What state is San Francisco? City of San Francisco. Climate summary

San Francisco began as a city of adventurers obsessed with the glitz of the Gold Rush and the possibility of instant riches. From the small settlement of Yerba Buena it has grown to a large modern city that today attracts thousands of tourists.

Unfortunately, everything that was built before 1906 has practically not survived. As a result of a massive earthquake, old San Francisco ceased to exist. But gradually a new one began to appear - with magnificent squares, business districts and huge parks.

There are many amazing places in the city - this is Pier 39 with a colony of Californian lions that have settled right within the city limits, and a mysterious prison island, and a group of miraculously surviving Victorian mansions. In a word, everyone can find an attraction to their taste.

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What to see and where to go in San Francisco?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walks. Photos and brief description.

The main transport artery of Northern California and a recognizable symbol of San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge opened to traffic in 1937. The design was loved not only by motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Many film directors have featured the Golden Gate in their films. Grandiose flying flights of red color can be seen in the films “Interview with the Vampire”, “Terminator 4”, “Superman” and others. The bridge was built according to the design of D. Strauss, I. Morrow and C. Ellis. The length of the structure is 2737 meters, width is 27 meters.

Former prison on an island in San Francisco Bay. This place became famous for the fact that famous and especially dangerous criminals were kept here under the strictest security. Until its closure in 1963, not a single person managed to escape from Alcatraz and survive. In 1969, the island was occupied by Indian leaders who protested against the government and believed that the Americans had forcibly occupied their rightful lands. Currently, Alcatraz has been converted into a museum.

Historical public transport, which began operating in 1873. The cable tram moves like a funicular along a cable car, that is, the engine is not in the car itself, but in the depot at the substation. Now this transport is used more as a tourist attraction, but the system is capable of transporting up to 7 million passengers per year. In the middle of the 20th century, there was a serious struggle to preserve the historical line; in the end, after several reconstructions, it was decided to leave the tram.

One of the central squares of San Francisco, located in the district of the same name. It is surrounded by huge shopping centers, boutiques, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, salons and galleries. Life here is in full swing around the clock and does not stop for a minute. The square is the starting point for exploring the city; locals make dates and business meetings here.

Picturesque street, or, more precisely, a 400-meter section of the highway, located on Russian Hill. Lombard Street is famous for being shaped like a winding ribbon that descends to the highway at a fairly steep angle. For cars this is a rather difficult section of the road, but for tourists it is an interesting sight, like an attraction. The road surface of the street is made of red brick, with green lawns planted along the edges.

A city park with a fairly large territory (the area is about 400 hectares), which begins in the city center and ends on the ocean coast. Inside there are artificial lakes, hills, islands, waterfalls, dunes, plains, and several museums. The park has all the conditions for sports, walking, cycling and just relaxing. In terms of attendance, the Golden Gate is second only to New York's Central Park.

A group of Victorian houses that survived the 1906 earthquake. The attraction is located on the territory of the elite city quarter of Nob Hill. The houses received the name “Painted Ladies” due to their architecture and bright exterior colors, which B. Kardum worked on in 1963. The picturesque wooden facades of the buildings are decorated with balconies, towers, verandas and other architectural delights.

A tourist port area, which is famous for its abundance of fish restaurants, shops, and museums. Ferries to Alcatraz depart from here, as well as a cable car line. During the Gold Rush, Fisherman's Wharf became a habitat for unlucky gold miners who turned to fishing for a living. The Maritime Historical Park is located in the area.

A marina with a wide variety of entertainment options, it is a popular vacation spot for visitors and residents of San Francisco. The main attraction of Pier 39 is the California sea lion rookery. Special wooden platforms have been built for the animals in the water, on which they rest and bask in the sun in whole flocks. In total, about 1,500 lions live in the pier area; they first appeared in the bay in 1989.

Bright and colorful Chinatown with traditional red lanterns and pagodas. Chinatown is not only a place of residence for emigrants from the Middle Kingdom, but also a popular tourist attraction. The area began to take shape in the mid-19th century and became home to numerous Chinese refugees from Guangdong. Over more than 150 years of history, the quarter has grown and acquired its own infrastructure.

A small urban area with a large population of sexual minorities. Rainbow flags of the LGBT community are hung everywhere in the streets of the neighborhood. Local attractions are dedicated to the history of the emergence and development of the gay movement, as well as its struggle for equality. There is the LGBT History Museum, the famous Twin Peaks gay club with glass walls, and the Pink Triangle park.

Construction of the temple began in 1906 after the earthquake and lasted more than 50 years. Due to the seismic instability of the area, the architect had to abandon additional elements of façade decoration, as they could be destroyed during a natural disaster. The interior of the cathedral is made in the neo-Gothic style with numerous stained glass windows, frescoes and massive bronze gates.

The structure is located on the shore of an artificial lake. It is not a palace in the literal sense; the structure is an open arched colonnade of white stone, surrounded by a picturesque park. In fact, the Palace of Fine Arts is a more durable replica of an exhibit from the 1915 exhibition, which was called the “Tower of Gems.” The residents of San Francisco loved the structure so much that they called it a palace and decided to preserve it for the city.

