San Francisco: Consolidated City-County
San Francisco is the only city and county combined in one in California State. It was ranked as thirteenth mostly densely inhabited city in the United States. The 2010 US Census Bureau has accounted its population to more than 800,000 people. The line up of its racial composition includes White Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Black Americans and other races; the order of which is from the highest to lowest percentage. Opposite-sex and same-sex marriages are both allowed in the city. It has Spanish heritage that is why aside from English, Spanish is the next language that is mostly spoken in town.
The city has got its name when the Spanish colonials built a fort at the city’s Golden Gate. Their mission was named after Saint Francis of Assisi. The California Gold Rush fueled the progress of the city but the three fourth of the city was devastated by 1906 great earthquake and fire. It bounced back after a while and had even hosted the Panama-Pacific International Exposition almost a decade later. Today, it was deemed as the focal point of the liberal activism in the country as it pushes gay rights movements.
The economy of the city has been relying primarily in its tourism. It is internationally known for its magnificent beaches, steep hilly places, diverse architectural styles, and renowned landmarks. There are over 50 hills that are situated within the premises of San Francisco. Some of which includes Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Pacific Heights. Twin Peaks, which as the name suggests, have a pair of hills that lie in one of the highly elevated points of the metropolis. Mount Davidson is the highest hill in San Francisco. It stands 925 feet.
San Francisco stands very close to the Hayward and San Andreas faults. These two are responsible for all the earthquake activities that took place in the city. The last major quake was in 1989, the famous Loma Prieta quake. Because there can be trembling anytime, the warnings have significantly affected the developments of the infrastructure in San Francisco. The building codes are being revised from time to time in order to be spared in the event that an earthquake occurs. However, those small-scale businesses which do not have the budget for reconstructions remain susceptible to damage.
Mark Twain has once noted that he has spent the coldest winter one summer in San Francisco. This has misguided other people, believing that the city is freezing even in summer. In truth, its climate is more of Mediterranean which allows the dwellers to have a cool summer but never freezing. It is surrounded by three bodies of water, the San Francisco Bay, San Francisco Peninsula, and Pacific Ocean. These are all linked to each other including to the city’s beaches. It also adjoins some of San Francisco’s parks. Part of it forms the Golden Gate Recreation Area. The city is the home to Ocean Beach, which has been a haven for the surfing enthusiasts. Another is Baker Beach, which was part of a former military base. There are over 200 parks that the city maintains. Among these, Golden Gate Park is the most renowned park. It is also the largest in the city and one of the top tourist spots. Other parks include the California State Park, San Francisco Botanical Garden and Lake Merced.
A Glimpse in San Francisco
San Francisco is the fourth city in California State which has the highest number of populace, and the 13th in the United States. The US Census Bureau has asserted that the city provides a shelter to more than 800,000 people when it conducted a survey just last year. The inhabitants are made up of White Americans, Asians, Latinos, and other races. The city has been considered as the hub for liberal activism. Gay rights movements have been formed and dynamically participating in pushing the equal privileges of transgender. Due to this, same-sex marriages have been allowed in the city.
The city has been experiencing minor and major earthquakes from time to time. This is because it is situated in close proximity to two faults; the San Andreas and Hayward. Two of the major quakes were recorded in 1906 and 1986. The former wreaked havoc in almost three fourth of the city as there was also fire aside from the trembling. The Loma Prieta, on the other hand, has also affected the development of the city. The possibility of earthquake at any given time forced the government agencies to revise the building codes every now and then to ensure safety of the populace and the businesses.
San Francisco is known for its hills, cable cars and its beaches. It has more than 50 hills, including Russian Hill, where the renowned crooked Lombard Street is located nearby a neighborhood and the North Beach which is regarded as the city’s little Italy. Tourists can take a ride in cable cars that takes them to the peak of Nob Hill and down to a fishing area called the Fisherman’s Wharf. Golden Gate is one of the most prominent landmarks in the city. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area or GGNRA houses a number of tourist spots that draw the attention of visitors. It includes Ocean Beach and Baker Beach where people can surf. The GGNRA also runs the ever-popular Alcatraz. Another tourist destination is the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. It allows the public to an armada of historic ships.
The city gives a shelter more than 30 financial institutions, making San Francisco the financial and banking hub of the West Coast. It houses Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Bank of America and Wells Fargo is based in the city. In addition, it took advantage to the booming of Information Technology back into the 1990s in the Silicon Valley. Twitter, Salesforce.com and Craigslist.org have their main offices in San Francisco. Aside from these flourishing sectors, biotechnology and biomedical are adding up into the city’s extensive economic base. Various learning institutions and research establishments are being built in the metropolis. The research that focuses on stem cell has employed at least 1,800,000 biochemists and biophysicists in San Francisco. The companies in such sectors have been the top employers in the city.
These developments have put San Francisco in the second place as in the list of United States’ metropolis with the highest quality of living. However, the progress in the city has elevated the cost of living in the city. This is why some of the white collar employees have been gradually moving into the outer suburbs of the San Francisco Bay area or to California Central Valley.
The Culture of San Francisco
San Francisco has become densely inhabited because of the fact that it has been pushing for liberal activism. This is one of the few cities in the United States that pushes for movements concerning protection and implementation of gays’ rights and same-sex marriages. In fact, a substantial number of homosexuals have established themselves in town; conquering a part of it, which is now known as San Francisco’s Castro district and even elected its own city supervisor. Even then, the residents have been perceived as non-conformists. They have been constantly bucking the traditions and norms set by the society. Feminism blossomed in the city. The residents have been opinionated. They were clear about their stand during the Vietnam War. Until today, San Francisco has been the United State’s avante garde city that set new trends.
Because of such open-mindedness, the city has been a haven for many authors who come from different parts of the world. For instance, Samuel Clemens have adopted the pen name Mark Twain in town and honed his unique style of writing that has set a trend in American literature. Other famous novelists who holed around the city are Robert Stevenson Louis, John Steinbeck and Jack London. The Pulitzer Prize awardee, Herb Caen, who writes for San Francisco Chronicle has a great influence to the residents that reading his column is already included in every one’s morning ritual. In addition, he has been a household name. A parade and some festivities are being held every year to give tribute to him when he died due to cancer.
If Los Angeles is the haven for Hollywood artist, San Francisco seem to be a favorite setting for productions shown in big and small screens. There are countless films that were shot in town including All About Eve, The Bird of Alcatraz, A View to a Kill, Sweet November, Joy Luck Club and many others have been made in the city. As for the television shows which showed San Francisco, the list includes The Doris Day Show, Nash Bridges, Suddenly Susan, Love is a Many Splendored Thing and San Francisco Beat.
The music scene in the city also has a delicate balance between contemporaries and classics. In the performing arts division, the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera are all still widely supported by the denizens. This is evidenced by the sold out tickets of their performances in the city’s own venues. The city has its own contribution to the nation’s pop culture. Tony Bennet’s I Left My Heart in San Francisco has been an iconic song that etched into the memory of the people all over the world. From Bill Graham, Filmore West and Santana Blues Band, they have all together worked for the development of the city’s rock and roll version of Liverpool and London. As for the music genre that concerns jazz, the Dave Brubeck Quartet has led “West Coast Cool Jazz Movement.” Breaking the traditions and making new trends are two of the traits that have been prominent among San Franciscans. Nevertheless, it only adds up to the richness of the city’s culture. It serves to be a place of refuge for people who want to stand up for something as surely, they can be heard in San Francisco.
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