[marriage|opposite-sex married couples]], 63,577 (18%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,677 (6%) were [[POSSLQ|unmarried opposite-sex partnerships]], and 10,384 (3%) were [[same-sex partnerships|same-sex married couples or partnerships]]. The average household size was 2.26; the average family size was 3.11. 452,986 people (56%) lived in rental housing units, and 327,985 people (41%) lived in owner-occupied housing units.
The median age of the city population is 38 years.

San Francisco "declared itself a [[sanctuary city]] in 1989, and city officials strengthened the stance in 2013 with its 'Due Process for All' ordinance. The law declared local authorities could not hold immigrants for immigration officials if they had no violent felonies on their records and did not currently face charges."<ref>{{cite news|first1=Cindy|last1= Carcamo|first2= Kate |last2=Mather|first3=Dakota|last3= Smith|url=https://latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-sanctuary-cities-20161114-story.html |title=Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration leaves a lot unanswered for sanctuary cities like L.A.|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 15, 2016|accessdate=December 5, 2019}}</ref> The city issues a [[SF City ID Card|Resident ID Card]] regardless of the applicant's immigration status.<ref>{{cite news| last = Buchanan| first = Wyatt| title = S.F. supervisors approve ID cards for residents| publisher = [[San Francisco Chronicle]]| date = November 14, 2007| url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/14/BAB9TBP5H.DTL&tsp=1 | access-date = April 17, 2019}}</ref>

=== Homelessness ===
{{See also|Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area}}

Homelessness, historically, has been a [[Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area|major problem in the city]] and remains a growing problem in modern times.<ref>{{cite web|last=Saunders |first=Debra |url=http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/saunders/article/San-Francisco-s-summer-of-urine-and-6430084.php |title=San Francisco's summer of urine and drug-addicted homeless |work=San Francisco Gate |accessdate=March 17, 2017 |date=August 9, 2015}}</ref>

In 2017, 7,500 homeless people were officially counted in the city, two-thirds of whom were dealing with serious health issues like mental illness or [[HIV]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/22/un-rapporteur-homeless-san-francisco-california| title=San Francisco or Mumbai? UN envoy encounters homeless life in California| author=Alastair Gee| newspaper=The Guardian| date=January 22, 2018| access-date=August 6, 2018}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite news |url = http://hsh.sfgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/San-Francisco-PIT-Executive-Summary-FINAL-6.21.17.pdf
|title = San Francisco 2017 Homeless Point-In-Time Count and Survey – Executive Summary
|date = September 27, 2010
|accessdate =April 14, 2019
|work=San Francisco City Government
}}</ref>
The city of San Francisco has been dramatically increasing expenditure directed to alleviate the homelessness crisis: spending jumped by $241 million in 2016–17 to total $275 million, compared to a budget of just $34 million the previous year. In 2017–18 the budget for combatting homelessness, much of which is directed towards the building of new shelters and expanding capacity, stood at $305 million.<ref name="Amy Graff">{{cite article| url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Leilani-Farah-UN-rapporteur-homelessness-SF-CA-12519117.php| title=UN expert on San Francisco homelessness: 'I couldn't help but be completely shocked'| author=Amy Graff| publisher=sfgate.com| date=January 24, 2018| access-date=August 6, 2018}}</ref>

In January 2018 a [[United Nations special rapporteur]] on homelessness, [[Leilani Farha]], stated that she was "completely shocked" by San Francisco's homelessness crisis during a visit to the city. She compared the "deplorable conditions" of the homeless camps she witnessed on San Francisco's streets to those she had seen in [[Mumbai]].<ref name="Amy Graff"/>

==Economy==
{{See also|List of companies based in San Francisco}}

According to academic Rob Wilson, San Francisco is a [[global city]], a status that pre-dated the city's popularity during the [[California Gold Rush]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Wilson|first=Rob|date=November 2008|title=Spectral city: San Francisco as Pacific Rim city and counter-cultural contado|journal=Inter-Asia Cultural Studies|volume=9|issue=4|pages=583–597|doi=10.1080/14649370802386503}}</ref> Such cities are characterized by their [[Clustering (demographics)|ethnic clustering]], network of international connectivity, and convergence of technological innovation.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Pamuk|first=Ayse|date=Fall 2017|title=Geography of immigrant clusters in global cities: a case study of San Francisco|journal=International Journal of Urban and Regional Research|volume=28|issue=2|pages=287–307|doi=10.1111/j.0309-1317.2004.00520.x}}</ref> Global cities, such as San Francisco, are considered to be complex and require a high level of talent as well as large masses of low wage workers. A divide is created within the city of ethnic, typically lower-class neighborhoods, and expensive ones with newly developed buildings. This in turn creates a population of highly educated, white-collar individuals as well as blue-collar workers, many of whom are immigrants, and who both are drawn to the increasing number of opportunities available.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sassen|first=Saskia|date=Fall 2017|title=The Global City: Enabling Economic Intermediation and Bearing Its Costs|journal=City & Community|volume=15|issue=2|pages=97–108|doi=10.1111/cico.12175}}</ref> Competition for these opportunities pushes growth and adaptation in world centers.<ref name=":3" />

San Francisco has a diversified [[service economy]], with employment spread across a wide range of professional services, including [[financial services]], [[tourism]], and (increasingly) [[high tech]]nology.<ref name="caedd-2016">{{cite web |url=http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/file/indhist/sanfrhaw.xls |title=Industry Employment & Labor Force – by Annual Average for San Francisco County |year=2016 |publisher=California Employment Development Department}}</ref> In 2016, approximately 27% of workers were employed in professional business services; 14% in leisure and hospitality; 13% in government services; 12% in education and health care; 11% in trade, transportation, and utilities; and 8% in financial activities.<ref name="caedd-2016"/> In 2017, GDP in the five-county [[San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area|San Francisco metropolitan area]] grew 3.4% to $501&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-metropolitan-area|title=GDP by Metropolitan Area {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)|website=www.bea.gov|language=en|access-date=September 19, 2018}}</ref> Additionally, in 2017 the 14-county [[San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area|San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland]] [[combined statistical area]] had a GDP of $907&nbsp;billion,<ref name="bea-gdp">{{cite news|url=https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/2017/pdf/gdp_metro0917.pdf|title=Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2016|last=|first=|date=September 30, 2017|work=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|accessdate=December 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208145551/https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_metro/2017/pdf/gdp_metro0917.pdf|archive-date=December 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> ranking 3rd among [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]s, and ahead of all but [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|16 countries]]. As of 2017, San Francisco County was the 7th highest-income county in the United States (among 3,142), with a per capita personal income of $119,868.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/lapi/lapi_newsrelease.htm|title=Bureau of Economic Analysis|last=Analysis|first=US Department of Commerce, BEA, Bureau of Economic|website=bea.gov|language=EN-US|access-date=November 22, 2017}}</ref> [[Marin County, California|Marin County]], directly to the north over the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], and [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], directly to the south on the [[San Francisco Peninsula|Peninsula]], were the 5th and 9th highest-income counties respectively.

[[File:SF California Street USA.jpg|thumb|left|upright|California Street in the Financial District]]

The legacy of the California Gold Rush turned San Francisco into the principal banking and finance center of the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] in the early twentieth century.<ref name="California2011">{{cite book|author=Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration of Northern California|title=San Francisco in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City by the Bay|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gejyWi3CI74C&pg=PA114|year=2011|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-26880-7|page=114}}</ref> [[Montgomery Street]] in the [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]] 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|Pacific Coast Stock Exchange]].<ref name="California2011"/> [[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,<ref name="CityData.com">{{cite web
|title = San Francisco: Economy
|publisher=City-Data.com
|url = http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/San-Francisco-Economy.html
|accessdate =June 15, 2008
}}</ref> six [[Fortune 500]] companies,<ref>{{cite news
|title = Fortune 500
|publisher = Fortune magazine, Time Inc
|year = 2013
|url = http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2013/full_list/index.html?iid=F500_sp_full
|accessdate = April 6, 2014
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140327164549/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2013/full_list/index.html?iid=F500_sp_full
|archive-date = March 27, 2014
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> and a large support infrastructure of professional services—including law, public relations, [[San Francisco architecture|architecture]] and design—San Francisco is designated as an [[Global city|Alpha(-) World City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2012.html|title=The World According to GaWC 2012|work=Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Study Group and Network|publisher=[[Loughborough University]]|accessdate=January 25, 2014}}</ref> The 2017 [[Global Financial Centres Index]] ranked San Francisco as the sixth-most competitive financial center in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.montrealinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/gfci_21.pdf|title=The Global Financial Centres Index 21|date=March 2017|publisher=China Development Institute|access-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918090407/http://www.montrealinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/gfci_21.pdf|archive-date=September 18, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Alcatraz Island 1, SF, CA, jjron 25.03.2012.jpg|thumb|right|[[Alcatraz Island|Alcatraz]] receives 1.5&nbsp;million visitors per year.<ref>{{cite news
|last = Gonzales |first = Richard
|title = New Parts of Alcatraz Revealed to Public
|work=People and Places
|publisher=NPR
|date = May 22, 2006
|url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9977965
|accessdate =June 15, 2008}}</ref>]]

Since the 1990s, San Francisco's economy has diversified away from finance and tourism towards the growing fields of high tech, [[biotechnology]], and [[medical research]].<ref name="Waters2009"/> Technology jobs accounted for just 1 percent of San Francisco's economy in 1990, growing to 4 percent in 2010 and an estimated 8 percent by the end of 2013.<ref>{{cite news
|title = Forecasting San Francisco's Economic Fortunes
|first = Jennifer |last = Warburg
|date = February 27, 2014
|work = SPUR
|url = http://www.spur.org/blog/2014-02-27/forecasting-san-francisco-s-economic-fortunes
|accessdate = April 6, 2014
}}</ref> San Francisco became an epicenter of Internet [[Startup company|start-up companies]] during the [[dot-com bubble]] of the 1990s and the subsequent [[social media]] boom of the late 2000s (decade).<ref>{{cite news
|last = Selna |first = Robert
|title = New jobs, houses spur S.F. population in 2007
|work=San Francisco Chronicle |page = B-1
|publisher=Hearst Communications
|date = May 15, 2008
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/15/BA2110LPHB.DTL
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
}}</ref> Since 2010, San Francisco proper has attracted an increasing share of venture capital investments as compared to nearby [[Silicon Valley]], attracting 423 financings worth US$4.58&nbsp;billion in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/02/27/as-bay-area-investment-shifts-north-institutional-venture-partners-opens-san-francisco-office/ |title=As Bay Area Investment Shifts North, Institutional Venture Partners Opens San Francisco Office |date=February 27, 2014 |first=Russ |last=Garland |work=The Wall Street Journal |accessdate=April 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://martinprosperity.org/2014/03/26/startup-city-the-urban-shift-in-venture-capital-and-high-technology/ |title=Startup City: The Urban Shift in Venture Capital and High Technology |date=March 31, 2014 |accessdate=April 6, 2014 |publisher=Martin Prosperity Institute, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405044024/http://martinprosperity.org/2014/03/26/startup-city-the-urban-shift-in-venture-capital-and-high-technology/ |archivedate=April 5, 2014 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/San-Francisco-s-urban-tech-boom-3850039.php |title=San Francisco's urban tech boom |first=Richard |last=Florida |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=September 8, 2012 |accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref> In 2004, the city approved a payroll tax exemption for biotechnology companies<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/05/03/daily38.html |title=S.F. extends biotech payroll tax exemption |date=May 4, 2010 |first=Eric |last=Young |work=San Francisco Business Times |accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref> to foster growth in the [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]] neighborhood, site of a second campus and hospital of the [[University of California, San Francisco]] (UCSF). Mission Bay hosts the [[UCSF Medical Center]], the [[California Institute for Regenerative Medicine]], [[California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences]], and [[Gladstone Institutes]],<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://sfced.org/case-for-business/sectors/life-sciences-biotech/sector-data/ |title=Life Sciences & Biotech |publisher=San Francisco Center for Economic Development |accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref> as well as more than 40 private-sector life sciences companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfmayor.org/index.aspx?page=899&recordid=91 |title=Mayor Lee Announces New Biotech Incubator in Mission Bay |date=September 10, 2013|publisher=Office of the Mayor, City and County of San Francisco|accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:San Francisco from Pier 7 September 2013 panorama edit.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.35|Ships docked at Pier 3, with [[w:Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]] skyscrapers in the background]]