The largest museum on the West Coast of the United States and the second most popular in the entire country. Works by contemporary artists who worked in the 20th-21st centuries are exhibited here. Among the exhibits are works by Pollock, Klee, Matisse, Saarinen, Warhol and other famous masters. The gallery opened in 1935; in 1995, an original modern building designed by M. Botta was built for it.

Interactive exhibition founded by experimental physicist F. Oppenheimer in 1969. Some visitors call it the “mad scientist museum.” Oppenheimer himself could not hold academic positions after being accused of anti-American activities. He took a job as a high school science teacher. At this time, he carried out many experiments to study the properties of the environment and materials, which became preparations for the future museum.

The exhibition is located on the territory of the Golden Gate Park. Its founder was M. de Young, a journalist from a local news agency. The exhibition halls house a collection of objects and works of art belonging to the period of the 17th – 21st centuries. – paintings, clothes, furniture, etc. Basically, the exhibits were collected in North and South America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Museum of Natural History, which is also a serious scientific organization. The Academy was founded in the middle of the 19th century. The team is engaged in educational work, organizing exhibitions and conducting scientific research in various fields, which include marine botany, ichthyology, ornithology, paleontology, anthropology and other disciplines.

The exhibition is housed in a building that previously belonged to the Public Library. The museum displays exhibits brought from various parts of the Asian region. There is also a shop at the gallery where you can buy jewelry, Chinese porcelain, silk and various antiques. There are free guided tours around the museum grounds.

The museum opened to the public in 2009 thanks to the efforts of the daughter of a famous cartoonist. The building is located on the territory of Presidio Park. Here is a collection of personal belongings of W. Disney, his sketches and designs, models and other exhibits. One of the walls of the building where the exhibition is located is made of glass. Thanks to this, you can admire the picturesque views of the San Francisco Bay.

An open-air museum in the bay. It includes several facilities: a library, the museum itself, a marina and a visitor center. The exhibition is dedicated to the history of shipbuilding and navigation, as well as some events in the naval history of the United States. On the pier you can look at historical ships of the 19th-20th centuries. The museum library stores ancient documents - drawings, archives and maps.

The City Hall building of 1915, built in an elegant Bozar architectural style designed by A. Brown Jr. The building is crowned with a monumental dome, the interior is dominated by marble decoration, and statues of the mayors of San Francisco are installed in the corridors. Tours of City Hall are organized for tourists, or you can go inside on your own - on weekdays admission is free.

The largest market in San Francisco, very popular among tourists. The retail space is located in the ferry terminal building, which is located in the central part of San Francisco. In addition to shops with a large selection of drinks and quality products, the market has a cafe, counters with prepared food and sections with products from local farms.

Pyramid skyscraper, the tallest building in San Francisco. Construction of the structure was completed in the 1970s. The tower reaches a height of 260 meters, it contains 48 floors, where offices and various retail premises are located. Every day 1.5 thousand people come here to work. Tourists cannot climb to the top of the tower, since only the first floor is open to the public.

The structure is located on top of Telegraph Hill. The tower is an architectural monument of a difficult period in US history - the Great Depression (1930s). Inside, the walls of the building are painted with frescoes demonstrating current themes of those years: economic difficulties, unemployment, social protest. There are even drawings that depict sympathy for communist ideas.

A shopping center and entertainment complex located in the central part of San Francisco. The interior of the building is made in a somewhat pompous style for such a place; many structures are decorated with gilding and trimmed with marble. Inside the shopping center there are more than 170 high-end stores and several expensive restaurants. Westfield opened in 1988.

A baseball stadium located in one of the suburbs of San Francisco. It is an important sporting venue and a popular tourist attraction. The arena is home to the San Francisco Giants (a member of the US Major League Baseball). AT&T Park is not only capable of hosting matches, it is also ideal for hosting concerts, festivals and other large-scale public events.

A garden in a traditional Japanese style, located within the city's Golden Gate Park. In 1894, it was a temporary exhibit at the World's Fair, but later became a permanent garden. The gardener-emigrant from Japan M. Hagiwara took care of the park for a long time. Thanks to his works, visitors can admire picturesque alleys, pagodas, streams, cherry blossoms, arched bridges and stone statues.

A hill with an observation deck offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. There is a natural park on the slopes. It is best to arrive at the site before sunset. At this time, the sun's rays flood San Francisco with golden light and bright reflections play in the waters of the bay. According to many tourists, not a single skyscraper observation deck can compare with Twin Peaks.

A beach on the Pacific Ocean located in the westernmost part of Golden Gate Park. The Great Highway runs along the beach. The water in this place is quite cool, and in summer there can be fogs at temperatures as low as 9°C. It is better to visit the beach in late autumn or early spring. Ocean Beach is the most attractive for surfing, but there are often dangerous currents.

A small beach with a length of 800 meters, located in the northwestern part of San Francisco. It's great for hiking, barbecuing or sunbathing, but the water is too cold for swimming. From the beach you can clearly see the Golden Gate Bridge framed by picturesque coastal hills. Baker Beach is quite popular among nudists; the northern side of the beach is specially reserved for them.

