San Francisco, is the 12th most populous city in the United States. With a population of more than 800,00, it is the second most denssely populated city in the US. San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than 7.4 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland.
Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination. It is well known for its year round chilly temperatures and renowned for its summer fog. It is also known for its steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. It is well known for its fine dining establishments and its seafood on Fishermans Wharf. The city is a principal banking and finance center, and the home to more than 30 international financial institutions.
SanFrancisco has a long history, having been first established by the Spanish In 1776 as a fort and a mission.But it is best know for its part in the California Gold Rush in 1848 which propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000.
Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire. but San Francisco was quickly rebuilt. During World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. It is well known for its role in the gay rights movement, which has cementing San Francisco as a center of liberal activism in the United States.
San Francisco faced a second major earthquake in 1989 when the Loma Prieta earthquake caused major destruction and loss of life throughout the Bay Area. In San Francisco, the quake severely damaged structures in the Marina and South of Market districts and precipitated the demolition of the damaged Embarcadero Freeway and much of the damaged Central Freeway, allowing the city to reclaim its historic downtown waterfront.
During the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, startup companies invigorated the economy. When the bubble burst in 2001, many of these companies folded, and their employees left, although high technology and entrepreneurship continue to be mainstays of the San Francisco economy. (See Wikipedia for a more in deptj analysis.
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