The top employer in the city is the city government itself, employing 5.6% (31,000+ people) of the city's workforce, followed by [[UCSF]] with over 25,000 employees.<ref name="cafr2018">{{cite web |url=https://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/Documents/AOSD/CCSF%20CAFR%20FY2018%20v6%20%28FinalV4%29.pdf |title=City and County of San Francisco, California Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, for the Year ended June 30, 2018 |page=243 |accessdate=May 10, 2019}}</ref> The largest private-sector employer is [[Salesforce]], with 8,500 employees, as of 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Salesforce-to-house-1-500-more-workers-in-second-13392853.php |title=Salesforce to house 1,500 more workers in second Transbay tower |first=Roland |last=Li |date=November 14, 2018 |accessdate=May 10, 2019 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>  Small businesses with fewer than 10 employees and self-employed firms make up 85% of city establishments,<ref>
{{cite news
|last = Tan |first = Aldrich M.
|title = San Francisco is gateway city for immigrants and Silicon Valley Technology
|publisher=Fogcityjournal.com
|date = April 12, 2006
|url = http://www.fogcityjournal.com/news_in_brief/sf_tech_gateway_060412.shtml
|accessdate =June 15, 2008
}}</ref> and the number of San Franciscans employed by firms of more than 1,000 employees has fallen by half since 1977.<ref name="SFEconomicStrategy"/> The growth of national [[big-box store|big box]] and [[formula retail]] chains into the city has been made intentionally difficult by political and civic consensus. In an effort to buoy small privately owned businesses in San Francisco and preserve the unique retail personality of the city, the Small Business Commission started a publicity campaign in 2004 to keep a larger share of retail dollars in the local economy,<ref>{{cite news
|title=Main Street Fights Chain Street
|author=Said, Carolyn
|date=November 29, 2005
|url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/SMALL-BUSINESS-Main-Street-fights-Chain-Street-2592370.php
|accessdate =August 27, 2006 |work=San Francisco Chronicle
}}</ref> and the Board of Supervisors has used the planning code to limit the neighborhoods where formula retail establishments can set up shop,<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Supervisors-OK-limits-on-2776613.php
|author=Hetter, Katia
|date=March 21, 2004
|title=Supervisors OK limits on chain-store expansion
|accessdate=January 19, 2007
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
}}</ref> an effort affirmed by San Francisco voters.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://smartvoter.org/2006/11/07/ca/sf/meas/G/
|title=Proposition G: Limitations on Formula Retail Stores, City of San Francisco
|accessdate=January 19, 2007
|publisher=smartvoter.org
}}</ref> However, by 2016, San Francisco was rated low by small businesses in a Business Friendliness Survey.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.thumbtack.com/survey#/2016/11/states |title=Nevada|work=[[Thumbtack (website)|Thumbtack]]|accessdate= October 21, 2016}}</ref>

[[Manufacturing in the United States|Like many U.S. cities]], San Francisco once had a significant manufacturing sector employing nearly 60,000 workers in 1969, but nearly all production left for cheaper locations by the 1980s.<ref name="Frojo2014">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/print-edition/2014/02/14/made-in-san-francisco-manufacturing.html?page=all
|title=Made in San Francisco: Manufacturing a comeback
|first=Renée |last=Frojo
|date=February 14, 2014
|accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref> {{As of|2014}}, San Francisco has seen a small resurgence in manufacturing, with more than 4,000 manufacturing jobs across 500 companies, doubling since 2011. The city's largest manufacturing employer is [[Anchor Brewing Company]], and the largest by revenue is [[Timbuk2]].<ref name="Frojo2014"/>

===Technology===
San Francisco became a hub for technological driven economic growth during the [[internet boom]] of the 1990s, and still holds an important position in the world city network today.<ref name=":02"/><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Aranya|first=Rolee|date=Fall 2017|title=A Global 'Urban Roller Coaster'? Connectivity Changes in the World City Network, 2000–2004|journal=Regional Studies|volume=42|pages=1–16|doi=10.1080/00343400601145202|url=http://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/13311}}</ref> Intense redevelopment towards the "[[new economy]]" makes business more technologically minded. Between the years of 1999 and 2000, the job growth rate was 4.9%, creating over 50,000 jobs in technology firms and internet content production.<ref name=":02" />

In the second technological boom driven by social media in the mid 2000s, San Francisco became a location for companies such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Google]], [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]] to base their tech offices and for their employees to live.<ref name=":22">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfeconomicstrategy.org/site/uploadedfiles/moed/economic_strat/ExecutiveSummary_EconomicPerformanceReview.pdf|title=City and County of San Francisco: An Overview of San Francisco's Recent Economic Performance|author=Egan|date=April 3, 2006|work=Report prepared for Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development|publisher=ICF Consulting|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201053456/http://www.sfeconomicstrategy.org/site/uploadedfiles/moed/economic_strat/ExecutiveSummary_EconomicPerformanceReview.pdf|archivedate=February 1, 2009|url-status=dead|accessdate=December 6, 2017}}</ref> Since then, tech employment has continued to increase. In 2014, San Francisco's tech employment grew nearly 90% between 2010 and 2014, beating out [[Silicon Valley]]'s 30% growth rate over the same period.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=Stehlin|first=John|date=2016|title=The Post-Industrial "Shop Floor": Emerging Forms of Gentrification in San Francisco's Innovation Economy|journal=Antipode|volume=48|issue=2|pages=474–493|doi=10.1111/anti.12199|url=https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-postindustrial-shop-floor(57141d6e-1a66-45d7-aa51-454bd43fbb0e).html}}</ref>

The tech sector's dominance in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] is internationally recognized and continues to attract new businesses and young entrepreneurs from all over the globe.<ref name=":12" /> San Francisco is now widely considered the most important city in the world for new [[Startup company|technology startups]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McNeill|first=Donald|date=2016|title=Governing a city of unicorns: technology capital and the urban politics of San Francisco|journal=Urban Geography|volume=37|issue=4|pages=494–513|doi=10.1080/02723638.2016.1139868}}</ref> A recent high of 7&nbsp;billion dollars in [[venture capital]] was invested in the region.<ref name=":12" /> These startup companies hire a high concentration of well educated individuals looking to work in the tech industry, and creates a city population of highly concentrated levels of education. Over 50% of San Franciscans have a 4-year university degree, ranking the city among the highest levels of education in the country and world.<ref name=":22" />

===Tourism and conventions===
{{See also|Port of San Francisco}}

Tourism is one of the city's largest private-sector industries, accounting for more than one out of seven jobs in the city.<ref name="Waters2009">{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a0OqYCnyJ8eY |title=Biotech Jobs Germinate as San Francisco Diversifies Economy |first=Rob |last=Waters |date=May 15, 2009 |work=Bloomberg |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023145832/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a0OqYCnyJ8eY |archivedate=October 23, 2015  }}</ref><ref name="tourism-largest-private-sector">{{cite news
|last = Flinn |first = Ryan
|title = S.F. tourism picks up, but spending stays flat
|work = San Francisco Chronicle |page= D-1
|date = September 3, 2010
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/02/BU8S1F7CUG.DTL
|accessdate =February 4, 2012
}}</ref> The city's [[San Francisco in popular culture|frequent portrayal]] in music, film, and popular culture has made the city and its landmarks recognizable worldwide. In 2016, it attracted the fifth-highest number of foreign tourists of any city in the United States.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Overseas Visitors to Select U.S. Cities 2015–2016
|work=National Travel and Tourism Office
|publisher=International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce
|year = 2016
|url = http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/outreachpages/download_data_table/Top%20Cities%202016.pdf
|accessdate =February 22, 2018
}}</ref> More than 25&nbsp;million visitors arrived in San Francisco in 2016, adding US$9.96&nbsp;billion to the economy.<ref>{{cite press release
|title = San Francisco Travel Reports Record-Breaking Tourism in 2016
|work=San Francisco Travel Association
|date = January 18, 2017
|url = http://www.sftravel.com/article/san-francisco-travel-reports-record-breaking-tourism-2016
|accessdate = December 8, 2017
}}</ref>
With a large hotel infrastructure and a world-class convention facility in the [[Moscone Center]], San Francisco is a popular destination for annual conventions and conferences.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/research/ |title=San Francisco Visitor Industry Statistics |year=2013 |publisher=San Francisco Travel Association |accessdate=April 5, 2014}}</ref>
[[File:Lombard St.jpg|thumb|left|[[Lombard Street (San Francisco)|Lombard Street]] is a popular tourist destination in San Francisco, known for its "crookedness".]]
Some of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco noted by the Travel Channel include the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] and [[Alamo Square, San Francisco|Alamo Square Park]], which is home to the famous "[[Painted Ladies]]". Both of these locations were often used as landscape shots for the hit American sitcom ''[[Full House]]''. There is also [[Lombard Street (San Francisco)|Lombard Street]], known for its "crookedness" and extensive views. Tourists also visit [[Pier 39]], which offers dining, shopping, entertainment, and views of the bay, sun-bathing seals, and the famous [[Alcatraz Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/us/ca/san-francisco/photos/san-francisco/page/16|title=Alcatraz Island : Explore Sensational San Francisco : TravelChannel.com|website=Travel Channel|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

San Francisco also offers tourists cultural and unique nightlife in its neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sftravel.com/article/top-20-attractions-san-francisco|title=Top 20 Attractions in San Francisco|newspaper=San Francisco Travel|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:FerryBuildingEmbarcaderoBayBridge.JPG|thumb|right|The [[San Francisco Ferry Building|Ferry Building]] along the [[Embarcadero (San Francisco)|Embarcadero]]]]

The new Terminal Project at Pier 27 opened September 25, 2014 as a replacement for the old Pier 35.<ref>{{cite web|title=SFPort – James R. Herman Cruise Terminal Project at Pier 27|url=http://www.sfport.com/index.aspx?page=282|accessdate=March 16, 2013}}</ref> Itineraries from San Francisco usually include round trip cruises to Alaska and Mexico.

A heightened interest in conventioneering in San Francisco, marked by the establishment of convention centers such as Yerba Buena, acted as a feeder into the local tourist economy and resulted in an increase in the hotel industry: "In 1959, the city had fewer than thirty-three hundred first-class hotel rooms; by 1970, the number was nine thousand; and by 1999, there were more than thirty thousand."<ref>{{cite book|title=City for sale: The transformation of San Francisco|first=Chester |last=Hartman|publisher=University of California Press|year=2002}}</ref> The [[pink capitalism|commodification]] of the [[Castro District, San Francisco|Castro District]] has contributed to San Francisco's tourist economy.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = San Francisco's Castro district: from gay liberation to tourist destination|journal = Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change|pages = 237–248|volume = 9|issue = 3|doi = 10.1080/14766825.2011.620122|first = Nan Alamilla|last = Boyd|year = 2011}}</ref>

==Culture and contemporary life==
{{Main|Culture of San Francisco}}
{{See also|San Francisco in popular culture}}

[[File:Fillmore-sidewalk-1.jpg|thumb|right|Boutiques along [[Fillmore Street]] in [[Pacific Heights, San Francisco|Pacific Heights]]]]

Although the [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]], [[Union Square, San Francisco|Union Square]], and [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]] are well known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by its numerous culturally rich streetscapes featuring [[mixed-use development|mixed-use]] neighborhoods anchored around [[List of streets in San Francisco|central commercial corridors]] to which residents and visitors alike can walk. Because of these characteristics, San Francisco is ranked the second "most walkable" city in the United States by Walkscore.com.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.walkscore.com/cities-and-neighborhoods/
|title = Most Walkable Cities in the U.S.
|accessdate = March 28, 2014
|publisher = Walkscore.com
}}</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, cafés and nightlife such as Union Street in [[Cow Hollow, San Francisco|Cow Hollow]], 24th Street in [[Noe Valley, San Francisco|Noe Valley]], Valencia Street in the [[Mission District, San Francisco|Mission]], Grant Avenue in [[North Beach, San Francisco|North Beach]], and Irving Street in the [[Sunset District, San Francisco|Inner Sunset]]. This approach especially has influenced the continuing South of Market neighborhood redevelopment with businesses and neighborhood services rising alongside high-rise residences.<ref name="FogDev">{{cite news
|last = Wach |first = Bonnie
|title = Fog City rises from the funk
|work=USA Today |publisher=Gannett Company, Inc.
|date = October 3, 2003
|url = https://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/cityguides/sanfrancisco/worthdoing.htm
|accessdate =September 4, 2006|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515150859/https://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/cityguides/sanfrancisco/worthdoing.htm|archivedate=May 15, 2006}}</ref>

[[File:South of Market, San Francisco.jpg|thumb|left|High-rises surround [[Yerba Buena Gardens]], South of Market.]]