If you think San Francisco is all about the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars, you're right, it is. However, in addition to these well-known symbols, the city has a rich history, beautiful architecture, but the main thing that its residents are proud of is the unofficial title of the freest city in the world, which San Francisco proudly wears. At different times, in some amazing way it became a center of attraction for adventurers and out-of-the-box thinkers - it is no coincidence that the hippie movement was born here.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the "hallmark" of San Francisco Understanding why this city is the “freest” is not so difficult if you remember the history of San Francisco. Indians lived on its territory for tens of thousands of years, but in 1776 the Spaniards arrived here. At that time the settlement was called Yerba Buena. In 1848, the city began to rapidly develop and grow - mainly due to the Gold Rush epidemic that covered these places; It was then that it received its modern name. In just a year, the population of San Francisco increased from 1,000 to 25,000 people; people came here from all over the world in search of work, but especially many people from China. China Town still occupies a significant part of the city; a fifth of San Francisco's population is Chinese.

In 1906, the city was almost destroyed by a strong earthquake, during which three thousand people died and another 300 thousand were left homeless. However, over time it was restored. In the 80s of the last century, there was another devastating earthquake in the city, which destroyed the highway that ran along the embankment. By the way, they didn’t restore it, but now the city has a wonderful walking area.

Today, San Francisco is one of the most vibrant cities in America, home to many cultures and nationalities. The hippie revolution that happened here in the late 60s of the last century turned it into a center of attraction for creative, unconventional and free-thinking people. Some of them are still here today - those who took part in the Summer of Love festival in 1967, speaking on the side of the sexual revolution and proclaiming personal freedom as the highest good a person can have.

Participants of the Summer of Love festival in San Francisco

San Francisco, late 60s In the 1980s, San Francisco once again became an epicenter of dissent, this time thanks to homosexuals who first felt free here. Today, almost 15 percent of the city's residents are representatives of sexual minorities - this is more than in any other city in the world. By the way, it was here, in the gay quarter of Castro, that the symbol of the LGBT community once appeared - the rainbow flag. Harvey Milk, the first American politician to openly declare his sexuality, also lived here. However, adherents of traditional love feel no less free here.

To get to know San Francisco, a couple of days is not enough - this place is worth spending at least a week here.

Marina Savelyeva (HELLO.RU) “grabbed” the symbol of the city - the cable tram Most travelers first rush to see the main attraction captured on every postcard - the Golden Gate Bridge. However, the bridge is far from the most interesting thing in this city. What is truly surprising here are the people. Elderly hippies, street musicians, gays and married couples with children do not interfere with each other at all, living side by side.

Dolores Park in San Francisco In addition to walking, during which it is best to get to know the townspeople, renting housing from local residents will also help you get closer to the city. Instead of checking into hotels located in the tourist center of the city, it is much better to opt for one of the options available in abundance on the Airbnb website and spend a week in a regular residential area.

Haight-Ashbury area.

This is one of the most interesting areas of the city. Firstly, one of the few neighborhoods that were not destroyed by the 1906 earthquake. Accordingly, Haight-Ashbury retains ancient buildings dating back to the 19th century. Secondly, this particular area is considered the birthplace of hippies. In the 50s of the 20th century, one could buy the cheapest housing in the city here, which provoked an influx of representatives of countercultures. As a result, in 1967, the center of this “movement” was formed here - thousands of people from all over the world celebrated the “Summer of Love”. By the 1980s, it had already become part of history, and now Haight-Ashbury is considered a fairly prestigious area to live in. Artists and musicians live here, next to hippies, who can still be found here. While walking around Haight-Ashbury, don’t be afraid to turn into alleys - there you can see a lot of bright graffiti that is painted on the walls of houses. Most of them are original slogans with the help of which “flower children,” just like 50 years ago, call for love and freedom. By the way, graffiti is not only in this area, there is a lot of it throughout the city.

Graffiti depicting Carlos Santana, who lived in San FranciscoGraffiti in San Francisco takes up entire streets

An area where for every square meter there is a symbol of the LGBT community. Rainbow flags can be seen in every window, all souvenirs in stores have the same symbols. Even the crosswalk in Castro is colorful! And this is not just like that. Castro is a gay neighborhood.

LGBT symbols are everywhere in the Castro area

Entire generations of people free from prejudice have grown up in San Francisco.

However, you shouldn’t expect to be surrounded by scantily clad men on the streets, standing up for their right to love each other. Residents of this area have not been proving anything to anyone for a long time - they just live. If it weren’t for the multi-colored flags (which mostly appeared here in support of the recently passed law in the United States allowing representatives of sexual minorities to enter into legal marriage), you would hardly immediately understand how this area differs from others. Perhaps after a couple of hours, sitting in a cafe or standing in line at the checkout in a store, you would involuntarily catch yourself thinking that there are mostly men around.

Chinatown

As already mentioned, a fifth of San Francisco's population is Chinese. They are mostly descendants of immigrants who arrived here in the 19th century in search of work. However, if you decide to get around the city by taxi, every other driver will be Chinese and will most likely speak terrible English. During the earthquake, China Town was destroyed and then completely rebuilt. Today the district occupies a fairly large area in the city.

