San Francisco
Content
San Francisco, California – Kelly Howe
San Francisco, California, also known as the City of Billionaires, is the fourth richest city
in the world, after New York City, Moscow, and London. Though it has less than 10% of the
other city’s population, San Francisco is still packed with about 17,179 people per square mile,
placing it at the second most densely populated city in America, behind New York City. It is the
world’s 18th top producing city and 8th in the United States, because of its banking and finance
centers.
Technically, this city was founded in June of 1776, when colonists from Spain established
Fort Presidio where the Golden Gate Bridge is currently located. The city didn’t hit off, though,
until the California Gold Rush of 1849, causing the population to grow from 1,000 to 25,000 in
one year. After World War II, returning veterans, new immigrants, and more liberal attitudes led
San Francisco to be the liberal activist center of the United States. Now, San Francisco is no
longer a gold mining town, but still one of the most visited places in the world, ranking 35th in
the top 100 cities worldwide.
San Francisco is home to one of the Modern Wonders of the World, the Golden Gate
Bridge. It is a suspension bridge traveling over the Pacific Ocean, linking San Francisco to Marin
County. The bridge was originally built just to connect the two points, which had before only
been accessible by ferry. Even though professionals had deemed the bridge impossible to build
under the conditions – ferocious tides, currents, deep waters, and winds – the bridge was to
undergo construction in 1933 and be completed in 1937, costing over 35 million dollars. The
Golden Gate Bridge is 8,981 feet long and is held up by 80,000 miles of wire. With the bridge
being so long, it is constantly having to be painted, since, by the time painters finish painting the
entire length of the bridge, it’s time for it to be painted again!
San Francisco is also known for being the last city with a manually operated cable car
system. The cable cars have two routes: one from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and
another running along California Street, which is known to be very steep. The cars used to be
used as common transportation, but now are mainly for tourists wishing to see the streets of San
Francisco without the hassle of walking.
The California Academy of Sciences is also home in San Francisco. This unique museum
hosts an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four story rainforest all under one
roof! The museum is dedicated to teaching anybody and everybody about sciences and the
wonders the world has to offer. With over 40 world-class scientists, the museum has collected
more than 26 million specimens – one of the world’s largest collections. The museum is located
in the Academy’s newest facility in Golden Gate Park and is over 400,000 square feet in area.
San Francisco hosts the largest and oldest Chinatown outside of Asia. Since it was
founded in 1848, tourists have been shopping, dining, and learning about this different Chinese
culture for years. Chinatown was started for Chinese immigrants and grew to become a tourist
attraction, but still, its citizens treat it as a “city-within-a-city”, with its own post office, two
hospitals, shops, tradition, government, and more. It is even said that Chinatown attracts more
tourists every year than the ever-famous Golden Gate Bridge. Another foreign culture mini-city
is Japantown, based on Japanese culture instead of Chinese. Japantown is one of the three last of
its kind in the United States.
Fisherman’s Wharf has been the home of San Francisco’s fishing fleet and many other
attractions since it was “created” back in the gold rush days. Here, fishermen settle their ships to
fish for crab, though the site is more commonly known as a tourist area. It is home to the famous
Pier 39, the Wax Museum, Cannery Shopping Center, Ghirardelli Square, and many delicious
seafood restaurants. Here, you can also find the USS Pampanito, a decommissioned World War II
submarine, and the Balclutha, a 19th century cargo ship, both now historic landmarks and
museum ships.
About a mile and a half off of the San Francisco Bay shore, you will find Alcatraz Island.
This island was a base for a lighthouse and federal prison until March of 1963. Because of its
location, Alcatraz was a perfect solution for trouble-making federal prisoners. In its entire 26
years of operation, 36 tried to escape, but none were successful. However, the prison was too
costly to keep open ($10 per prisoner per day) and because saltwater caused buildings to erode,
the building was forced to close. Now, the island’s facilities serve as a national park service in
the Golden Gate Bridge recreational center.
The San Francisco Bay is an estuary stretching somewhere between 400 and 1,600 miles.
From here, about forty percent of California’s water, coming from two rivers, drains into the
Pacific Ocean. When the rivers and their meeting points flow together, they are known as the San
Francisco Bay area, which is known for its beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Many
boat tours are also given here so you can have a close view of the Bay and its beauty while
learning about it at the same time. As it is a great place for water sporting and boating, it is home
to some of the world’s top sailors.
San Francisco is a beautiful area and is a once in a life time experience, especially for
someone as young as I am. It is a great area for touring and getting a taste of what the world has
to offer to its people. I’m sure visiting this city will be one of the best experiences I’ll ever have
for a long, long time.