Since the 1990s, the demand for skilled [[information technology]] workers from local startups and nearby [[Silicon Valley]] has attracted [[white-collar worker]]s from all over the world and created a high standard of living in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news
|last = Schwarzer |first = Michelle
|title = San Francisco by the Numbers: Planning After the 2000 Census
|work=SPUR Newsletter |publisher=San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association
|date=July 2001
|url = http://www.spur.org/documents/010701_article_03.shtm
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050211032911/http://spur.org/documents/010701_article_03.shtm
|archivedate = February 11, 2005
|accessdate =July 25, 2010
}}</ref> Many neighborhoods that were once [[blue-collar]], middle, and lower class have been [[Gentrification|gentrifying]], as many of the city's traditional business and industrial districts have experienced a renaissance driven by the redevelopment of the [[The Embarcadero (San Francisco)|Embarcadero]], including the neighborhoods [[South Beach, San Francisco|South Beach]] and [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]]. The city's property values and household income have risen to among the highest in the nation,<ref>{{cite web
|last = Sadovi |first = Maura Webber
|title = San Francisco's Home Prices Remain Among the Highest in U.S.
|work=The Wall Street Journal
|date = April 12, 2006
|url = http://www.realestatejournal.com/columnists/livingthere/20060412-livingthere.html
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070301092505/http://www.realestatejournal.com/columnists/livingthere/20060412-livingthere.html
|archivedate = March 1, 2007
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
}}</ref><ref name="MedianIncome">{{cite web
 |title=Median Family Income (In 2003 Inflation-adjusted Dollars)
 |work=American Community Survey
 |publisher=US Census Bureau
 |date=August 22, 2007
 |url=https://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2003/R14T160.htm
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013165845/http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2003/R14T160.htm
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=October 13, 2004
 |accessdate=June 14, 2008
 |df=
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|last = Hawn |first = Carleen
|title = It may not feel like it, but your shot at the good life is getting better. Here's why
|work=San Francisco magazine |publisher=Modern Luxury
|date=March 2007
|url = http://www.sanfran.com/archives/view_story/1068/
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070224105246/http://www.sanfran.com/archives/view_story/1068/
|archivedate = February 24, 2007
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
}}</ref> creating a large and upscale restaurant, retail, and entertainment scene. According to a 2014 quality of life survey of global cities, San Francisco has the [[Most livable cities|highest quality of living]] of any U.S. city.<ref>"{{cite web
|title = 2014 Quality of Living worldwide city rankings – Mercer survey
|work=Mercer Consulting
|date=February 2014
|url = http://www.mercer.com/newsroom/2014-quality-of-living-survey.html
|accessdate =November 4, 2015
}}</ref> However, due to the exceptionally high cost of living, many of the city's middle and lower-class families have been leaving the city for the outer suburbs of the Bay Area, or for California's [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]].<ref name="MiddleClass">{{cite news
|last = Hendricks |first = Tyche
|title = Rich City Poor City: Middle-class neighborhoods are disappearing from the nation's cities, leaving only high- and low-income districts, new study says.
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|page = A-1
|publisher=Hearst Communications
|date = June 22, 2006
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/06/22/MNG6HJIDMM1.DTL
|accessdate =June 14, 2008}}</ref> By June 2, 2015, the median rent was reported to be as high as $4,225.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/06/02/san-franciscos-median-rent-hits-a-ridiculous-4225/|title=San Francisco's median rent hits a ridiculous $4,225|author=Anna Marie Erwert|date=June 2, 2015|work=On The Block}}</ref> The high cost of living is due in part to restrictive planning laws which limit new residential construction.<ref>"Hot in the City." ''The Economist'' April 2, 2016: 71. print.</ref>

The international character that San Francisco has enjoyed since its founding is continued today by large numbers of immigrants from Asia and Latin America. With 39% of its residents born overseas,<ref name="SFEconomicStrategy">{{cite web
|last = Egan |first = Ted
|title = An Overview of San Francisco's Recent Economic Performance – Executive Summary
|publisher=ICF Consulting
|date = April 3, 2006
|url = http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/moed/economic_strat/ExecutiveSummary_EconomicPerformanceReview.pdf
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070710072642/http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/moed/economic_strat/ExecutiveSummary_EconomicPerformanceReview.pdf
|archivedate = July 10, 2007
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
}}</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|Chinatown]] throughout the city and has transformed the annual [[San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade|Chinese New Year Parade]] into the largest event of its kind in its hemisphere.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_17424032|title=Nearly one million spectators expected for Chinese New Year parade|date=February 18, 2011|newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News]]|location=[[San Jose, California]]|accessdate=February 19, 2011}}</ref><ref name="SF Travel">{{cite web|last1=Hu|first1=Cindy|title=CHINESE NEW YEAR 2017 PARADE & EVENTS|url=http://www.sftravel.com/article/chinese-new-year-2017-parade-events|publisher=San Francisco Travel Association|accessdate=May 16, 2017}}</ref>

With the arrival of the [[Beat Generation|"beat"]] writers and artists of the 1950s and societal changes culminating in the [[Summer of Love]] in the [[Haight-Ashbury]] district during the 1960s, San Francisco became a center of [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] activism and of the [[counterculture of the 1960s|counterculture]] that arose at that time. The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and to a lesser extent the [[Green Party (United States)|Green Party]] have dominated [[Politics of San Francisco|city politics]] since the late 1970s, after the [[John Barbagelata|last serious]] [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] challenger for city office [[1975 San Francisco mayoral election|lost the 1975 mayoral election]] by a narrow margin. San Francisco has not voted more than 20% for a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential or senatorial candidate since [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]].<ref>{{cite web
|last = Leip |first = Dave
|title = Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
|publisher=Dave Leip
|date = June 4, 2008
|url = http://www.uselectionatlas.org/
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
}}</ref> In 2007, the city expanded its [[Medicaid]] and other [[indigent]] medical programs into the [[Healthy San Francisco]] program,<ref>[http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2011/4/19/reform-law-could-curb-healthy-san-franciscos-enrollment-by-up-to-60.aspx Reform Law Could Curb Healthy San Francisco's Enrollment by Up to 60% – California Healthline]. Californiahealthline.org. Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref> which [[subsidy|subsidizes]] certain medical services for eligible residents.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1207599,00.html "San Francisco's Latest Innovation: Universal Health Care"], by Laura A. Locke, ''Time'', June 23, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.healthysanfrancisco.org/visitors/Participant_Costs.aspx "Participant Costs"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327140533/http://www.healthysanfrancisco.org/visitors/Participant_Costs.aspx |date=March 27, 2010 }}, healthysanfrancisco.org. Retrieved April 10, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2006/07/20/70664.htm "Universal Health Care Plan Approved in San Francisco"], ''Insurance Journal'', July 20, 2006.</ref>

San Francisco also has had a very active environmental community. Starting with the founding of the [[Sierra Club]] in 1892 to the establishment of the non-profit [[Friends of the Urban Forest]] in 1981, San Francisco has been at the forefront of many global discussions regarding the environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=About the Sierra Club|url=http://sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/about/sierra.aspx|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Friends of the Urban Forest – About us|url=http://www.fuf.net/about-us/|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> The 1980 [[San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance|San Francisco Recycling Program]] was one of the earliest curbside recycling programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Recology Residential Service Program|url=http://www.sunsetscavenger.com/residentialFAQ.htm|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> The city's GoSolarSF incentive promotes solar installations and the [[San Francisco Public Utilities Commission]] is rolling out the [[CleanPowerSF]] program to sell electricity from local renewable sources.<ref>{{cite web|title=SFPUC GoSolarSF|url=http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=133|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=About Clean Power SF |url=http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=577 |accessdate=February 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220034605/http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=577 |archivedate=February 20, 2015 |df= }}</ref> SF Greasecycle is a program to recycle used cooking oil for conversion to biodiesel.<ref>{{cite web|title=SFPUC Greasecycle|url=http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=465|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref>

The [[Sunset Reservoir]] Solar Project, completed in 2010, installed 24,000 solar panels on the roof of the reservoir. The 5-megawatt plant more than tripled the city's 2-megawatt solar generation capacity when it opened in December 2010.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Mayor Newsom Praises SFPUC For Approving New Five Megawatt Solar Project at Sunset Reservoir |url=http://www.sfmayor.org/ftp/archive/209.126.225.7/archives/PressRoom_NewsReleases_2008_94667/index.html |publisher=Office of the Mayor, San Francisco |date=December 12, 2008 |accessdate=September 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community/green&id=7830862 |title=SF gets new way to generate renewable energy |author=Leigh Glaser |date=December 7, 2010 |publisher=KGO ABC7 News}}</ref>

===LGBT===
{{Main|LGBT culture in San Francisco}}

[[File:Castro Rainbow Flag.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The [[Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)|rainbow flag]], symbol of [[LGBT]] pride, originated in San Francisco; banners like this one decorate streets in [[The Castro, San Francisco|The Castro]].]]
San Francisco has long had an [[LGBT]]-friendly [[LGBT culture in San Francisco|history]]. It was home to the first lesbian-rights organization in the United States, [[Daughters of Bilitis]]; the first openly gay person to run for public office in the United States, [[José Sarria]]; the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, [[Harvey Milk]]; the first openly lesbian judge appointed in the U.S., [[Mary C. Morgan]]; and the first [[transgender]] police commissioner, [[Theresa Sparks]]. The city's large gay population has created and sustained a politically and culturally active community over many decades, developing a powerful presence in San Francisco's civic life. Survey data released in 2015 by [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] place the proportion of the San Francisco metro area at 6.2%, which is the highest such proportion observed of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas as measured by the polling organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=San Francisco Metro Area Ranks Highest in LGBT Percentage|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/182051/san-francisco-metro-area-ranks-highest-lgbt-percentage.aspx}}</ref>

One of the most popular destinations for gay tourists internationally, the city hosts [[San Francisco Pride]], one of the largest and oldest [[pride parades]]. [[San Francisco Pride]] events have been held continuously since 1972. The events are themed and a new theme is created each year. In 2013, over 1.5&nbsp;million people attended, around 500,000 more than the previous year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Court victories boost gay pride parades|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/30/san-francisco-gay-pride-parade-gay-marriage/2473379/|website=USA Today}}</ref>

<br />

=== Folsom Street Fair ===
{{Main|Folsom Street Fair}}
[[File:Two horse power - Folsom Street Fair 2012.jpg|thumb|Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, CA]]
[[Folsom Street Fair]] (FSF) is an annual [[BDSM]] and [[leather subculture]] street fair, held in September, that caps [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco's]] "Leather Pride Week". The fair bring people and [[diversity]] at the [[food court]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rababy|first=Michael|title=Folsom Street Food Court|publisher=Delancey Street Press|year=2018|isbn=0692183736|location=1133 Venice Boulevard Los Angeles California 90015|pages=64}}</ref>, it started in 1984 and is [[California]]'s third-largest single-day, outdoor spectator event and the world's largest leather event and showcase for BDSM products and [[culture]].<sup> </sup> It has grown as a non-profit charity, and local and national non-profits benefit with all donations at the gates going to charity groups as well as numerous fundraising schemes within the festival including games, beverage booths and even [[Spanking fetishism|spanking]] for donations to capitalize on the adult-themed exhibitionism. 

===Media===
{{Main|Media in the San Francisco Bay Area}}
[[File:SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BUILDING.jpg|thumb|[[San Francisco Chronicle]] Building]]

The major daily newspaper in San Francisco is the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', which is currently Northern California's most widely circulated newspaper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accessabc.com/products/top200.htm|title=Top 200 Newspapers by Largest Reported Circulation|date=March 31, 2007|publisher=Audit Bureau of Circulations|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813073544/http://www.accessabc.com/products/top200.htm|archivedate=August 13, 2007|accessdate=June 14, 2008}}</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, under new ownership.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.salon.com/media/feature/2000/03/21/examiner/index.html|title=The San Francisco Examiner, 1887–2000|last=Rosenberg|first=Scott|date=March 21, 2000|work=Salon|accessdate=June 15, 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627064603/http://archive.salon.com/media/feature/2000/03/21/examiner/index.html|archivedate=June 27, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/11/22/MN121380.DTL&hw=san+francisco+examiner&sn=005&sc=498|title=Examiner Staff Ends an Era With Tears, Newsroom Tales|last=Nolte|first=Carl|date=November 22, 2000|work=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=June 15, 2008|publisher=Hearst Communications|page=A-1}}</ref> ''[[Sing Tao Daily]]'' claims to be the largest of several Chinese language dailies that serve the Bay Area.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/03/BAGI781MM91.DTL|title=Newspaper war in the Bay Area: Ming Pao becomes 6th Chinese-language daily|last=Hua|first=Vanessa|date=August 3, 2004|work=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=June 14, 2008|publisher=Hearst Communications|page=B-1}}</ref> ''[[SF Weekly|SF&nbsp;Weekly]]'' is the city's [[alternative weekly]] newspaper. ''[[San Francisco (magazine)|San Francisco]]'' 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|television&nbsp;market]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/nmr_static/docs/2007-2008_DMA_Ranks.xls|title=Local Television Market Universe Estimates|date=September 22, 2007|format=XLS|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200433/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/nmr_static/docs/2007-2008_DMA_Ranks.xls|archivedate=September 27, 2007|accessdate=June 15, 2008}}</ref> and the fourth-largest [[designated market area|radio market]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/mm001050.asp|title=Arbitron Radio Market Rankings: Spring 2008|date=April 16, 2008|publisher=Arbitron|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710153242/http://www.arbitron.com/Radio_Stations/mm001050.asp|archivedate=July 10, 2007|url-status=live|accessdate=June 14, 2008}}</ref> in the U.S. The city's oldest radio station, [[KCBS (AM)|KCBS]], began as an experimental station in San Jose in 1909, before the beginning of commercial broadcasting. [[KALW]] was the city's first FM radio station when it signed on the air in 1941. The city's first television station was [[KPIX]], which began broadcasting in 1948.