Lombard Street

The steepest street in the city in every sense, one section of which has an inclination angle of 27 degrees. The speed of vehicles here is limited to 8 km/h, but no one tries to go faster: mostly tourists come to Lombard Street who want to take a closer look at the street and therefore are in no hurry to pass quickly.

Vintage shops

For lovers of vintage and flea markets, San Francisco is a real paradise. In the numerous shops located throughout the city, you can find anything from designer jewelry for $2-3 to a spectacular leather chair from the 50s for $80.

Decades of fashion - one of the largest stores with vintage items

Showcase of the Decades of fashion store: here you can buy both real antique clothing items and modern ones, made in an antique style.

A dress with history can be bought for $30And a real vintage bathing suit - for $15

Silicon Valley

In the southwest of San Francisco lies Silicon Valley (or Silicon Valley, as we call it) - the largest technology center in the world. It is home to technical universities and the head offices of Adobe, Apple, eBay, Google, Facebook, Oracle, Yahoo!, LinkedIn and many other companies. The staff includes some of the best scientists in the world, many of whom reside in San Francisco. If you have the opportunity to visit any of these offices, go - you won't regret it. The internal structure of organizations is unusual and interesting. Airbnb was also founded in San Francisco in 2008 and is headquartered here.

After walking the streets and observing the life of local residents, you can go on “spot” excursions - visit the famous Pier 39, where dozens of sea lions rest, and have lunch at Fisherman's Wharf. The best view of the city opens from Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. At a height of 210 meters, you can take excellent panoramic pictures of the city; entry to the tower is free, but you will have to pay to go to the observation deck.

The famous Pier 39 is a favorite place for sea lions

Another place that it would be criminal not to visit when arriving in San Francisco is the famous Alcatraz prison. It is located on the island of the same name, which can be seen from the pier. Now the prison has been disbanded, within the walls of the gloomy buildings there is a museum that reminds visitors that at the beginning of the 20th century there was one of the strictest prisons in the world, where especially dangerous criminals served their sentences. The narrow windows of the cells were positioned in such a way that the prisoners could see the city and free life in it, realizing even more clearly that it was now inaccessible to them. It is believed that not a single prisoner managed to escape from Alcatraz, although attempts were made. Even those who managed to leave its walls could not reach the shore alive due to the cold waters and strong currents in the bay.

View of the island and Alcatraz prison from Coit Tower

It's also worth taking a look at the Painted Ladies, six colorful houses in the Alamo Square area. These and several thousand more houses were built in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. The earthquake destroyed most of the buildings, but these six houses remained intact. The fashion for bright, colorful houses at the end of the 19th century was widespread, local newspapers even wrote that if someone's house does not have a lemon or, for example, bright blue tint, then its owner simply has no taste. Following these houses, also called the "Six Sisters", "Painted Ladies" began to be called the colorful houses of the Victorian era throughout America.

And finally, about the Golden Gate. This red bridge, almost 2.5 kilometers long, is a symbol of San Francisco. Despite the beauty of the object, it has a rather dark reputation. People called the Golden Gate the “suicide bridge”, because over the almost 80 years of its existence, more than 1,000 people said goodbye to their lives with its help. The thick fog that envelops the bridge most of the time looks impressive and mysterious on postcards, but in real life it can make it difficult to see the bridge. So when planning a trip to Golden Gate, be sure to check the weather forecast.

Marina Savelyeva (HELLO.RU)

A few more tips:

1. For the USA, San Francisco has a well-developed public transport system, but local residents prefer to travel by car. So when planning a trip, be prepared to spend $30 to $50 a day on a 20-minute round trip. Or you can travel by bus, it will cost you 5-7 dollars per day, but a taxi is, of course, more convenient and faster.

2. Getting around the city will be easier if you use Uber taxi services. In American Uber, everything is exactly the same as in Russian, and you don’t even have to reinstall the application on your phone - it will simply adapt to the country on the spot. However, there is one caveat: in America, Uber includes a Pool function, by selecting which you can take a travel companion along the way and split the bill in half with him.

3. Writer Jack London was born in San Francisco, actors Robin Williams and Savely Kramarov lived here, and the houses of Carlos Santana and Steven Spielberg are still located here to this day. Find out where they lived in advance so you can see the city through their eyes.

San Francisco is a city in the western part of the United States on the Pacific coast. San Francisco received this sonorous name in honor of the Catholic saint Francis of Assisi. The city is part of the state of California and is the fourth most populous in it. The total area of ​​the city is 600.6 km², of which only 121.4 km² is occupied by land. San Francisco occupies the northern tip of the peninsula of the same name and is washed on three sides by the waters of both the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. According to recent data, the city's population is 884,363 (2017).

The founding year of San Francisco is considered to be 1776. It was in this year that the Spanish settled the coast of the peninsula, establishing a mission in honor of St. Francis and erecting a fort near the Golden Gate. The resulting small town was named Yerba Buena, which translated meant “good grass.” The modern name appeared in 1848, when the city began to grow irrepressibly due to the California gold rush. The rebirth of San Francisco dates back to 1906. That year the city was severely damaged by an earthquake, fire and flood, and then was practically rebuilt from scratch.

