Theodore Kwan

8333205
GEOG 148
03/11/2016

San Francisco: The City by the Bay

San Francisco, a city that has been romanticized and idolized since the early gold rush
days in the mid-1800s, has really made a name for itself in the United States and certainly the
world. As the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California, its no wonder
why San Francisco is such a sought after location, both for tourists and prospective residents.
With its rich with history and culture, San Francisco certainly proves to be one of the more
unique cities in the United States and without a doubt, the world.
The San Francisco area was inhabited by the Yelamu tribe when the first Europeans
sailed along the golden coast in the 16th century. It wasnt until 1776 that San Francisco was
settled when Spanish colonists, led by Juan Bautiza de Anza on the Portola expedition,
established the Presidio of San Francisco, a Spanish Military Base, during the Spanish
colonization of North America. Its operations were then transferred to the Mexicans after
Mexican independence from Spain and functioned as a Mexican fortification in the early 1820s
for a short period of time. Eventually, Americans began to settle in the San Francisco Area and
began to demand for independence. It wasnt until 1846 that California became a state and San
Francisco became part of the United States.
On January 24, 1848, the first gold was found at Sutters Mill by James Marshall and that
alone sparked the Gold Rush, an event that would forever change the face of California.
Thousands flocked from across the continental United States and overseas to find gold and
acquire a fortune. These forty-niners, named after the surge in immigration in 1849,
expanded the city from a mere 1,000 to a hefty 25,000 in a short period of time. The city was
young and wild as its population exploded. The
development of the Central Pacific Railroad brought
even more prospective travelers to the city. With
thousands of jobs opening up in the railway industry
and the growing community, thousands of Chinese
laborers emigrated from their homeland and settled
in San Francisco, creating the famous and thriving
Chinatown. With the introduction of cable cars and
further city development, San Francisco was a
thriving hive of developing culture and history. On
April 18, 1906, a mammoth earthquake, measuring
What remained of the city after the 1906 earthquake.
7.8 on the Richter scale, rocked the city of San

Francisco. Main water lines were broke, buildings collapsed, hundreds of people died, and fires
ravaged the city remains for days. However, the citys unwavering persistence and steady
resilience saw to its rebirth and emerged better than it was before.
In the 1930s, further growth to both the city and its outlying communities was seen, as
well as the construction of its famous landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. During World War II,
San Francisco became the center of deployment and arms production. After Pearl Harbor, San
Franciscos Japanese residents were moved to internment camps away from the city center and
their deserted neighborhoods were then taken up by African-Americans looking for work in the
war industries. San Francisco has always had a reputation as a center for cultural evolution.
Movements such as the Haight-Ashbury hippie counterculture and the gay rights movement in
the Castro District accentuated San Franciscos ever-developing dynamics while other periods
such as the AIDS epidemic cast a dark shadow on San Franciscos long and rich history. The
bustling city continued to develop until another earthquake decimated the city on October 17,
1989. However, learning from the 1906 earthquake, the damages were mitigated and San
Francisco was able to bounce back at full speed to where it stands today.
Nestled on the peak of the peninsula, San Francisco is the major city of the many that
inhabit the Bay Area. San Francisco is about 47 square miles, making it the smallest county in
California, however, it is also the second-most densely populated major city in the United
States, falling short of New York City. It is surrounded by three sides of water, the Bay and the
Pacific Ocean. Its geography can be described as hilly, as there are more than fifty hills within its
city limits. Hills such as Nob Hill, Portero Hill, Russian Hill, and Lombard Hill are homes to
neighborhoods that give San Francisco its unique and diverse nature. There are some parts of
San Francisco that have extended beyond the peninsulas natural limits. Areas such as Mission
Bay, the Marina, Embarcadero, and Hunters Point are situated on areas made from landfill.
In San Francisco, there are countless places to visit. Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39, one
of San Franciscos main city attractions, offers unique cuisines such as the famous Dungeness
crab and clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl along with amazing sights such as the sea
lion colony that resides on collapsed boat docks from the 1989 earthquake. Another unique
destination in San Francisco is Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in North America and the
bedrock of Chinese America.
Established in 1848, Chinatown
was the largest Chinese
community outside of Asia,
functioning as both a residential
district and a downtown and
business area that continued to
grow and expand. However,
during the devastating 1906 San
Francisco earthquake, Chinatown
was completely destroyed and
most of the city was leveled.
Within a year, the process of
San Francisco Chinatown