All major U.S. television networks have [[List of television stations in the San Francisco Bay Area|affiliates]] serving the region, with most of them based in the city. [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]], [[BBC]], [[Al Jazeera America]], [[RT (TV network)|Russia Today]], and [[CCTV America]] also have regional news bureaus in San Francisco. [[Bloomberg West]] was launched in 2011 from a studio on the Embarcadero and [[CNBC]] broadcasts from [[One Market Plaza]] since 2015. [[ESPN]] uses the local ABC studio for their broadcasting. The [[regional sports network]], [[Comcast SportsNet Bay Area]] and its sister station [[Comcast SportsNet California]], are both located in San Francisco. The [[Pac-12 Network]] is also based in San Francisco.

[[Public broadcasting]] outlets include both a [[KQED-TV|television station]] and a [[KQED-FM|radio station]], both broadcasting under the call letters KQED from a facility near the [[Potrero Hill, San Francisco|Potrero Hill]] neighborhood. KQED-FM is the most-listened-to [[National Public Radio]] affiliate in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pacifica.org/documents/pdf/ArbitronRatingsWinter2004.pdf|title=Top 30 Public Radio Subscribers – Winter 2004 Arbitron|date=June 17, 2004|work=Radio Research Consortium|publisher=Arbitron Media Research|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050423215537/http://www.pacifica.org/documents/pdf/ArbitronRatingsWinter2004.pdf|archivedate=April 23, 2005|accessdate=June 14, 2008}}</ref> Another local broadcaster, [[KPOO]], is an independent, African-American owned and operated noncommercial radio station established in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kpoo.com/about|title=About Us}}</ref> [[CNET Networks|CNET]], founded 1994, and [[Salon.com]], 1995, are based in San Francisco.

San Francisco-based inventors made important contributions to modern media. During the 1870s, [[Eadweard Muybridge]] began recording motion photographically and invented a [[zoopraxiscope]] with which to view his recordings. These were the first motion pictures. Then in 1927, [[Philo Farnsworth]]'s image dissector camera tube transmitted its first image. This was the first television.

=== Nicknames ===
San Francisco has several nicknames, including "The City by the Bay", "Golden Gate City",<ref name="SFnicknames">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/community/article/The-odd-nicknames-of-California-cities-5367760.php|title=The odd nicknames of California cities|author=Mike Moffitt|date=April 4, 2014|publisher=SFChronicle.com|accessdate=July 22, 2017}}</ref> "Frisco", "SF", "San Fran", and "Fog City", as well as older ones like "The City that Knows How", "Baghdad by the Bay", "The Paris of the West", or, as locals call it, "The City".<ref name="TBI20130630">{{cite web|url=https://thebolditalic.com/don-t-call-it-frisco-the-history-of-san-francisco-s-nicknames-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-5c14348d49c#.m605gfvq5|title=Don't Call It Frisco: The History of San Francisco's Nicknames|last=Garling|first=Caleb|date=June 30, 2013|website=[[The Bold Italic]]|access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref> San Fran and Frisco are only used outside of San Francisco itself and disaparaged by residents.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Editors |first1=The Bold Italic |title=Don't Call It 'Frisco': The History of San Francisco's Nicknames |url=https://thebolditalic.com/don-t-call-it-frisco-the-history-of-san-francisco-s-nicknames-the-bold-italic-san-francisco-5c14348d49c |website=Medium |accessdate=February 17, 2020 |language=en |date=December 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilson |first1=Dave |title=Why San Francisco's "Frisco" debate will never, ever die |url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/2016/01/san-francisco-frisco-timeline/ |website=Mother Jones |accessdate=February 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Brinklow |first1=Adam |title=Is it ever okay to use "San Fran?" |url=https://sf.curbed.com/2018/1/26/16936872/san-fran-frisco-survey-nickname-francisco |website=Curbed SF |accessdate=February 17, 2020 |language=en |date=January 26, 2018}}</ref>

==Entertainment and recreation==
===Performing arts===
{{Main|List of theatres in San Francisco}}

[[File:SFWMOHLobbySouth.jpg|thumb|left|The lobby of the [[War Memorial Opera House (San Francisco)|War Memorial Opera House]], one of the last buildings erected in [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux Arts]] style in the United States]]
San Francisco's [[San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center|War Memorial and Performing Arts Center]] hosts some of the most enduring performing-arts companies in the country. The [[War Memorial Opera House]] houses the [[San Francisco Opera]], the second-largest opera company in North America<ref>The San Francisco Opera is second in size only to New York City's [[Metropolitan Opera]]</ref> as well as the [[San Francisco Ballet]], while the [[San Francisco Symphony]] plays in [[Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall|Davies Symphony Hall]]. Opened in 2013, the [[SFJAZZ Center]] hosts jazz performances year round.

[[The Fillmore]] is a music venue located in the [[Western Addition, San Francisco|Western Addition]]. It is the second incarnation of the historic venue that gained fame in the 1960s, housing the stage where now-famous musicians such as the [[Grateful Dead]], [[Janis Joplin]], [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Jefferson Airplane]] first performed, fostering the [[San Francisco Sound]].

San Francisco has a large number of [[List of theatres in San Francisco|theaters and live performance venues]]. Local theater companies have been noted for risk taking and innovation.<ref>[http://www.7x7.com/arts-culture/san-francisco-s-theater-history Liang, Evelyn. "Stage Left: San Francisco's Theater History. ''7x7'']</ref> The [[Tony Award]]-winning non-profit [[American Conservatory Theater]] (A.C.T.) is a member of the national [[League of Resident Theatres]]. Other local winners of the [[Regional Theatre Tony Award]] include the [[San Francisco Mime Troupe]].<ref>Jones, Chad. [http://www.theatrebayarea.org/news/175997/Tonys-by-the-Bay.htm "Tonys By the Bay"]. ''Theatre Bay Area Magazine'', May/June 2014.</ref>
San Francisco theaters frequently host pre-[[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] engagements and tryout runs,<ref>Sanders, Adrienne, "S.F. Raises Curtain For Broadway Hits" ''San Francisco Business Times'', April 3, 2005 [http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2005/04/04/story3.html?page=all]</ref> and some original San Francisco productions have later moved to Broadway.<ref>Jones, Chad. "Tonys By the Bay". ''Theatre Bay Area Magazine'', May/June 2014. [http://www.theatrebayarea.org/news/175997/Tonys-by-the-Bay.htm]</ref>

===Museums===
{{Main|List of museums in San Francisco Bay Area, California#San Francisco}}
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|South of Market]] neighborhood in 1995 and attracted more than 600,000 visitors annually.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Corporate Sponsorship – Why Sponsor
|publisher=San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
|url = http://www.sfmoma.org/membership/corp_sponsors_why_sponsor.html
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071229011210/http://www.sfmoma.org/membership/corp_sponsors_why_sponsor.html |archivedate = December 29, 2007}}</ref> SFMOMA closed for renovation and expansion in 2013. The museum reopened on May 14, 2016 with an addition, designed by [[Snøhetta (company)|Snøhetta]], that has doubled the museum's size.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://future.sfmoma.org/#transformation-expanded-home|title=Future SFMOMA}}</ref>

The [[California Palace of the Legion of Honor|Palace of the Legion of Honor]] holds primarily European antiquities and works of art at its [[Lincoln Park (San Francisco)|Lincoln Park]] building modeled after its [[Palais de la Légion d'Honneur|Parisian namesake]]. The [[M. H. de Young Memorial Museum|de Young Museum]] in Golden Gate Park features American decorative pieces and anthropological holdings from Africa, Oceania and the Americas, while Asian art is housed in the [[Asian Art Museum of San Francisco|Asian Art Museum]]. Opposite the de Young stands the [[California Academy of Sciences]], a natural history museum that also hosts the [[Morrison Planetarium]] and [[Steinhart Aquarium]]. Located on Pier 15 on the Embarcadero, the [[Exploratorium]] is an interactive science museum. The [[Contemporary Jewish Museum]] is a non-collecting institution that hosts a broad array of temporary exhibitions. On Nob Hill, the [[San Francisco Cable Car Museum|Cable Car Museum]] is a working museum featuring the cable car power house, which drives the cables.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanfrancisco.net/museums|title=Museums in San Francisco|publisher=SanFrancisco.net|accessdate=November 15, 2015}}</ref>

===Beaches and parks===
{{See also|List of parks in San Francisco}}
[[File:Cliff House from Ocean Beach.jpg|thumbnail|left|[[Ocean Beach, San Francisco]] with a view of the [[Cliff House, San Francisco|Cliff House]]]]
[[File:San-francisco-strawberry-hill.jpg|thumb|[[Golden Gate Park]] as seen from Strawberry Hill]]
Several of San Francisco's parks and nearly all of its beaches form part of the regional [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]], one of the most visited units of the [[National Park Service|National Park system]] in the United States with over 13&nbsp;million visitors a year. Among the GGNRA's attractions within the city are [[Ocean Beach, San Francisco|Ocean Beach]], which runs along the Pacific Ocean shoreline and is frequented by a vibrant [[surfing]] community, and [[Baker Beach]], which is located in a cove west of the Golden Gate and part of the [[Presidio of San Francisco|Presidio]], a former military base. Also 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|Lands End]], [[Fort Mason]], and [[Alcatraz]]. The National Park Service separately administers the [[San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park]] – a fleet of historic ships and waterfront property around [[Aquatic Park Historic District|Aquatic Park]].

[[File:Alamo Square with Painted Ladies, SF, CA, jjron 26.03.2012.jpg|thumbnail|left|[[Alamo Square]] is one of the most well known parks in the area, and is often a symbol of San Francisco for its popular location for film and pop culture.]]
There are more than [[List of parks in San Francisco|220 parks]] maintained by the [[San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://sf-recpark.org/index.aspx?page=56
 |title=Facility Listings
 |accessdate=July 25, 2010
 |work=San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department
 |publisher=City and County of San Francisco
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100816184256/http://sf-recpark.org/index.aspx?page=56
 |archivedate=August 16, 2010
 |url-status=dead
 |df=
 }}</ref> The largest and best-known city park is [[Golden Gate Park]],<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks.pdf
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090318011047/http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/ccpe_Most_Visited_Parks.pdf
|archivedate = March 18, 2009
|title = The Most Visited City Parks
|accessdate =June 17, 2008
|date = October 11, 2007
|work=Center for City Park Excellence
|publisher=The Trust for Public Land
}}</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 (San Francisco)|Japanese Tea Garden]] 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 that houses more than 250 animal species, many of which are endangered.<ref>{{cite web
|title = What to See at the Zoo
|publisher=San Francisco Zoo
|url = http://www.sfzoo.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=15015&orgkey=1821
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719005811/http://www.sfzoo.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=15015&orgkey=1821
|archivedate = July 19, 2011
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
}}</ref> The only [[List of California state parks|park]] managed by the [[California Department of Parks and Recreation|California State Park]] system located principally in San Francisco, [[Candlestick Point State Recreation Area|Candlestick Point]] was the state's first urban recreation area.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Candlestick Point SRA
|publisher=California State Parks Department
|url = http://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=519
|accessdate =January 27, 2009}}</ref>

San Francisco is the first city in the U.S. to have a park within a [[10-Minute Walk]] of every resident.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/SF-1st-city-in-nation-with-a-park-10-minute-walk-11150987.php|title=SF 1st city in nation with a park 10-minute walk from every home|work=San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=May 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/05/16/in-san-francisco-everyone-lives-within-a-10-minute-walk-of-a-park/|title=In San Francisco, Everyone Lives Within A 10-Minute Walk of a Park|last=|first=|date=May 16, 2017|work=CBS SF Bay Area|access-date=May 23, 2018|language=en}}</ref> It also ranks fifth in the U.S. for park access and quality in the 2018 ParkScore ranking of the top 100 park systems across the United States, according to the nonprofit [[Trust for Public Land]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parkscore.tpl.org/rankings.php|title=ParkScore|website=www.parkscore.tpl.org|language=en-US|access-date=May 23, 2018}}</ref>

===Sports===
[[File:AT&T Park July 24, 2016.jpg|thumb|right|[[Oracle Park]] opened in 2000.]]
{{Main|Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area}}

[[Major League Baseball]]'s [[San Francisco Giants]] have played in San Francisco since moving from New York in 1958. The Giants play at [[Oracle Park]], which opened in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title = Federal Brownfields Tax Incentive: SBC Park|work=Brownfields|publisher=US Environmental Protection Agency|date=May 2005|url = http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/pdf/sfcasestudy070505.pdf |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060921012953/http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/pdf/sfcasestudy070505.pdf|archivedate=September 21, 2006|accessdate =June 15, 2008}}</ref> The Giants won [[World Series]] titles in [[2010 World Series|2010]], [[2012 World Series|2012]], and in [[2014 World Series|2014]]. The Giants have boasted such stars as [[Willie Mays]], [[Willie McCovey]] and [[Barry Bonds]]. In 2012, San Francisco was ranked No. 1 in a study that examined which U.S. metro areas have produced the most Major Leaguers since 1920.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sperling|first=Bert|title=Best Baseball Cities|url=http://www.bertsperling.com/2012/10/25/best-baseball-cities/|accessdate=October 29, 2012}}</ref>

The [[San Francisco 49ers]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) were the longest-tenured major [[professional sports]] franchise in the city until moving in 2013. 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 team began playing its home games at [[Levi's Stadium]] in [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]] in 2014, closer to the city of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/09/BAGNJM99FK1.DTL |title=SAN FRANCISCO / 49ers say they are moving to Santa Clara |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=November 9, 2006 |accessdate=March 28, 2012 |first1=Phillip |last1=Matier |first2=Andrew |last2=Ross}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/csp/mediapool/sites/PressDemocrat/News/story.csp?cid=2493373&sid=555&fid=181 |title=San Francisco mayor: 49ers move to Santa Clara all but assured |publisher=PressDemocrat.com |date=December 6, 2011 |accessdate=March 28, 2012}}</ref> The 49ers won five [[Super Bowl]] titles in the 1980s and 1990s.