The climatic features of San Francisco include summer fogs and cold winds. However, despite such inhospitable weather, the city is very popular among tourists. Tourism forms the basis of the city's economy. In terms of the number of foreign tourists, San Francisco ranks fifth in the United States. Connoisseurs of Victorian and modern architecture, museum art, ethnic festivals and fairs, as well as fans of surfing and other water sports come here. US attractions located directly in San Francisco deserve special attention. Tourists especially appreciate Alcatraz Island, Pier 39, the famous Golden Gate Bridge and the world's largest Chinatown.

Another thriving industry in San Francisco is banking. It was here that the Bank of America was founded at the beginning of the 20th century, and today the main financial center of the country’s west coast, called the “Wall Street of the West,” is located. A significant take-off in San Francisco's economy occurred with the advent of Silicon Valley in the area. It is a leading center for innovative technology in America, where the bulk of the country's scientific and technological potential is located. It is home to high-tech companies that create computers and software. The pharmaceutical industry in the city is no less developed. The region is home to hundreds of companies involved in regenerative medicine, biotechnology and biomedicine, genetic engineering and medical electronics.

San Francisco is considered a city of different religions, racial groups, nationalities and interests. Moreover, more than a third of the city's residents were born outside the United States. One of the obvious problems in San Francisco is the large number of homeless people. This is a “chronic disease” of the city that appeared in the 1980s and contributed to the rise in crime rates. It is curious that in some areas and suburbs of San Francisco there are large communities of Russian-speaking people. For example, the Richmond area is famous for its large concentration of Russian restaurants and shops, and in one of the most prestigious areas of the city, Pacific Heights, the Consulate General of the Russian Federation has been operating for a long time. The Museum of Russian Culture and St. Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral deserve special attention. Another feature of San Francisco is the progressive views of city residents towards gay minorities. According to some estimates, about 15% of the population belongs to sexual minorities, which puts San Francisco first in terms of the number of gays and lesbians in the United States.

Based: 1776
Square: 600.6 km 2
Population: 884,363 people (2017)
Currency: U.S. $
Language: English
Official website: http://www.sfgov.org

Current time in San Francisco:
(UTC -8)

San Francisco is a city of amazing beauty, mysteries and dozens of hills. Even pragmatic Americans distinguish it from other large cities, calling it “the pearl of the West Coast.” Such iconic personalities as Jack London, Isadora Duncan, Clint Eastwood, Steve Jobs, Bruce Lee were born and spent a lot of time in this city. Soviet actor Savely Kramarov spent the last years of his life in the suburbs of San Francisco. The picturesque views of the city are known from many films and TV series. For example, “Basic Instinct”, “Intuition”, “Between Heaven and Earth”, “Detective Nash Bridges”, “Zodiac”, the television series “Slithers”. San Francisco is also well known for modern computer games. Among them are the games Mafia, Need for Speed, Homefront, Resistance 2.

How to get to San Francisco

At the moment, there are no direct flights from Russian cities to San Francisco, but many European and Asian airlines fly to San Francisco Airport with connections at their home airports. Below is a list of all airlines flying from Russia to San Francisco. The transfer city is indicated in parentheses.

• Lufthansa (Frankfurt am Main): Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod
• British Airways (London): Moscow, St. Petersburg
• Air France (Paris): Moscow, St. Petersburg
• KLM (Amsterdam): Moscow, St. Petersburg
• Emirates (Dubai): Moscow, St. Petersburg
• Korean Air (Seoul): Vladivostok, Irkutsk
• Swiss (Zurich): Moscow, St. Petersburg
• Asiana (Seoul): Vladivostok, Khabarovsk
• Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong): Vladivostok, Khabarovsk
• Delta (Los Angeles/New York): Moscow
• SAS (Copenhagen): Moscow

An alternative option to get to San Francisco is via Los Angeles, which is easier and often cheaper to get to. Read more about this in the section “How to get to Los Angeles”. In this case, you can explore both the city famous from Hollywood films and San Francisco itself. You can get from the City of Angels in various ways - by bus, train, rented car or plane, read more about this.

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Story

Long before Europeans arrived on the continent, the San Francisco Peninsula was inhabited by Indian tribes. The Europeans managed to find one of these tribes called Oloni, which translated meant “Western people”. The camp of the Ohlone tribe was found on the coast of the town of Big Sur. In November 1769, a group of Spanish explorers led by Gaspar de Portula first visited San Francisco Bay, and seven years later the Mission of St. Francis of Assisi, otherwise known as Mission Dolores, appeared here. To provide cover, a small military fort was erected, where the Presidio Park is now located.

In 1821, Mexico officially declared its independence from Spain. Since then, San Francisco, as well as the entire state of California, began to belong to Mexico. The first city plan was created in 1835 by the Englishman William Richardson. He renamed the mission Yerba Buena. In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, the United States received rights to California. That same year, Yerba Buena's population doubled due to newly arrived Mormons. A couple of years later the city was renamed San Francisco. The swamps there were drained to create new land for construction.

In 1848, the famous California Fever began, attracting tens of thousands of immigrants to the state. By 1849, San Francisco's population had grown from 1,000 to 25,000, and continued to grow exponentially for the next 50 years. Large numbers of Chinese workers were recruited to work in the gold mines. After the gold rush they continued working on the transcontinental railroad. Thus, the Chinese of San Francisco founded the largest Chinatown in the country and one of the largest Chinese diasporas in the world.