rebuilding Chinatown began, however, with a completely different feel. American architects
designed American style buildings but with pagoda roofs and dragon motifs, making it more
representative of an Oriental Disneyland. Today, Chinatown prospers as a major tourist
attraction as well as homes, shops, and restaurants for visitors and residents alike.
To the south of the city is the Haight-Ashbury, the birthplace of the 1960s hippie culture
and social movement. Today, the Haight is home to many shops and restaurants, some more
controversial and edgy than others, but nonetheless, the Haight still retains its bohemian
element and groovy vibes. One of the most famous attractions that San Francisco has to offer is
Alcatraz Island. Located a mile and a quarter offshore from the city, the historic landmark
functioned as a lighthouse, a military base, a prison, and a reserve for aboriginal people part of
a wave of Native activism in the 1970s. Today, Alcatraz Island is recognized as a National
Historic Landmark and is visited by thousands of tourists each year. Visitors are allowed to tour
the abandoned prison and lighthouse, explore the military fortifications and even view the
seabirds that have colonized parts of the island. Some guest are even able to spend a night in a
jail cell on Alcatraz and receive the much sought after prisoner experience. With all these
attractions plus countless more, its very apparent why San Francisco is known as the city it is.
San Francisco is located in Northern California. Its Mediterranean climate is
characterized by moist mild winters and dry summers. Much of the weather in San Francisco is
influenced by the currents from the Pacific Ocean on the west side of the city and the Bay on
the east side. As a result of the large bodies of water surrounding the city, there is little
temperature fluctuation in the mild climate. A defining characteristic of San Francisco is the fog.
A common sight for early commuters, the San Francisco fog is formed by rising hot air in the
interior valleys that creates low
pressure areas that draw wind
currents from the north, creating
chilling winds and fog. Aside from
the overall climate, the many hills
and cityscape results in many
distinct microclimates throughout
various areas of the city.
Neighborhoods to the east are
protected from the windy and foggy
conditions while areas such as the
The fog as it creeps onto the city
Sunset District, located on the west
side of San Francisco experience very cold and extremely windy conditions. In fact, the eastern
side experiences more sunny days on average per year compared to the western side of the
city.
With a whopping population of 852,469 (census in 2014) situated in 46.87 square miles,
San Francisco is the second-most densely populated major American city, falling short of New
York. Surprisingly, San Francisco has a minority-majority population with whites making only
41.9% of the population. The rest of the population consists of 33% Asians, 6% African
Americans, 15% Hispanic and Latinos, and the other 4.1% consisting of other ethnicities. Most

of these racial demographics are concentrated in certain districts in the city. The Chinese are
concentrated most in Chinatown, the Sunset District, and the Richmond District whereas the
majority of Hispanics and Latinos reside in the Mission District, the Tenderloin District, and the
Excelsior District. With such a diverse group enclaves, its no wonder why San Francisco is
regarded as one of the most culturally diverse and unique cities found in the world. Its diversity
in cultures and people can be traced back to its long and rich history of various groups coming
to the California coast, seeking opportunity, a better life, and change.
San Francisco, a city that has been heard of around the world and known for its culture,
prosperity, diversity, and uniqueness stands today as a testament to the progress of man. It was
only a mere 240 years ago that the first Europeans stepped foot on the golden coast of San
Francisco and 167 years ago that the first discovery of gold brought waves of travelers and
immigrants to the wild west coast in search of great fortune. It was a series of events, both
good and bad, that made San Francisco the city it is today. From the gold rush to the great
earthquakes of 1906 and 1989, the success of San Francisco can only be attributed to the
people that have inhabited the city, the cultures and history that arose from it, and the
perseverance and affinity for success that has propelled this monument to man from a small
sawmill in the hills of the Bay to the sprawling metropolitan giant it is today.

References
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Montagne, Renee. "Remembering the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake." NPR. NPR, 11
Apr. 2006. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.

National Park Service. "1906 Earthquake and the Army." National Park Service. National
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O'Day, Edward F. "The Founding of San Francisco - 1776." The Founding of San Francisco
- 1776. The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.

SF Gate. "The Haight." SFGate. SF Gate, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.

Thompson, Erwin N. "THE ROCK: A HISTORY OF ALCATRAZ ISLAND, 1847-1972." THE

ROCK: A HISTORY OF ALCATRAZ ISLAND, 1847-1972 HISTORIC RESOURCE STUDY GOLDEN GATE
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Mar. 2016.

Way Back Machine. "Chinatown/Grant Avenue." Chinatown : San Francisco

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