The San Francisco Warriors played in the NBA from 1962–1971, before being renamed the [[Golden State Warriors]] prior to the 1971–1972 season in an attempt to present the team as a representation of the whole state of [[California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/behind_the_name.html|title=Behind The Name – Warriors {{!}} THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS|website=www.nba.com|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> The Warrior's arena, [[Chase Center]], is currently located in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oraclearena.com/teams/detail/golden-state-warriors|title=Golden State Warriors {{!}} Oracle Arena and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum|last=Coliseum|first=Oracle Arena and Oakland-Alameda County|website=www.oraclearena.com|access-date=November 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209042505/http://www.oraclearena.com/teams/detail/golden-state-warriors|archive-date=December 9, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> They have won 6 championships,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/warriors/team_history_index.html/|title=Warriors History Index|website=Golden State Warriors|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> including three of the last five.

At the collegiate level, the [[San Francisco Dons]] compete in [[NCAA]] [[NCAA Division I|Division I]]. [[Bill Russell]] led the Don's basketball team to [[NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament|NCAA championships]] in 1955 and 1956. There is also the [[San Francisco State Gators]], who compete in [[NCAA Division II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfsu.edu/~bulletin/previous_bulletins/1314/athletic.htm|title=Athletics and Sports – San Francisco State University Bulletin 2013 – 2014|website=www.sfsu.edu|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref> Oracle Park hosted the annual [[Fight Hunger Bowl]] college football game from 2002 through 2013 before it moved to Santa Clara.

[[File:Olympic Club, San Francisco.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Olympic Club]]]]
The [[Bay to Breakers]] footrace, held annually since 1912, is best known for colorful costumes and a celebratory community spirit.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=About Us – History
 |work=ING Bay to Breakers
 |publisher=ING Group
 |date=March 11, 2008
 |url=http://baytobreakers.com/index.php?page=race-history
 |accessdate=July 25, 2010
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124013003/http://baytobreakers.com/index.php?page=race-history
 |archivedate=November 24, 2012
 |url-status=live
 |df=
}}</ref> The [[San Francisco Marathon]] attracts more than 21,000 participants.<ref>{{cite news
|last = Bulwa |first = Demian
|title = S.F. Marathon: 26.2&nbsp;miles of feel-good pain
|work=[[News release|Press Release]]
|date = July 27, 2009
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/26/BA0218VCGF.DTL
|accessdate =September 7, 2010
}}</ref> The [[Escape from Alcatraz (triathlon)|Escape from Alcatraz]] [[triathlon]] has, since 1980, attracted 2,000 top professional and amateur triathletes for its annual race.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Fact Sheet
 |work        = [[News release|Press Release]]
 |publisher   = Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
 |date        = May 23, 2008
 |url         = http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com/Assets/ESCAPE+From+Alcatraz/Fact+Sheet.pdf
 |accessdate  = January 19, 2009
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090125053129/http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com/Assets/ESCAPE+From+Alcatraz/Fact+Sheet.pdf
 |archivedate = January 25, 2009
}}</ref> The [[Olympic Club]], founded in 1860, is the oldest [[Sports club|athletic club]] in the United States. Its private golf course has hosted the [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] on five occasions. San Francisco hosted the [[2013 America's Cup]] yacht racing competition.<ref>{{cite news
|last = Cote |first = John
|title = San Francisco selected to host America's Cup
|work=San Francisco Chronicle |publisher=Hearst Communications
|year = 2010
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/San-Francisco-chosen-to-host-America-s-Cup-2479352.php
|accessdate =September 11, 2013
}}</ref>

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 {{convert|200|mi|km}} of [[segregated cycle facilities|bicycle paths, lanes]] and bike routes in the city.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Bicycle Network Facilities
|work=Commuting and Resources
|publisher=SF Municipal Transportation Authority
|date = May 12, 2008
|url = http://www.sfmta.com/cms/bcomm/3180.html
|accessdate =June 15, 2008
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404210802/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/bcomm/3180.html |archivedate=April 4, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
San Francisco residents have often ranked among the fittest in the country.<ref name="fitness">{{cite news
|last = Hübler |first = Eric
|title = The Fittest and Fattest Cities in America
|work=Men's Fitness |year = 2008
|url = http://www.mensfitness.com/city_rankings/454
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081011203124/http://www.mensfitness.com/city_rankings/454
|archivedate = October 11, 2008
|accessdate =June 15, 2008}}</ref> [[Golden Gate Park]] has miles of paved and unpaved running trails as well as a [[golf course]] and [[disc golf]] course.
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|Marina District]].

==Law and government==
{{Main|Government of San Francisco|Politics of San Francisco|Mayor of San Francisco|l3=Mayors of San Francisco}}
<!-- The majority of this section is copied directly from http://www.sfgov.org/site/sf311_index.asp?id=55765. This is considered plagiarism. So if anyone has time, please rewrite this section. Thanks. -->
San Francisco—officially known as the City and County of San Francisco—is a [[consolidated city-county]], a status it has held since the 1856 secession of what is now [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]].<ref name="Coy 1919 409"/> It is the only such consolidation in California.<ref name="CityCounty">{{cite web
 |url=http://sf311.org/index.aspx?page=262
 |title=Board of Supervisors – Does San Francisco have a City Council?
 |accessdate=June 16, 2008
 |work=SFGov SF311
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129121724/http://sf311.org/index.aspx?page=262
 |archivedate=November 29, 2010
 |url-status=dead
 |df=
}}</ref> The [[Mayor of San Francisco|mayor]] is also the county executive, and the county [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors|Board of Supervisors]] acts as the [[city council]]. The government of San Francisco is a [[charter city]] and 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|direct ballot initiatives]] to pass legislation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgov.org/site/sf311_index.asp?id=55765|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080826045706/http://www.sfgov.org/site/sf311_index.asp?id=55765|title=Board of Supervisors – Does San Francisco have a City Council?|accessdate=October 28, 2015|archivedate=August 26, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:San Francisco City Hall September 2013 panorama 3.jpg|thumb|left|[[San Francisco City Hall]]]]
The members of the Board of Supervisors are elected as representatives of specific districts within the city.<ref name="SF_Gov_Supervisor_Districts">{{cite web
|title = Board of Supervisors District Information
|url = http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4385
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070714005328/http://www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4385
|archivedate = July 14, 2007
|publisher=City and County of San Francisco, Board of Supervisors
|accessdate =January 29, 2006
}}</ref> Upon the death or resignation of mayor, the President of the Board of Supervisors becomes acting mayor until the full Board elects an interim replacement for the remainder of the term. In 1978, [[Dianne Feinstein]] assumed the office following the assassination of [[George Moscone]] and was later selected by the board to finish the term. In 2011, [[Ed Lee (politician)|Ed Lee]] was selected by the board to finish the term of [[Gavin Newsom]], who resigned to take office as [[Lieutenant Governor of California]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2011/01/11/ed-lee-becomes-the-citys-first-chinese-american-mayor/ |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |first=John |last=Coté |title=Ed Lee becomes the city's first Chinese American mayor |date=January 11, 2011}}</ref> Lee (who won 2 elections to remain mayor) was temporarily replaced by San Francisco Board of Supervisors President [[London Breed]] after he died on December 12, 2017.  Supervisor [[Mark Farrell (politician)|Mark Farrell]] was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to finish Lee's term on January 23, 2018.

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 [[unincorporated area]] adjacent to [[San Bruno, California|San Bruno]]. San Francisco was also granted a perpetual leasehold over the [[Hetch Hetchy Valley]] and [[drainage basin|watershed]] in [[Yosemite National Park]] by the [[Raker Act]] in 1913.<ref name="CityCounty"/>

San Francisco serves as the regional hub for many arms of the federal bureaucracy, including the [[Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals|U.S. Court of Appeals]], the [[Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco|Federal Reserve Bank]], and the [[United States Mint|U.S. Mint]]. Until [[Base Realignment and Closure|decommissioning]] in the early 1990s, the city had major military installations at the [[Presidio of San Francisco|Presidio]], [[Treasure Island, San Francisco|Treasure Island]], and [[San Francisco Naval Shipyard|Hunters Point]]—a legacy still reflected in the annual celebration of [[Fleet Week]]. The State of California uses San Francisco as the home of the [[Supreme Court of California|state supreme court]] and other state agencies. Foreign governments maintain more than seventy consulates in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/91446.pdf
 |title        = Foreign Consular Offices in the United States, 2007
 |accessdate   = December 12, 2008
 |publisher    = United States Department of State
}}</ref>

The municipal budget for fiscal year 2015–16 was $8.99&nbsp;billion,<ref>http://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/6643-FY16%20%26%20FY17%20AAO%20Board%20FINAL.pdf</ref> and is one of the largest city budgets in the United States.<ref name="ballotpedia.org">{{Cite news|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Analysis_of_spending_in_America's_largest_cities|title=Analysis of spending in America's largest cities – Ballotpedia|access-date=March 16, 2017|language=en}}</ref> The City of San Francisco spends more per resident than any city other than Washington D.C, over $10,000 in FY 2015–2016.<ref name="ballotpedia.org"/> The city employs around 27,000 workers.<ref>{{cite news
|author = Gordon, Rachel
|title = 1 in 3 San Francisco employees earned $100,000
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/25/MNC51CLUBN.DTL
|work = San Francisco Chronicle
|date = April 26, 2010
|accessdate =March 7, 2012}}</ref>

In the [[United States House of Representatives]], San Francisco is split between California's [[California's 12th congressional district|12th]] and [[CA-14|14th]] districts.

=== Public safety ===

====Crime====
The following table includes the number of incidents reported and the rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense.

{|class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! colspan="3" |Population and crime rates (2012)
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Population<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8">United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/8tabledatadecpdf/table-8-state-cuts/table_8_offenses_known_to_law_enforcement_by_california_by_city_2012.xls Crime in the United States, 2012, Table 8]. Retrieved November 15, 2013.</ref>
|colspan="2" |820,363
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Violent crime<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|5,777 ||7.04
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|69 ||0.08
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Forcible rape<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|108 ||0.13
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Robbery<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|3,484 ||4.25
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated assault<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|2,116 ||2.58
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Property crime<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|38,898 ||47.42
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Burglary<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|5,317 ||6.48
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Larceny-theft<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|28,242 ||34.43
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |&nbsp;&nbsp;Motor vehicle theft<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|5,339 ||6.51
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |Arson<ref name="FBI-UCR-T8"/>
|207 ||0.25
|}

[[File:CHP Police Interceptor Utility Vehicle.jpg|thumb|left|[[California Highway Patrol|CHP]] officers enforce the California Vehicle Code, pursue fugitives spotted on the highways, and attend to all significant obstructions and accidents within their jurisdiction.]]
In 2011, 50 murders were reported, which is 6.1 per 100,000 people.<ref>{{cite news|author=Demian Bulwa |url=http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Through-hard-times-S-F-killings-at-historic-lows-2441692.php |title=Through hard times, S.F. killings at historic lows |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 5, 2012 |accessdate=July 29, 2013}}</ref> There were about 134 rapes, 3,142 robberies, and about 2,139 assaults. There were about 4,469 burglaries, 25,100 thefts, and 4,210 motor vehicle thefts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ca/san-francisco/crime/ |title=San Francisco crime rates and statistics |publisher=NeighborhoodScout |accessdate=July 29, 2013}}</ref> The [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]] area has the highest crime rate in San Francisco: 70% of the city's violent crimes, and around one-fourth of the city's murders, occur in this neighborhood. The Tenderloin also sees high rates of drug abuse, gang violence, and prostitution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Tenderloin |title=The Tenderloin |publisher=FoundSF |accessdate=July 29, 2013}}</ref> Another area with high crime rates is the [[Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco|Bayview-Hunters Point]] area. In the first six months of 2015 there were 25 murders compared to 14 in the first six months of 2014. However, the murder rate is still much lower than in past decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bay-Area-homicide-rates-remain-low-6366518.php|title=Bay Area homicide rates remain low|author=Vivian Ho|date=July 4, 2015|work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> That rate, though, did rise again by the close of 2016.  According to the San Francisco Police Department, there were 59 murders in the city in 2016, an annual total that marked a 13.5% increase in the number of homicides (52) from 2015.<ref>Bodley, Michael (January 4, 2017). [http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/SF-cops-say-they-notch-2-arrests-in-last-2-10835808.php "SF cops say they notch 2 arrests in last 2 homicides of 2016."]  ''SFGate.''  Retrieved January 17, 2017.</ref>