During the gold rush, wealthy bankers and tycoons began to appear in San Francisco, whose names are still known to this day. These are Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles Coker, Colins P. Huntington. These lucky mine owners quickly filled the Nob Hill area with mansions. Today, many of their buildings have become famous hotels, such as the Mark Hopkins Hotel or the Huntington Hotel. It was a period of great migration, and since the townspeople needed new jobs, new companies began to appear. These include Levi Strauss & Co., Ghirardelli, Wells Fargo, etc.

Not everything was rosy in the development of San Francisco. Unrest soon began over the brutal exploitation of immigrants, followed by riots in Chinatown. In this regard, in 1882, a law was passed to reduce the number of immigrants allowed in the city. This law lasted until 1943.

Another major problem affecting San Francisco occurred in 1855, when a ship carrying cholera-infected refugees from the Far East arrived in the city. This problem was solved with the help of the Sisters of Mercy, who worked in the city's hospitals at that time, but this epidemic greatly affected the demographics of San Francisco. In 1900, another infected ship docked in the city. This time the city was gripped by an epidemic of bubonic plague and the carriers were rats.

One of the most difficult periods in San Francisco was 1906, which brought a devastating earthquake and then a fire. The city was partially flooded and then burned by fire. Most of the inhabitants were trapped between these elements, and 80% of the city, including its center, was destroyed. Many people were saved thanks to an organized evacuation across the bay. Refugee camps have opened in the Golden Gate Bridge Park, Ocean Beach, and several other undeveloped areas. According to official data, more than 3,000 people became victims of the disaster, and most of the survivors were left homeless for a long time. Immediately after the earthquake, a plan was developed to rebuild and restore San Francisco. The main planner was again Daniel Burnham. By the end of the 19th century, San Francisco was suffering from corruption and the mafia. The time for reform and change was ripe. Elected in 1896, Mayor James D. Phelan came up with a new system for increasing city funds and a redevelopment plan. His dream was to turn San Francisco into the “Paris of the West.” 17 new schools, a main library and hospital, a new sewer system, and 2 parks were built. Later, with the help of the famous American architect Daniel Burnham, Phelan developed a plan to widen the boulevards, create open parks and squares, as well as a global fifty-year reconstruction of the city. As a result, not everything was realized, but many ideas were brought to fruition. These include the current subway lines under Market Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Embarcadero Boulevard, and the Opera House across from City Hall.

The period after World War II was marked by the construction of new expressways in San Francisco. However, during the implementation of this plan, an unexpected problem arose. Due to population density, the construction of highways meant that many city residents could become homeless. For this reason, in 1959 it was decided to suspend road construction. Moreover, another earthquake in 1989 partially damaged the Central Highway and destroyed the Embarcadero road. City residents decided not to restore these areas, but to rebuild them. Thus, a historical embankment appeared on the site of the Embarcadero highway.

Justin Herman, a Harvard graduate, played a major role in the reconstruction of San Francisco. In the 1950s, he started renovating nature reserves and dividing the city into large areas filled with modern buildings. His projects include Yerba Buena Gardens, Japantown, Embarcadero Center, Geary Street.

In the 1960s, San Francisco experienced the hippie era, and even became the epicenter of boiling music, psychotropic drugs, creative and sexual freedom. The most important event of the hippie era was the Summer of Love in 1967. During this period, thousands of hippies from all over the world came to the Haight-Ashbury area to celebrate freedom and love. This unique phenomenon was akin to a cultural, social and political revolution.

Successive mayors of San Francisco have brought something new. For example, Dianne Feinstein, who ruled from 1978 to 1988, organized the Manhattanization of the city. It was a global reconstruction associated with the appearance of many skyscrapers. Manhattanization especially affected the city's financial district. There were many who disagreed with the massive development of skyscrapers in San Francisco, and the “high-rise revolution” began. In this regard, restrictions on construction appeared.

The 1980s saw the emergence of many homeless people in US cities. This problem has not escaped San Francisco either. Many mayors tried to solve it, each in their own way. While Mayor Art Egnos allowed the homeless to camp and coexist peacefully, Mayor Jordan solved the problem by forcibly removing all homeless people from the city. The next mayor, Willie Brown, simply ignored the problem, and homeless people again flooded the streets of San Francisco. His successor, Gavin Newsom, developed the Care Not Money program, which provided rehabilitation services and employment opportunities to all homeless people.

In the 1990s, San Francisco became a computer city. The close proximity to Silicon Valley played a significant role in this. Internet businessmen, leading programmers and other high-tech specialists began to come here more and more often, which greatly influenced the city’s economy and employment. Thus, the field of computer technology has become the main one in the city.

Climate and weather in San Francisco

Weather forecast

Weather in San Francisco by month

Reviews by month

Transportation San Francisco

San Francisco is considered to have the most developed public transportation system on the West Coast of the United States. More than a third of the city's population uses public transport daily, which includes buses (diesel and hybrid), trolleybuses, above-ground and underground light rail, and even historic cable trams. All transport within the city is part of the MUNI system.

