San Francisco: urban development and characteristics

¶ … history of town descriptioins of important locations landmarks or special places government/population/weather/education entertainment/festivals/sporting events pictures/map other information of interest

The European began their exploration of the San Francisco Bay Area and its various islands in 1592, but the San Francisco Bay was not mapped until 1775. Sir Francis Drake visited San Francisco in 1579. The Presidio of San Francisco and Mission Dolores were founded in 1776. In the 1820's ships from Boston first came to barter along the san Francisco coast, and in 1846, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived and settled in San Francisco. In 1848, gold was first discovered in California, which brought many other people from all over the United States westward, especially in 1849, in search of quick riches. The population of San Francisco and its surrounding areas increased quickly after that. The terrible San Francisco earthquake and fire occurred in 1906, and after that, the city was rebuilt. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened in 1937, and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937. In 1942, during World War II, Japanese-Americans, considered a threat to national security, were placed in internment camps in the San Francisco area. 1969-1971 marked the American Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island, formerly a federal prison, when the various Indian tribes claimed that the island rightfully belonged to them. San Francisco suffered another serious earthquake on October 17, 1989. Afterward, parts of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and several other sections of the city, needed to be rebuilt.

Important locations in San Francisco include the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Presidio and Mission Dolores; the Mission District, the Castro District, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, a shopping mecca for tourists, and various well-known restaurants, including Alioto's, along Fisherman's Wharf. Sausalito, one of the many beautiful islands in the San Francisco Bay, is a popular tourist destination, as is the formal federal prison, now closed, on the Island of Alcatraz. Ghirardelli Square, another well-known shopping area, is also located near Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco landmarks and other special places include the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridges; Fisherman's Wharf and its many attractions, and Ghirardelli Square. Also worth visiting, and popular with tourists, are Coit Tower; Lombard Street (supposedly the crookedest street in the world), the San Francisco Lighthouse, the Fairmont Hotel, and the Earthquake Refugee Shack. The San Francisco Metropolitan Art Museum is also one of the best in the world.

The city of San Francisco has a municipal government headed by a mayor. The current mayor of San Francisco is Gavin Newsom. The City government also includes a Board of Supervisors, a City Council, and a School Board.

San Francisco's population, as of October 14, 2003, was 776, 773. The weather of San Francisco varies month by month. It does not snow there, although it does rain, and the San Francisco fog is well-known, especially in winter, but fog occurs in San Francisco year-round. The average high temperature for January, the coldest month, is 57 degrees, and the average low temperature for January is 46 degrees. January rainfall is five inches on average. The warmest month, September, has an average high temperature of 70 and an average low temperature of 56, and no rainfall. San Francisco does not receive a lot of extreme highs and lows of temperature.

San Francisco's educational institutions include many well-known, competitive admission high school-level preparatory schools, such as St. Charles School; the Norte Dame School, and the Newton Tharp School. The City's higher education institutions include San Francisco City College; Golden Gate University; and the University of California at San Francisco. The University of California at Berkeley is located in nearby Berkeley, and Stanford University in Palo Alto is not far away.

San Francisco is well-known for entertainment. It has its own symphony; its own ballet company, and its own opera company, as well as many theaters and cinemas. Other cultural entertainments include museums and lectures throughout the city. Some well-known festivals are the Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration held each year on January 9; the Chinese New year Celebration on January 17; the Independent Film Festival held each February; and the annual March 17 St. Patrick's Day Parade.