During the first half of 2018, human feces on San Francisco sidewalks were the second-most-frequent complaint of city residents, with about 65 calls per day. The city has formed a "poop patrol" to attempt to combat the problem.<ref name=sfchroniclepoop/>

====Gangs====

Several street gangs operate in the city, including [[MS-13]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfweekly.com/related/to/La+Mara+Salvatrucha+Street+Gang/ |title=La Mara Salvatrucha Street Gang – San Francisco |publisher=Sfweekly.com |accessdate=July 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726192405/http://www.sfweekly.com/related/to/La+Mara+Salvatrucha+Street+Gang/ |archivedate=July 26, 2013  }}</ref> the [[Sureños]] and [[Norteños]] in the Mission District,.<ref>{{cite news|author=Bulwa, Demian|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/SAN-FRANCISCO-Sure-o-gang-s-threat-growing-in-2667647.php |title=SAN FRANCISCO / Sureño gang's threat growing in Bay Area / Widow's apartment is at heart of group's Mission District turf|work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=May 27, 2005 |accessdate=March 29, 2014}}</ref> African-American street gangs familiar in other cities, including the [[Crips]], have struggled to establish footholds in San Francisco,<ref>{{cite news|author=Albert Samaha |url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2012-09-26/news/crips-gangs-sfpd-bloods-bayview-hunters-point/ |title=Crip-less: S.F.'s Dislike of Franchises Extends to Street Gangs – Page 1 – News – San Francisco |newspaper=SF Weekly |date=September 26, 2012 |accessdate=July 29, 2013}}</ref> while police and prosecutors have been accused of liberally labeling young African-American males as gang members.<ref>{{cite news|author=Chris Roberts |url=http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/mario-woods-news-police-black-lives-matter-gangs-oakdale-mob-west-mob-public-defender/Content?oid=4330336 |title=Mario Woods and Gang Injunctions |newspaper=SF Weekly |date=December 2015 |accessdate=September 5, 2016}}</ref> Criminal gangs with shotcallers in China, including [[Triad (organized crime)|Triad]] groups such as the [[Wo Hop To]], have been reported active in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite news|author=Mary Spicuzza|url=http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/enter-the-dragon-head/Content?oid=2163615 |title=Enter The Dragon |newspaper=SF Weekly |date=August 1, 2007 |accessdate=September 5, 2016}}</ref> In 1977, an ongoing rivalry between two Chinese gangs led to a [[Golden Dragon massacre|shooting attack at the Golden Dragon restaurant in Chinatown]], which left 5 people dead and 11 wounded. None of the victims in this attack were gang members. Five members of the [[Joe Boys]] gang were arrested and convicted of the crime.<ref>{{cite news|author=Vanessa Hua |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/07/BAGMMLKK661.DTL |title=Golden Dragon Closes and owes a million |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=October 7, 2006 |accessdate=December 6, 2011}}</ref> In 1990, a gang-related shooting killed one man and wounded six others outside a nightclub near Chinatown.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jim Herron Zamora |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1990-05-15/news/mn-198_1_asian-gang |title=S.F. Chinatown Shootings May Be Tied to Gang
|work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 15, 1990 |accessdate=September 16, 2012}}</ref> In 1998, six teenagers were shot and wounded at the Chinese Playground; a 16-year-old boy was subsequently arrested.<ref>{{cite news|author=Vanessa Hua |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Boy-16-Arrested-In-S-F-Chinatown-Shooting-3003614.php |title=Boy, 16, Arrested in S.F. Chinatown Shooting Rampage / Suspect was at scene but didn't fire gun, cops say |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=June 20, 1998 |accessdate=September 16, 2012}}</ref>

====Peace Officers====

The [[San Francisco Police Department]] was founded in 1849.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sanfranciscopolice.org/sfpd-history|title=SFPD History|publisher=San Francisco Police Department|access-date=February 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301011255/http://sanfranciscopolice.org/sfpd-history|archive-date=March 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The portions of [[Golden Gate National Recreation Area]] located within the city, including the [[Presidio of San Francisco|Presidio]] and [[Ocean Beach, San Francisco|Ocean Beach]], are patrolled by the [[United States Park Police]].

The [[San Francisco Fire Department]] provides both fire suppression and emergency medical services to the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sf-fire.org/fire-commission-response-grand-jury-report|title=Fire Commission Response to Grand Jury Report|publisher=San Francisco Fire Department|access-date=February 12, 2017}}</ref>

The city operates 22 public "pit stop" toilets.<ref name=sfchroniclepoop>{{cite news |last=Knight |first=Heather |date=August 14, 2018 |title=It's no laughing matter — SF forming Poop Patrol to keep sidewalks clean |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/It-s-no-laughing-matter-SF-forming-Poop-13153517.php |work=San Francisco Chronicle |location= |access-date=August 15, 2018 }}</ref>

===International relations===
{{Main|Sister cities of San Francisco, California|List of diplomatic missions in San Francisco}}
San Francisco participates in the [[Sister Cities International|Sister Cities]] program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oewd.org/san-francisco-sister-cities|title=San Francisco Sister Cities|accessdate=February 1, 2017}}</ref> A total of 41 consulates general and 23 honorary consulates have offices in the San Francisco Bay Area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oewd.org/media/docs/SF%20Register%20of%20Foreign%20Consulates.pdf|title=REGISTER OF FOREIGN CONSULATES IN SAN FRANCISCO|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123011642/http://www.oewd.org/media/docs/SF%20Register%20of%20Foreign%20Consulates.pdf|archivedate=November 23, 2014|accessdate=March 11, 2013}}</ref>

==Education==
===Colleges and universities===
[[File:Lone Mountain Campus.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The Lone Mountain Campus of the [[University of San Francisco]]]]
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in San Francisco}}
[[File:SFSU Campus JPL Library Nov2012.JPG|thumb|[[San Francisco State University]] Main Quad]]
The [[University of California, San Francisco]] is the sole campus of the [[University of California|University of California system]] entirely dedicated to graduate education in health and biomedical sciences. It is ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States<ref>{{cite magazine
 |url=http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/primary-care-rankings
 |title=America's Best Graduate Schools: Best Medical Schools
 |accessdate=July 25, 2010
 |year=2010
 |magazine=[[U.S. News & World Report]]
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421213522/http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/primary-care-rankings
 |archivedate=April 21, 2010
}}</ref> and operates the [[UCSF Medical Center]], which ranks as the number one hospital in California and the number 5 in the country.<ref>{{cite magazine
|url = http://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-hospitals/articles/2011/07/18/best-hospitals-2011-12-the-honor-roll
|title = Best Hospitals 2011–12: the Honor Roll
|magazine=U.S. News & World Report
|author=Comarow, Avery
|date = July 14, 2010
|accessdate =July 25, 2010
}}</ref> UCSF is a major local employer, second in size only to the city and county government.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.sfced.org/docs/Largest_Employers_in_SF_2007.doc
|title = San Francisco Business Information: Largest Employers in San Francisco
|accessdate =June 9, 2008
|work=San Francisco Business Times Book of Lists, 2007
|format = Microsoft Word
|publisher=San Francisco Center for Economic Development
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070817111006/http://www.sfced.org/docs/Largest_Employers_in_SF_2007.doc|archivedate = August 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|title = UCSF packs a $6B punch for economy
|work=[[San Francisco Business Times]]
|author=Leuty, Ron
|date = June 11, 2010
|url = http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/06/14/story1.html
|accessdate =July 26, 2010
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100616084742/http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2010/06/14/story1.html |archivedate = June 16, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.ucsf.edu/eir/employment-economic-stimulus
|title = Employment & Economic Stimulus
|accessdate =July 26, 2010
|work=2010 Economic Impact Report
|publisher=[[University of California, San Francisco]]
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100701173949/http://www.ucsf.edu/eir/employment-economic-stimulus |archivedate = July 1, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> A {{convert|43|acre|ha|adj=on}} [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]] campus was opened in 2003, complementing its original facility in [[List of hills in San Francisco|Parnassus Heights]]. It contains research space and facilities to foster biotechnology and life sciences entrepreneurship and will double the size of UCSF's research enterprise.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2003/07/4846/new-ucsf-mission-bay-campus-countrys-largest-biomedical-university-expansio
|title = New UCSF Mission Bay campus: country's largest biomedical university expansion
|author=Wallace Ravven
|accessdate =June 9, 2008
|publisher=UCSF
|date = July 22, 2003
}}</ref> All in all, UCSF operates more than 20 facilities across San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.ucsf.edu/locations
|title = Locations
|author= UCSF
|accessdate =February 21, 2015
|year = 2015
}}</ref> The [[University of California, Hastings College of the Law]], founded in [[Civic Center, San Francisco|Civic Center]] in 1878, is the oldest law school in California and claims more judges on the state bench than any other institution.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.uchastings.edu/?pid=37
|title = Hastings Quick Facts
|accessdate =August 30, 2006
|publisher=University of California, Hastings College of the Law}}</ref>
San Francisco's two University of California institutions have recently formed an official affiliation in the UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://ucsfconsortium.uchastings.edu/
|title = UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium
|accessdate =June 2, 2013
|publisher=University of California, Hastings College of the Law}}</ref>

[[San Francisco State University]] is part of the [[California State University]] system and is located near [[Lake Merced]].<ref name=sfsu>{{cite web
|url = http://www.sfsu.edu/~puboff/sfsufact/archive/0809/files/SFSU_Facts_0809.pdf
|title = SF State Facts 2008–2009
|accessdate =March 7, 2009
|publisher=SFSU
}}</ref> The school has approximately 30,000 students and awards undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in more than 100 disciplines.<ref name=sfsu/> The [[City College of San Francisco]], with its main facility in the Ingleside district, is one of the largest two-year [[community college]]s in the country. It has an enrollment of about 100,000 students and offers an extensive continuing education program.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.ccsf.edu/Offices/Public_Information/factsheet.html
|title =City College of San Francisco Fact Sheet
|accessdate =June 16, 2008
|date=April 2008
|format = PDF
|publisher=City College of San Francisco}}</ref>

Founded in 1855, the [[University of San Francisco]], a private [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] university located on [[Lone Mountain (California)|Lone Mountain]], is the oldest institution of higher education in San Francisco and one of the oldest universities established west of the Mississippi River.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.usfca.edu/online/about_USF/USFAlmanac2007.pdf
|title = University of San Francisco Fact Book and Almanac 2007
|date = December 31, 2007
|publisher=University of San Francisco
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080624193135/http://www.usfca.edu/online/about_USF/USFAlmanac2007.pdf
|archivedate = June 24, 2008
|accessdate =July 25, 2010
}}</ref> [[Golden Gate University]] is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university formed in 1901 and located in the [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]].
With an enrollment of 13,000 students, the [[Academy of Art University]] is the largest institute of art and design in the nation.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.academyart.edu/whoweare.html
|title = Who We Are
|accessdate =February 18, 2009
|publisher=Academy of Art University
|year = 2008
}}</ref> Founded in 1871, the [[San Francisco Art Institute]] is the oldest [[art school]] west of the Mississippi.<ref>{{cite book
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2kz2R2rPFXgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Roadtripping+USA#PPA489,M1
|title = Let's Go: Roadtripping USA
|accessdate =February 18, 2009
|page = 489
|publisher=MacMillan
|year = 2007
|isbn = 9780312361822
}}</ref> The [[California College of the Arts]], located north of [[Potrero Hill, San Francisco|Potrero Hill]], has programs in architecture, fine arts, design, and writing.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.cca.edu/admissions/undergrad/campuses
|title = Oakland & San Francisco Campuses
|accessdate =May 23, 2012
|publisher=California College of the Arts
|year = 2012
}}</ref> The [[San Francisco Conservatory of Music]], the only independent [[music school]] 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.
[[California Institute of Integral Studies]], founded in 1968, offers a variety of graduate programs in its Schools of Professional Psychology & Health, and Consciousness and Transformation.