Photos of San Francisco

Districts

San Francisco's urban landscape is diverse. It is based on hills, ethnic areas and neighborhoods, picturesque parks and coastal areas.

It is not known for certain how many hills there are in the city, but their approximate number is 50. Many of the hills of San Francisco are so famous that they are included in the city’s landmarks. For example, a popular hill Twin Peaks, luxury Nob Hill And Russian Hill.

Geographically, San Francisco is divided into forty districts that are not similar to each other. Many of them are residential and are divided into groups of neighborhoods. However, the following areas are especially popular among tourists: Union Square, Chinatown, Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Sunset, Richmond, Treasure Island, Civic Center, South of Market, Mission, Fisherman's Wharf.

There are more than 200 parks in San Francisco. The largest and most famous of them is Golden Gate Park, which stretches from the city center to the Pacific coast.

The coastal strip of San Francisco is represented by a long beach Ocean Beach. The water here is not calm and not particularly suitable for swimming, but this does not stop brave surfers who are not afraid of low temperatures and strong ocean currents.

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks translated from English means “twin hills”. In accordance with the name, the hill is represented by two identical hills. This place has become especially popular among tourists since the release of the action-packed TV series Twin Peaks, although it has no direct connection with the hills. The main advantage of the hills is that from their top there is a magnificent view of San Francisco. This is a kind of observation deck of the city, which locals call Christmas tree point. It is best to visit the hills in the late afternoon, when everything around lights up with colorful lights. Telescopes are installed on Twin Peaks for better viewing. Geographically, Twin Peaks is located in the central part of San Francisco and is the second highest point in the city. The hills are located at a distance of 200 meters from each other and have their own names. For example, the southern hill is called Noe Peak, and the northern one is Eureka Peak. During big holidays with fireworks, Twin Peaks gets crowded. This is especially noticeable on US Independence Day - July 4th. It can be windy at the top all year round, so it is better to go there in outerwear.

Nob Hill

Nob Hill is a favorite place of the rich and the most luxurious area of ​​​​San Francisco. The top of Nob Hill is home to luxury hotels, superb views of the surrounding area and a cable car. Nob Hill has always attracted wealthy people from all over the world. They tried to buy a house or mansion here. However, even the height of the famous hill did not save them from the earthquake that struck California at the beginning of the 20th century. Of all the buildings in the area, only one house survived, which belonged to James Flood. Today it houses the Pacific Union Club, and luxurious Victorian buildings have risen on the site of the destroyed houses. Until 1850, the hill was called California, in honor of the street adjacent to the east - California-Street. The current name is a shortened version of the word nobility, which means “to know, nobility.” The best way to get to the top of the hill is by cable car. Of particular interest to tourists is the neo-Gothic cathedral in the center of the area. Nob Hill is adjacent to areas such as Union Square and Chinatown.

Russian Hill (Russian Hill)

Russian Hill is another upscale San Francisco hill neighborhood located near Nob Hill. The name Russian Hill means “Russian hill”. The most famous part of the area is Lombard Street. It is considered the most winding serpentine street in the world. There are also many green pedestrian alleys and an amazingly beautiful panorama of the bay. Another attraction in the area is the San Francisco Art Institute. Historically, San Francisco has always had large Russian settlements. The hill received this name during the Gold Rush, when a small Russian cemetery was discovered on its top. Over time, the cemetery was moved. Presumably these were the burials of Russian sailors and entrepreneurs from Fort Ross, a Russian settlement on the shores of Northern California in the 19th century. It is known that at the beginning of the 20th century, Russian Hill was also densely populated by Russian emigrants, in particular Molokans. The writers Ilf and Petrov visited the hill, which they later wrote about in one of their books. Today there are almost no Russian residents on the hill, as most of them are based in the Richmond area. You can get to Russian Hill either by car or by taking the Powell-Hyde cable car line.

Union Square

In the very middle of downtown San Francisco is Union Square. It is the official center of the city's arts, theatrical life and shopping. The area surrounding the square is also called Union Square. This name comes from the demonstrations that took place here in support of the northern states at the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1864). Currently, it is the tourist and shopping epicenter of the city, where life is in full swing 24 hours a day. Union Square is home to six major department stores, many luxury boutiques and hotels, art galleries, first-class restaurants and beauty salons. The square often hosts ceremonies, public events and concerts, and at Christmas a tall fir tree is traditionally erected here. In winter, a skating rink appears here.

In the very center of the square stands a granite column with a Corinthian capital on top. On the capital you can see a bronze girl in a light dress, balancing on a ball on one leg, as well as kissing seahorses. The monument of a girl raises a trident and a laurel wreath in her hands. This composition was created in honor of Admiral Duhuy, a hero of the Spanish-American War of 1898. Another attraction of the square is the Westin St. Francis Hotel, named after the city's patron saint, St. Francis. Once upon a time, radical Sarah Jane Moore tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford near this hotel. In addition to its outstanding attractions, the Union Square area has many attractive streets for tourists. For example, Maiden Lane, which is closed to cars from 11.00 to 18.00 and turns into a cozy pedestrian area. At the same time, all the cafes in the block take tables and chairs outside. Geary Street also attracts many tourists, especially the five-storey building at number 49. At last count it houses about nineteen art galleries.

