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San Francisco, Calif.
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Mayor: Gavin Newsom (to Jan. 2012)
2000 census population (rank): 776,733
(13); % change: 7.3; Male: 394,828 (50.8%);
Female: 381,905 (49.2%); White: 385,728 (49.7%);
Black: 60,515 (7.8%); American Indian and Alaska
Native: 3,458 (0.4%); Asian: 239,565 (30.8%); Other
race: 50,368 (6.5%); Two or more races: 33,255 (4.3%);
Hispanic/Latino: 109,504 (14.1%). 2000 percent population
18 and over: 85.5%; 65 and over: 13.7%; Median
age: 36.5.
2005 population estimate (rank): 739,426
(14)
See
additional census data
Land area: 47 sq mi. (122 sq km);
Alt.: Highest, 925 ft.; lowest, sea
level
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 51.1° F; July,
59.1° F
Churches: 540 of all denominations;
City-owned parks and squares: 200+;
Radio stations: 29;
Television stations: 10
Civilian Labor Force (PMSA) April 2006:
2,159,4001;
Unemployed: 88,7001,
Percent: 4.11;
Per capita personal income (MSA)
2004: $49,2762
Chamber of Commerce: San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce, 235 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94104
1. San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont,
Calif.
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San Francisco, the fourth-largest city in California, is coextensive
with San Francisco County. It is located in the northern part of the state
between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay on a narrow arm of land
that embraces San Francisco Bay, the largest land-locked harbor in the
world.
A Franciscan father who was sailing with Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño
named the bay San Francisco on Nov. 7, 1595. In 1776, the Spaniards
established a presidio, or military post, and a Franciscan mission on the
end of the beautiful peninsula. In the following year, a little town was
founded around the mission. It was called Yerba Buena, Spanish for “Good
Herb,” because mint grew in abundance there. In 1846, during the Mexican
War, Yerba Buena was taken over by the United States. It was renamed San
Francisco in 1847 and became incorporated as a city in 1850.
When gold was discovered in California in 1848, the city's population
jumped to 10,000, and it experienced turbulent years until order was
established by Vigilance Committees, first in 1851, and again in 1856.
Then followed a period of more orderly growth, and the foundations of the
great commerce and industry of today were laid.
In 1906, San Francisco experienced the nation's most destructive
earthquake, which, together with the fire that followed, practically
destroyed the city. The city was quickly rebuilt and grew rapidly as a
leading transportation, industrial, and cultural center. In the 19th
century, the American explorer and soldier John C. Frémont, known as The
Pathfinder, named the entrance to the bay the Golden Gate, and the famous
bright orange Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in May 1937.
A vital part of the economic and cultural fabric of northern
California, the port of San Francisco covers 71/2 mi of
waterfront. The port is home to a broad range of commercial, maritime, and
public activities. Its major shipping terminals serve shipping lines from
around the world. Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Hyde St. Pier, and Pier 39
all make the port of San Francisco one of the world's leading visitor
destinations.
The electronics and biotechnology industries are well represented
throughout the Bay Area. With nearly 30% of the worldwide biotechnology
labor force and 360 biotech firms, the Bay Area has been appropriately
called “Bionic Bay.”
Tourism is one of San Francisco's largest industries and the largest
employer of city residents. In 2000, more than 17 million people visited
San Francisco, and visitor spending was $7.6 billion, providing 82,000
jobs.
San Francisco is also the banking and financial center of the West and
is home to a Federal Reserve Bank and a United States Mint. More than 60
foreign banks maintain offices there.
See also Encyclopedia: San Francisco.
Selected famous
natives and residents:
-
Gracie Allen
comedienne;
-
Luis Walter Alvarez
Nobel Prize winner in physics;
-
David Belasco
dramatist and producer;
-
Mel Blanc
actor and voice specialist;
-
Rosemary Casals
tennis player;
-
Isadora Duncan
dancer;
-
Clint Eastwood
actor;
-
Robert Frost
poet;
-
Rube Goldberg
cartoonist;
-
William Randolph Hearst
publisher;
-
Bruce Lee
actor;
-
Mervyn LeRoy
director;
-
Jack London
novelist;
-
Johnny Mathis
singer;
-
Lloyd Nolan
actor;
-
O. J. Simpson
football player;
-
Robert G. Sproul
educator;
-
Irving Stone
novelist;
-
Natalie Wood
actress.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education,
Inc. All rights reserved.
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