===Primary and secondary schools===
{{see also|List of high schools in California#San Francisco County}}
<!--Note: All PUBLIC schools are listed in San Francisco Unified School District-->
[[Public school (government funded)|Public schools]] 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)|Lowell High School]], the oldest public high school in the U.S. west of the Mississippi,<ref>{{cite web
|title = The Oldest Public High School West of the Mississippi
|work=About Lowell: Lowell History
|publisher=San Francisco Unified School District
|date = February 22, 2002
|url = http://www.sfusd.edu/schwww/sch697/about/history/
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20020414125943/http://www.sfusd.edu/schwww/sch697/about/history/
|archivedate = April 14, 2002
|accessdate =July 25, 2010
}}</ref> and the smaller [[School of the Arts High School (San Francisco)|School of the Arts High School]] are two of San Francisco's [[magnet school]]s at the secondary level. Public school students attend schools based on an assignment system rather than neighborhood proximity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/S-F-board-sticks-with-school-assignment-system-6317632.php|title=S.F. board sticks with school-assignment system|author=Jill Tucker|date=June 10, 2015|work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>

Just under 30% of the city's school-age population attends one of San Francisco's more than 100 [[private school|private]] or [[parochial school]]s, compared to a 10% rate nationwide.<ref name="SFGPrvtSchools">{{cite news
|last = Knight |first = Heather
|title = Many reluctantly chose private schools
|work=San Francisco Chronicle |page = A-1
|publisher=Hearst Communications
|date = May 31, 2006
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/31/MNGJIJ50T41.DTL
|accessdate =June 16, 2008
}}</ref> Nearly 40 of those schools are [[Catholic school]]s managed by the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco|Archdiocese of San Francisco]].<ref>{{cite web
|title = School Directory August 2010
|publisher=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
|date = August 2010
|url = http://sfdcs.org/dcs/sites/default/files/docs/school_directory/Directory_Regular_10-11.pdf
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20101127114957/http://sfdcs.org/dcs/sites/default/files/docs/school_directory/Directory_Regular_10-11.pdf
|archivedate = November 27, 2010
|accessdate =January 23, 2011
}}</ref>

===Early education===
San Francisco has nearly 300 [[preschool]] programs primarily operated by [[Head Start (program)|Head Start]], [[San Francisco Unified School District]], private for-profit, private non-profit and [[Child care#Licensed home day care or family child care|family child care]] providers.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Preschools in San Francisco
|publisher=Winnie
|accessdate = May 18, 2017
|url = https://winnie.com/search?category=childcare&find=preschool&ne=37.829105%2C-122.065999&sw=37.685788%2C-122.817189
}}</ref> All 4-year-old children living in San Francisco are offered [[Universal preschool|universal access to preschool]] through the Preschool for All program.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Preschool for All
 |publisher   = San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education
 |accessdate  = May 18, 2017
 |url         = http://sfoece.org/preschool-for-all-pfa-first-5-sf-and-oece/
 |url-status=dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20170524225949/http://sfoece.org/preschool-for-all-pfa-first-5-sf-and-oece/
 |archivedate = May 24, 2017
}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{see also|Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area}}
[[File:San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge at night.jpg|right|thumb|The [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge|Bay Bridge]] offers the only direct automobile connection to the East Bay.]]

===Freeways and roads===
{{Main|List of streets in San Francisco}}

Due to its unique geography, and the [[Highway revolts in the United States#San Francisco|freeway revolts]] of the late 1950s,<ref name="freeway">{{cite news
|last = Gordon |first = Rachel
|title = Boulevard of dreams, the premiere
|work=San Francisco Chronicle |page = B-1
|publisher=Hearst Communications
|date = September 8, 2005
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/08/BAGBFEJVE21.DTL
|accessdate =June 16, 2008
}}</ref>
[[Interstate 80 in California|Interstate 80]] begins at the approach to the [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge|Bay Bridge]] and is the only direct automobile link to the East Bay. [[U.S. Route 101 in California|U.S. Route 101]] connects to the western terminus of Interstate 80 and provides access to the south of the city along San Francisco Bay toward [[Silicon Valley]]. Northward, the routing for U.S. 101 uses arterial streets to connect to the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], the only direct automobile link to [[Marin County]] and the North Bay.

[[File:Golden Gate Bridge 1926.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Golden Gate Bridge]] is the only road connection to the North Bay.]]
[[California State Route 1|State Route 1]] also enters San Francisco from the north via the Golden Gate Bridge and bisects the city as the [[19th Avenue (San Francisco)|19th Avenue]] arterial thoroughfare, joining with [[Interstate 280 (California)|Interstate 280]] at the city's southern border. Interstate 280 continues south from San Francisco, and also turns to the east along the southern edge of the city, terminating just south of the Bay Bridge in the [[South of Market (San Francisco)|South of Market]] neighborhood. After the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]], city leaders demolished the [[Embarcadero Freeway]] and a portion of the [[Central Freeway]], converting them into street-level boulevards.<ref name="freeway"/>

[[California State Route 35|State Route 35]] enters the city from the south as [[Skyline Boulevard]] and terminates at its intersection with Highway 1. [[California State Route 82|State Route 82]] enters San Francisco from the south as [[Mission Street]], and terminates shortly thereafter at its junction with 280.

The Western Terminus of the historic transcontinental [[Lincoln Highway]], the first road across America, is in San Francisco's [[Lincoln Park (San Francisco)|Lincoln Park]].

===Public transportation===
{{See also|San Francisco Municipal Railway}}
[[File:Cable Car No. 1 and Alcatraz Island.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A [[San Francisco cable car system|cable car]] ascending Hyde St, with [[Alcatraz]] on the bay behind]]
32% of San Francisco residents use public transportation for their daily commute to work, ranking it first on the West Coast and third overall in the United States.<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/real_estate/public_transit_commutes/index.htm
|title = New Yorkers are Top Transit Users
|accessdate =August 20, 2008
|author=Les Christie
|date = June 29, 2007
|publisher=CNNMoney.com
}}</ref> The [[San Francisco Municipal Railway]], known as Muni, is the primary public transit system of San Francisco. Muni is the seventh-largest transit system in the United States, with 210,848,310 rides in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rsrtp/documents/09Chapter4-CurrentServiceaccessible-fy08PublicDraftforMTAB10-2.pdf |title=Fiscal Year 2008 Short Range Transit Plan: Chapter 4 |publisher=San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency |accessdate=May 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327154059/http://www.sfmta.com/cms/rsrtp/documents/09Chapter4-CurrentServiceaccessible-fy08PublicDraftforMTAB10-2.pdf |archivedate=March 27, 2009}}</ref> The system operates a combined [[light rail]] and subway system, the [[Muni Metro]], as well as large bus and [[Trolleybuses in San Francisco|trolley coach]] networks.<ref name="transportation">{{cite news
|title = Bay Area Traveler: Transportation Information
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|publisher=Hearst Communications Inc
|date=March 2007
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/transportation/publictrans.shtml
|accessdate =June 16, 2008
|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830051722/http://sfgate.com/traveler/guide/transportation/publictrans.shtml |archivedate=August 30, 2008}}</ref> Additionally, it runs a [[F Market|historic streetcar line]], which runs on Market Street from [[The Castro|Castro Street]] to [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]].<ref name="transportation"/> It also operates the famous [[San Francisco cable car system|cable cars]],<ref name="transportation"/> which have been designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]] and are a major tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite web
|title = Report on San Francisco's Cable Cars
|publisher=San Francisco Beautiful
|date=May 2007
|url = http://www.sfbeautiful.org/PDF/2007_Cable_Car_Report.pdf
|accessdate =June 16, 2008}}</ref>

[[Bay Area Rapid Transit]], a regional Rapid Transit system, connects San Francisco with the [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]] through the underwater [[Transbay Tube]]. The line runs under Market Street to [[Civic Center, San Francisco|Civic Center]] where it turns south to the Mission District, the southern part of the city, and through northern [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], to the [[San Francisco International Airport]], and [[Millbrae, California|Millbrae]].<ref name="transportation"/>

Another commuter rail system, [[Caltrain]], runs from San Francisco along the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]].<ref name="transportation"/> Historically, trains operated by [[Southern Pacific Lines]] ran from San Francisco to [[Los Angeles]], via [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]] and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]].

[[Amtrak California]] [[Thruway Motorcoach]] runs a shuttle bus from three locations in San Francisco to its station across the bay in [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/emy
 |title=Emeryville Station (EMY)
 |publisher=Amtrak
  |accessdate=July 25, 2010}}</ref>  Additionally, BART offers connections to San Francisco from Amtrak's stations in Emeryville, Oakland and [[Richmond, California|Richmond]], and Caltrain offers connections in San Jose and [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]]. Thruway service also runs south to [[San Luis Obispo, California|San Luis Obispo]] with connection to the [[Pacific Surfliner]].

[[File:GGT ferry Del Norte.JPG|thumb|left|The Golden Gate Ferry [[MV Del Norte|M/V ''Del Norte'']] docked at the Ferry Building]]
[[San Francisco Bay Ferry]] operates from the [[San Francisco Ferry Building|Ferry Building]] and [[Pier 39]] to points in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[Alameda, California|Alameda]], [[Bay Farm Island, Alameda, California|Bay Farm Island]], [[South San Francisco, California|South San Francisco]], and north to [[Vallejo, California|Vallejo]] in [[Solano County, California|Solano County]].<ref>{{cite web|title=San Francisco Bay Ferry|url=http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> The [[Golden Gate Ferry]] is the other ferry operator with service between San Francisco and [[Marin County]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Gate Ferry|url=http://goldengateferry.org/|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> [[SolTrans]] runs supplemental bus service between the Ferry Building and Vallejo.

San Francisco was an early adopter of [[carsharing]] in America. The non-profit [[City CarShare]] opened in 2001.<ref>{{cite web|title=City CarShare Out Mission|url=https://www.citycarshare.org/why-city-car-share/our-mission/|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref> [[Zipcar]] closely followed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Zipcar Our Mission|url=http://www.zipcar.com/about|accessdate=March 26, 2013}}</ref>

To accommodate the large amount of San Francisco citizens who commute to the [[Silicon Valley]] daily, companies like [[Google]] and [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] have begun to provide private bus transportation for their employees, from San Francisco locations to the tech start-up hotspot. These buses have quickly become a heated topic of debate within the city, as [[San Francisco tech bus protests|protesters]] claim they block bus lanes and delay public buses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-protest-idUSBRE9B818J20131209|title=Google bus blocked in San Francisco protest vs gentrification|date=December 9, 2016|newspaper=Reuters|access-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

===Airports===
{{Main|San Francisco International Airport}}
[[File:SFOApril2005.JPG|thumbnail|San Francisco International Airport is the primary airport of San Francisco and the Bay Area.]]
Though located {{convert|13|mi|km}} south of downtown in unincorporated [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO) is under the jurisdiction of the City and County of San Francisco. SFO is a hub for [[United Airlines]]<ref name="UAL">{{cite news
|last = Young |first = Eric
|title = Pact keeps United from flying away
|work=San Francisco Business Times |publisher=American City Business Journals
|date = April 2, 2004 |url = http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2004/04/05/story1.html
|accessdate =June 16, 2008
}}</ref> and [[Alaska Airlines]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.alaskaair.com/2016-12-14-Alaska-Air-Group-closes-acquisition-of-Virgin-America-becomes-the-5th-largest-U-S-airline |title=Alaska Air Group closes acquisition of Virgin America, becomes the 5th largest U.S. airline |date=December 14, 2016 |access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref> SFO is a major international gateway to Asia and Europe, with the largest international terminal in North America.<ref name="intlterminalfactsheet">{{cite web
|title = Fact Sheet: International Terminal
|publisher=San Francisco International Airport
|date=May 2007
|url = http://www.flysfo.com/web/export/sites/default/download/about/news/pressres/fact-sheet/pdf/International_Terminal_Fact_Sheet.pdf
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807172338/http://www.flysfo.com/web/export/sites/default/download/about/news/pressres/fact-sheet/pdf/International_Terminal_Fact_Sheet.pdf
|archivedate=August 7, 2013
|accessdate =June 16, 2008
|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, SFO was the eighth-busiest airport in the U.S. and the 22nd-busiest in the world, handling over 40.9&nbsp;million passengers.<ref name="SFO-stats-2011">{{cite web
|title = Preliminary World Airport Traffic 2011 (Table 2 – TOTAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC 2011)
|publisher=Airports Council International
|date = March 27, 2012
|url = http://www.centreforaviation.com/files/analysis/70690/PR_2012-03-27_PreliminaryResults_2011.pdf
|accessdate =April 22, 2012}}</ref>

Located across the bay, [[Oakland International Airport]] is a popular, low-cost alternative to SFO. Geographically, Oakland Airport is approximately the same distance from downtown San Francisco as SFO, but due to its location across [[San Francisco Bay]], it is greater driving distance from San Francisco.