San Francisco, California, also known as the City of Billionaires, is the fourth richest city
in the world, after New York City, Moscow, and London. Though it has less than 10% of the
other city’s population, San Francisco is still packed with about 17,179 people per square mile,
placing it at the second most densely populated city in America, behind New York City. It is the
world’s 18th top producing city and 8th in the United States, because of its banking and finance
centers.
Technically, this city was founded in June of 1776, when colonists from Spain established
Fort Presidio where the Golden Gate Bridge is currently located. The city didn’t hit off, though,
until the California Gold Rush of 1849, causing the population to grow from 1,000 to 25,000 in
one year. After World War II, returning veterans, new immigrants, and more liberal attitudes led
San Francisco to be the liberal activist center of the United States. Now, San Francisco is no
longer a gold mining town, but still one of the most visited places in the world, ranking 35th in
the top 100 cities worldwide.
San Francisco is home to one of the Modern Wonders of the World, the Golden Gate
Bridge. It is a suspension bridge traveling over the Pacific Ocean, linking San Francisco to Marin
County. The bridge was originally built just to connect the two points, which had before only
been accessible by ferry. Even though professionals had deemed the bridge impossible to build
under the conditions – ferocious tides, currents, deep waters, and winds – the bridge was to
undergo construction in 1933 and be completed in 1937, costing over 35 million dollars. The
Golden Gate Bridge is 8,981 feet long and is held up by 80,000 miles of wire. With the bridge
being so long, it is constantly having to be painted, since, by the time painters finish painting the
entire length of the bridge, it’s time for it to be painted again!
San Francisco is also known for being the last city with a manually operated cable car
system. The cable cars have two routes: one from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and
another running along California Street, which is known to be very steep. The cars used to be
used as common transportation, but now are mainly for tourists wishing to see the streets of San
Francisco without the hassle of walking.
The California Academy of Sciences is also home in San Francisco. This unique museum
hosts an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and four story rainforest all under one
roof! The museum is dedicated to teaching anybody and everybody about sciences and the
wonders the world has to offer. With over 40 world-class scientists, the museum has collected
more than 26 million specimens – one of the world’s largest collections. The museum is located
in the Academy’s newest facility in Golden Gate Park and is over 400,000 square feet in area.
San Francisco hosts the largest and oldest Chinatown outside of Asia. Since it was
founded in 1848, tourists have been shopping, dining, and learning about this different Chinese
culture for years. Chinatown was started for Chinese immigrants and grew to become a tourist
attraction, but still, its citizens treat it as a “city-within-a-city”, with its own post office, two
hospitals, shops, tradition, government, and more. It is even said that Chinatown attracts more
tourists every year than the ever-famous Golden Gate Bridge. Another foreign culture mini-city
is Japantown, based on Japanese culture instead of Chinese. Japantown is one of the three last of
its kind in the United States.
Fisherman’s Wharf has been the home of San Francisco’s fishing fleet and many other
attractions since it was “created” back in the gold rush days. Here, fishermen settle their ships to
fish for crab, though the site is more commonly known as a tourist area. It is home to the famous
Pier 39, the Wax Museum, Cannery Shopping Center, Ghirardelli Square, and many delicious
seafood restaurants. Here, you can also find the USS Pampanito, a decommissioned World War II
submarine, and the Balclutha, a 19th century cargo ship, both now historic landmarks and
museum ships.
About a mile and a half off of the San Francisco Bay shore, you will find Alcatraz Island.
This island was a base for a lighthouse and federal prison until March of 1963. Because of its
location, Alcatraz was a perfect solution for trouble-making federal prisoners. In its entire 26
years of operation, 36 tried to escape, but none were successful. However, the prison was too
costly to keep open ($10 per prisoner per day) and because saltwater caused buildings to erode,
the building was forced to close. Now, the island’s facilities serve as a national park service in
the Golden Gate Bridge recreational center.
The San Francisco Bay is an estuary stretching somewhere between 400 and 1,600 miles.
From here, about forty percent of California’s water, coming from two rivers, drains into the
Pacific Ocean. When the rivers and their meeting points flow together, they are known as the San
Francisco Bay area, which is known for its beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Many
boat tours are also given here so you can have a close view of the Bay and its beauty while
learning about it at the same time. As it is a great place for water sporting and boating, it is home
to some of the world’s top sailors.
San Francisco is a beautiful area and is a once in a life time experience, especially for
someone as young as I am. It is a great area for touring and getting a taste of what the world has
to offer to its people. I’m sure visiting this city will be one of the best experiences I’ll ever have
for a long, long time.
