Visit numerous other Parks and Cities by World from the Web.
The city is at the northern tip of a peninsula to San Francisco Bay. San Francisco has water on three sides of it. The Pacific Ocean is to the west, the Golden Gate Strait is to the north and San Francisco Bay is to the east. The San Bruno Mountains are to the south.
The cities size is 47 square miles and has a population of 801,377 people (2000). The metro area is much larger with 7,039,362 people if you include all the Bay Area cities which includes San Jose and Oakland. San Francisco is serviced by 3 major airports, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is part of the extensive mass transit system in the area. This is known as the Bay Area and includes major cities to the east such as Oakland, Richmond and Berkeley. San Jose is to the south and Marin County is to the north. The city is broken into numerous sections around the many hills in the city. The elevation in the city ranges from sea level upto 938'.
San Francisco was settled in 1776 by the Spanish officer Juan Bautista de Anza. The presidio (fort) was set up to guard the San Francisco Bay. 1846 saw the control of the city passing from Mexico to the United States. 1848 gold was discovered in nearby Sacremento. The frenzied gold rush resulted in a booming San Francisco. Despite earthquakes that have occassionaly caused significant damage to the area, it has continued to grow and was a major shipbuilding area during WWII.
The city's economy is centered around being a regional financial and trade center. A leading manufacturing area, it is one of the countries largest shipping areas. Tourism is the other large industry that supports the city. Internet commerce has also taken a strong hold in the city.
San Francisco is a beautiful city, contrasted by steep hills, large water fronts and old wooden houses that are painted in multi-colors. Skyscrapers, Golden Gate Park and bridge, Chinatown, museums, Fishermans Wharf, the Castro district, the Haight, Mission district, North Beach, cable cars and the seals at Pier 39, San Francisco offers culture and activities normally seen in cities much larger then its size.
Buffered by temperate weather, the city receives slightly less then 20"/year of rain. Often sunny, often foggy, San Francisco is known for micro weather systems. The weather tends to be sunnier away from the Pacific Ocean areas. San Francisco is reknowned as a tolerant city, incorporating diverse racial groups and alternative lifestyles. One complaint and problem that San Francisco must get policies on is the burgeoning homeless populations.
Surrounding areas and cities expand on activities found in San Francisco. Many of these surrounding cities are cultural centers in their own right.
All pictures are from San Francisco, using various film and digital cameras. The pictures below on this page are all from various parts of the city. Subsequent pages found directly below will continue the city tour. They will tend to concentrate on well known areas.
Visit numerous other Parks and Cities by World from the Web.
View the panoramic shot of San Francisco from the top of Twin Peaks.
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The Golden Gate Bridge.
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The TransAmerica building from Montgomery and Sacremento.
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Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge from the Bridge Toll Plaza Cafe in the Presidio.
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Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge on a foggy day from the Bridge Toll Plaza Cafe in the Presidio.
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Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
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Looking up at the massive bridge towers while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.
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Looking into the Bay from the Golden Gate Bridge.
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From a Ferry on the Bay, the San Francisco skyline.
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From a Ferry on the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge.
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Downtown San Francisco; The Hobart Building on Market and Montgomery.
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Coit Tower.
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Downtown San Francisco from Coit Tower.
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From Franklin and Fulton, the Civic Center.
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Saint Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Washington Square Park, near Columbus and Union.
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Saint Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Washington Square Park, near Columbus and Union.
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From Lombard Street and Hyde. Directly below is the portion of Lombard known as the most crooked street in America.
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Bottom of Lombard Street at Leavenworth. This is known as the "worlds most crooked street". The hill itself is a 40 degree pitch, making the switchbacks necessary.
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Palace of Fine Arts, located on Baker and Beach Street.
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The Gateway to Chinatown on Bush and Grant.
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Chinatown from Stockton and Jackson.
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Chinatown from Pine and Grant.
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Chinatown, corner of Grant and Jackson, the TransAmerican Building.
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Barry's Navy in McCovey Cove, next to PacBell Park. This photo was taken on Sunday, Sept 30, 2001. The day before Barry Bonds had hit home run #69. Needing only one more HR to tie and 2 to break Mark McGwire's record, and this being the last home game of the year, the faithful came out to party and hopefully catch a valuable HR 70 or 71. Although Bonds eventually broke the record with 73 HRs, the only HR hit this day was by the navy itself.
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The following San Francisco parks are listed below for your viewing.
Alamo Square Park by World from the Web. This San Francisco City park features the "Painted Ladies".
Golden Gate National Recreational Area by World from the Web. This features the Presidio of San Francisco and Marin County.
Golden Gate Park by World from the Web. This is San Francisco's world class city park.
Additional parks and cities not in San Francisco but in the Bay Area are listed below for your viewing.
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park by World from the Web. Giant redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Mt. Diablo State Park by World from the Web. At 3,849', this is the largest mountain in the Bay Area.
Muir Woods National Monument by World from the Web. Coastal redwoods in Marin County.
Tilden Regional Park by World from the Web. East Bay Hills overlooking Berkeley.
Oakland by World from the Web.
San Jose by World from the Web.
Further information on San Francisco can be found at the San Francisco City Span, the Official page
or City Search Bay Area.