===Cycling and walking===
Cycling is a popular mode of transportation in San Francisco. 75,000 residents commute by bicycle per day.<ref name="2011 Bicycle Count Report">{{cite news
|title = 2011 Bicycle Count Report
|work=SFMTA
|publisher=City of San Francisco
|date = December 2011
|url = http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/2011BicycleCountReport-accessible.pdf
|accessdate =May 17, 2012
}}</ref>
[[Ford GoBike]], previously named Bay Area Bike Share at inception, launched in August 2013 with 700 bikes in downtown San Francisco, selected cities in the East Bay, and San Jose. The [[San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency]] and [[Bay Area Air Quality Management District]] are responsible for the operation with management provided by [[Motivate (company)|Motivate]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bialick |first=Aaron |title=Ford GoBike Launches, Bringing Bike-Share to New SF Neighborhoods |url=https://www.sfmta.com/blog/ford-gobike-launches-bringing-bike-share-new-sf-neighborhoods |date=June 29, 2017 |website=SFMTA: Municipal Transportation Agency |access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref> A major expansion started in 2017 along with a rebranding as Ford GoBike.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grab an ebike and go |url=https://www.fordgobike.com/ |website=Ford GoBike |access-date=April 30, 2018}}</ref>
Pedestrian traffic is a major mode of transport. In 2015, [[Walk Score]] ranked San Francisco the second-most walkable city in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/20/BUUK1KCC67.DTL&tsp=1 |title=S.F., Oakland in top 10 most walkable U.S. cities |work=San Francisco Chronicle |accessdate=July 20, 2011 |first=Carolyn |last=Said |date=July 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10-most-walkable-us-cities-2011-07-20?link=MW_popular |title=The 10 most walkable U.S. cities |publisher=MarketWatch |year=2011 |accessdate=July 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Walk Score Ranks The Most Walkable Cities of 2015 – @Redfin|url = https://www.redfin.com/blog/2015/04/walk-score-ranks-the-most-walkable-cities-of-2015.html|accessdate = September 25, 2015|date = April 7, 2015}}</ref>

San Francisco has significantly higher rates of pedestrian and bicyclist traffic deaths than the United States on average. In 2013, 21 pedestrians were killed in vehicle collisions, the highest since 2001,<ref name="SF Examiner ped safety">{{cite news|last=Sabatini|first=Joshua|title=Lee unveils push for pedestrian safety|url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/lee-unveils-push-for-pedestrian-safety-measures/Content?oid=2678662|accessdate=January 19, 2014|newspaper=SF Examiner|date=January 16, 2014}}</ref> which is 2.5 deaths per 100,000 population – 70% higher than the national average of 1.5 deaths per 100,000 population.<ref name="NHTSA 2012 Crashes">{{cite web|title=Traffic Safety Facts, 2012 Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview|url=http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811856.pdf|publisher=National Highway Traffic Safety Administration|accessdate=January 19, 2014}}</ref>

[[Cycling in San Francisco|Cycling]] is growing in San Francisco. Annual bicycle counts conducted by the [[San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency|Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA)]] in 2010 showed the number of cyclists at 33 locations had increased 58% from the 2006 baseline counts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://128.121.89.101/cms/bhome/documents/City_of_San_Francisco_2010_Bicycle_Count_Report_edit12082010.pdf|title=City of San Francisco 2010 Bicycle Count Report|work= San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, 2010, p. 3}}</ref> In 2008, the MTA estimated that about 128,000 trips were made by bicycle each day in the city, or 6% of total trips.<ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://archives.sfmta.com/cms/rbikes/documents/2008SFStateofCyclingReport.pdf
 |title = 2008 San Francisco State of Cycling Report
 |publisher = San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
 |year = 2008
 |page = 9
 |accessdate = October 1, 2014}}
</ref> Since 2002, improvements in [[cycling infrastructure]] in recent years, including additional bike lanes and parking racks, have made cycling in San Francisco safer and more convenient.<ref>{{cite report
 |url=http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/cs/impl/ca-sanfrancisco-2012report.pdf
 |title=2012 San Francisco State of Cycling Report
 |publisher=San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
 |year=2012
 |page=2
 |access-date=October 24, 2015}}
</ref> Since 2006, San Francisco has received a Bicycle Friendly Community status of "Gold" from the [[League of American Bicyclists]].<ref>{{cite journal
 |title=Bicycle Friendly America 2010
 |url=http://www.bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/american_bicyclists_jan_feb10.pdf
 |date=2010
 |page=17
 |journal=American Bicyclist
 |access-date=October 24, 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|San Francisco|San Francisco Bay Area}}
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[Architecture of San Francisco]]
* [[California earthquake forecast]]
* [[Gold Mountain (Chinese name for part of North America)]]
* [[List of cities and towns in California]]
* [[List of cities and towns in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
* [[List of counties in California]]
* [[List of largest California cities by population]]
* [[List of people from San Francisco]]
* [[Northern California Megaregion]]
* [[San Francisco English]]
* [[Ships lost in San Francisco]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<!-- Unused references

<ref name="Frisco okay">{{cite news
|url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Frisco-that-once-verboten-term-for-the-city-by-2582886.php
|title=Frisco, that once-verboten term
|last1=Sullivan
|first1=James
|date=October 14, 2003
|work= San Francisco Chronicle
|accessdate=February 25, 2013
}}</ref>

<ref name="Don't Call It Frisco">{{cite news
|title = Don't Call It Frisco
|url = http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/hgoe82.htm
|accessdate =July 11, 2011
|newspaper = San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle
|date = April 3, 1918|page = 6
}}</ref>

<ref name="Frisco">Though many residents still maintain that the nickname "Frisco" is taboo, many residents, especially younger and working-class natives, have kept this term alive and well. In any case, this is a matter of ongoing speculation that reflects certain cultural divisions within the city. {{cite news
|last = Sullivan |first = James
|title = Frisco, that once-verboten term for the city by the bay, is making a comeback among the young and hip. Herb Caen is spinning at warp speed.
|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/14/DD67721.DTL
|work = San Francisco Chronicle
|page = D-1
|date = October 14, 2003
|accessdate =June 12, 2008
}}</ref>

<ref name="Friscophobia">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 "Don't 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 city's dignity, and to him, Frisco was intolerable. {{cite web
|last = Cohen |first = Sam
|title = Locals know best: only tourists call it 'Frisco'
|work = Golden Gater Online
|publisher = San Francisco State University
|date = September 11, 1997
|url = http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu/www/pubs/gater/fall97/sept11/Frisco.html
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/19971123191158/http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu/www/pubs/gater/fall97/sept11/Frisco.html
|archivedate=November 23, 1997
|accessdate =July 13, 2008
}}</ref>

<ref name="The City that Knows How">{{cite web
|url = http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000141201
|title = PPIE: The City That Knows How
|accessdate =June 14, 2008
|work = Amusing America
|publisher = San Francisco Public Library
|date = March 29, 2005
}}</ref>
<ref name="Baghdad by the Bay">{{cite book
|last = Caen |first = Herb
|authorlink = Herb Caen
|title = Baghdad-by-the-Bay
|url = https://archive.org/details/baghdadbybay00caen
|url-access = registration
|year = 1949
|location = Garden City, NY
|publisher = Doubleday
|id = LC F869.S3 C12
|isbn = 978-0-89174-047-6
|oclc = 31060237
}}</ref>
<ref name="The Paris of the West">{{cite book
|first=Gregory A. |last=Kompes
|title = 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live
|url=https://archive.org/details/50fabulousgayfri00greg |url-access=registration |page = [https://archive.org/details/50fabulousgayfri00greg/page/66 66]
|publisher = Career Press|location=Franklin Lakes, NJ |isbn=1-56414-827-0
|year = 2005
}}</ref>
-->

<ref name="Census 2010-GCT-PH1-density">{{cite web
|title = GCT-PH1 – Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County – Census Tract
|url = https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US06075
|work = [[2010 United States Census]] Summary File 1
|publisher = United States Census Bureau
|accessdate =February 8, 2018}}</ref>
}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
<!-- Books & Journals cited in the Notes section -->
* {{cite book
|last=De La Perouse
|first=Jean Francois
|author2=Yamane, Linda Gonsalves
|author3=Margolin, Malcolm
|title=Life in a California Mission: Monterey in 1786: The Journals of Jean Francois De La Perouse
|year=1989
|publisher=[[Heyday Books]]
|isbn=978-0-930588-39-7
|oclc=20368802
|url=https://archive.org/details/montereyin1786jo00lape
}}
* {{cite book
|last = Hansen
|first = Gladys
|authorlink1 = Gladys Hansen
|title = San Francisco Almanac: Everything you want to know about the city
|publisher = Chronicle Books
|year = 1995
|isbn = 978-0-8118-0841-5
|oclc = 30702907
|url = https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoalma00hans_0
}}
* {{cite journal
|last = London
|first = Jack
|title = The Story of an Eyewitness by Jack London
|journal=Collier's, the National Weekly
|date = May 5, 1906}}
* {{cite book
|last = Richards
|first = Rand
|title = Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide
|publisher = Heritage House
|year = 1991
|isbn = 978-1-879367-00-5
|oclc = 214330849
|url = https://archive.org/details/historicsanfranc00rich
}}
* {{cite book
|last = Ungaretti
|first = Lorri
|title = San Francisco's Richmond District
|publisher = Arcadia Publishing
|year = 2005
|isbn = 978-0-7385-3053-6
|oclc = 62249656
|url-access = registration
|url = https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscosric0000unga
}}
* {{cite book |author=Wiley, Peter Booth |title=National trust guide San Francisco: America's guide for architecture and history travelers |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-471-19120-9 |oclc=44313415}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |year= 1989 |publisher=Dorset Press |title=The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld |author=Asbury, Hubert |isbn=978-0-88029-428-7 |oclc= 22719465}}
* {{cite book |author=Bronson, William |title=The Earth Shook, the Sky Burned |url=https://archive.org/details/earthshookskybur0000bron |url-access=registration |publisher=Chronicle Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8118-5047-6 |oclc=65223734}}
* {{cite book |year= 1987 |publisher=Square Books |title=Spanning the Gate |author=Cassady, Stephen |isbn=978-0-916290-36-8 |oclc= 15229396}}
* {{cite book |year= 1998 |publisher=Celestial Arts (Reissue edition) |title=High Steel: Building the Bridges Across San Francisco Bay |author=Dillon, Richard H. |isbn=978-0-88029-428-7 |oclc= 22719465}}
* {{cite book |title=Literary San Francisco: A pictorial history from its beginnings to the present day |author=Ferlinghetti, Lawrence |isbn=978-0-06-250325-1 |year=1980 |publisher=Harper & Row |oclc=6683688 |url=https://archive.org/details/literarysanfranc00ferl }}
* {{cite book |year=2002 |publisher=University of California Press |title=City for Sale: The Transformation of San Francisco |author=Hartman, Chester |isbn=978-0-520-08605-0 |oclc=48579085}}
* {{ cite book |title=Rush for Riches: Gold Fever and the Making of California |url=https://archive.org/details/rushforrichesgol00holl |url-access=registration |author=Holliday, J. S. |isbn = 978-0-520-21402-6 |year=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |oclc=37545551}}
* {{cite book |year= 1997 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |title=San Francisco, 1846–1856: From Hamlet to City |author=Lotchin, Roger W. |isbn=978-0-252-06631-3 |oclc= 35650934}}
* {{cite book |year=1981 |publisher=Heydey Books |title=The Ohlone Way: Indian Life in the San Francisco-Monterey Bay Area |author=Margolin, Malcolm |isbn=978-0-930588-01-4 |oclc=4628382 |url=https://archive.org/details/ohlonewayindianl00marg_0 }}
* {{cite book |year=1978 |publisher=Harper Collins |title=Tales of the City |author=Maupin, Armistead |isbn=978-0-06-096404-7 |oclc=29847673 |url=https://archive.org/details/talesofcity000maup }}
* Solnit, Rebecca. ''Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas'' (University of California Press, 2010). 144 pp.&nbsp;{{ISBN|978-0-520-26250-8}}; [https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=34658 online review]
* {{cite book |year=1971 |publisher=Stein and Day |title=The San Francisco Earthquake |author1=Thomas, Gordon |author2=Witts, Max Morgan |lastauthoramp=yes |isbn=978-0-8128-1360-9 |oclc=154735 |url=https://archive.org/details/sanfranciscoeart00thom }}
* Winfield, P.H., ''The Charter of San Francisco'' (The fortnightly review Vol. 157–58:2 (1945), p.&nbsp;69–75)
* [http://cprr.org/Museum/SF_Overland_Monthly_1870.html ''San Francisco'' (article)] (1870) ''The Overland Monthly'', January 1870 Vol. 4, No. 1, pp.&nbsp;9–23. San Francisco: A. Roman & Co., Publishers
* [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/10/14/bay-watched ''Bay Watched – How San Francisco's New Entrepreneurial Culture is Changing the Country'' (article)] (October 2013), Nathan Heller, ''[[The New Yorker]]''

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.sfmuseum.org/ Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco]

{{San Francisco}}
{{Navboxes
|titlestyle = background: {{California/color}}
|title = Articles relating to the City and County of San Francisco
|list =
{{San Francisco attractions}}
{{Streets in San Francisco}}
{{Neighborhoods of San Francisco}}
{{San Francisco Peninsula}}
{{SF Bay Area}}
{{California cities and mayors of 100,000 population}}
{{California county seats}}
{{California}}
{{USLargestMetros}}
{{Western U.S. majority-minority counties}}
{{Geographic location
|Center = San Francisco
|North = [[Sausalito, California|Sausalito]]<br /><small>[[Marin County, California|Marin County]]</small>
|Northeast = [[Richmond, California|Richmond]]<br /><small>[[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa County]]</small><br />[[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]<br /><small>[[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]]</small>
|East = [[Alameda, California|Alameda]], [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]<br /><small>[[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]]</small>
|Southeast = [[San Leandro, California|San Leandro]]<br /><small>[[Alameda County, California|Alameda County]]</small>
|South = [[Brisbane, California|Brisbane]], [[Daly City, California|Daly City]]<br /><small>[[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]]</small>
|Southwest =
|West = [[Pacific Ocean]]
|Northwest = [[Marin Headlands]]}}}}
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{{Authority control}}
[[Category:San Francisco| ]]<!--leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:1850 establishments in California]]
[[Category:California counties]]
[[Category:Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Consolidated city-counties in the United States]]
[[Category:Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:County seats in California]]
[[Category:Hudson's Bay Company trading posts]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1776]]
[[Category:Port cities in California]]
[[Category:Spanish mission settlements in North America]]