San Francisco: Information Resource Portal

San Francisco is the 4th largest (in terms of population) city in California and the 14th largest in the United States. Second only to New York City in density, a population of about 750,000 lives on a peninsula less than 50 sq. mi. in area. The city is bounded to the north by the Golden Gate Strait, to the east by San Francisco Bay, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Originally named Yerba Buena ("good herb"), San Francisco was once a small fishing village. In 1847 it was renamed San Francisco after the old Franciscan mission nearby. The gold rush of 1849 caused the city's population to mushroom to several hundred thousand. Extensive famines in China in the mid-1800s caused a large influx of Chinese refugees to settle in San Francisco. Even today, San Francisco boasts one of the largest Asian populations outside of Asia.

There are 43 officially named hills in the city, and several unnamed, making San Francisco the second hilliest city in the world. (Only La Paz in Bolivia has more.) The city has also been the site of several major earthquakes, notably the 1906 quake and subsequent fires that destroyed over 80% of the city. San Francisco's famous cable cars still traverse some of these hills today.

San Francisco has a mild climate year-round. Winters tend to be rainy, with summers quite foggy due to the combination of the cool Pacific Ocean to the west and the hot California valleys to the east.

Though tourism remains the mainstay of the San Francisco economy, high technology and biotechnology are a major presence in the area. Major sports teams include the San Francisco Giants (baseball) and the San Francisco 49ers (football).






	San Francisco Fast Facts History Government Geography Attractions Hotels	San Francisco is the 4th largest (in terms of population) city in California and the 14th largest in the United States. Second only to New York City in density, a population of about 750,000 lives on a peninsula less than 50 sq. mi. in area. The city is bounded to the north by the Golden Gate Strait, to the east by San Francisco Bay, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Originally named Yerba Buena ("good herb"), San Francisco was once a small fishing village. In 1847 it was renamed San Francisco after the old Franciscan mission nearby. The gold rush of 1849 caused the city's population to mushroom to several hundred thousand. Extensive famines in China in the mid-1800s caused a large influx of Chinese refugees to settle in San Francisco. Even today, San Francisco boasts one of the largest Asian populations outside of Asia. There are 43 officially named hills in the city, and several unnamed, making San Francisco the second hilliest city in the world. (Only La Paz in Bolivia has more.) The city has also been the site of several major earthquakes, notably the 1906 quake and subsequent fires that destroyed over 80% of the city. San Francisco's famous cable cars still traverse some of these hills today. San Francisco has a mild climate year-round. Winters tend to be rainy, with summers quite foggy due to the combination of the cool Pacific Ocean to the west and the hot California valleys to the east. Though tourism remains the mainstay of the San Francisco economy, high technology and biotechnology are a major presence in the area. Major sports teams include the San Francisco Giants (baseball) and the San Francisco 49ers (football).

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