Chinatown

One of the most interesting and visited places in San Francisco is Chinatown. The area has a long history and is the largest settlement of Chinese immigrants outside of Asia. According to the latest data, the total number of Chinese in the city is more than 150 thousand people. And this figure is constantly increasing. Global immigration dates back to the Gold Rush, when large numbers of Chinese were recruited to work in the mines and to build the transcontinental railroad.

Geographically, Chinatown is located in the very center of San Francisco and consists of 24 compact blocks. Most of San Francisco's Chinese actually live in other areas of the city, such as Richmond or Sunset, but Chinatown is their cultural and political center. One of the area's landmarks is the Dragon Gate, also known as the Gateway to Chinatown. It is the official entrance to the area, located at the corner of Grant and Bush streets. This gate appeared in the city in 1970 as a gift from the People's Republic of China. In style and form they are typical of Chinese architecture and are guarded on both sides by formidable lions. A favorite place for tourists is Grant Street. This is the main commercial artery of the area, occupying seven blocks. In addition to a whole string of shops with colorful and inexpensive goods, there are restaurants, bakeries, tea clubs, traditional medicine pharmacies and other authentic establishments.

Not at all out of place, but this is where Old St. Mary's Cathedral is located. This cathedral is the only building in the area that survived the earthquake and fire in 1906. At that time, Chinatown had a bad reputation and was called “Little Shanghai”. There were many brothels and gambling houses here, and in some alleys there were opium dens. After visiting Chinatown, tourists certainly visit Ross Alley. This is where the factory that produces Chinese fortune cookies is located.

Castro

The Castro is a legendary area that is extremely popular among sexual minorities from all over the world. It was once called “Little Scandinavia” due to the large concentration of people from Northern Europe. However, in the 1970s, gay bars began to open here and the cultural center of the gay movement gradually formed. There is absolute freedom of morals in Castro: lovers do not hesitate to walk around in an embrace, the cafe verandas are full of couples, the windows are full of pornographic posters, and the roofs of the houses are decorated with a colored rainbow - the official symbol of all gays and lesbians. In other words, the Castro is the cultural center of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, that is, LGBT. The world's first gay bar is also located here - Twin Peaks Tavern at 401 Castro Street. One of the oldest cinemas in the United States - the Castro Theater - is especially popular in the area. At night, the Castro is incredibly crowded. All bars and nightclubs that are considered the best in San Francisco are opening.

In 2011, the country's first LGBT History Museum opened between Castro and Collingwood streets. On regular days, admission to the museum costs about $5, but on the first Wednesday of the month admission is free. Another interesting establishment in the Castro is Cliff's Variety Store. It's a kind of gay supermarket where you can buy everything from kitchen utensils to feather headdresses. The Castro District is impossible to miss. After all, its rainbow signs and flags can be seen from afar. The best way to get here is by electric tram, which passes through the Castro and Fisherman's Wharf. By the way, it is along this line that historical vintage trams, brought to San Francisco from all over the world, run.

Every year on the last weekend of June, San Francisco hosts the city's most important event - the Gay Pride Parade. This holiday is called Pink Saturday, translated as “Pink Saturday”. At this grand event, the city is painted in all the colors of the rainbow, and the streets are filled with muscular guys in speedos, painted transsexuals in wigs, naked bikers on motorcycles and topless girls. The main local hero is considered to be the first openly gay man, Harvey Milk, who was later awarded the post of politician in California. Although the Castro is a gay and lesbian area, locals and tourists of all orientations are always welcome.

Haight-Ashbury

Haight-Ashbury is another unique San Francisco neighborhood that rose to fame in the late 1960s as the epicenter of the hippie movement and its Summer of Love. This name appeared in connection with the location of the area at the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets. This place does not lose its popularity among creative people. Fans of the hippie movement and vintage lovers actively come here to this day. In the shops of Haight-Ashbury, the sixties are always in fashion, and in the cafes and restaurants there is a motley crowd. The windows are full of psychedelic music, records and underground comics. Sometimes there are inhabitants of the city's bottom who like to beg for change.

The most remarkable year in Haight-Ashbury was the summer of 1967, when tens of thousands of young hippies from all over the world came here to celebrate love and freedom. The entire local and national press was full of news about 14-year-old boys infesting the Haight and stupefied by drugs. More and more young people flocked to San Francisco during their summer vacations. There were sensational stories of “free love” parties being held on the floor or old mattresses. There have been cases when drug addicts tried to fly out of high-rise windows. However, the area could not withstand such a flow of people. Chaos reigned everywhere: the streets were full of drugs, homeless people, hungry people, and the crime rate had increased. To officially close the hippie movement, a "Death of the Hippie" ceremony was held in October of that year. The youth left, and the area remained in decline and ruin until the 1980s. To solve this problem, local authorities turned Haight-Ashbury into a tourist area.

The area hasn't changed much since the Summer of Love and has retained its status as the hippie revolution capital of the world. Many world celebrities were also involved in the hippie movement. For example, in the summer of 1967, Janis Joplin and Jerry Garcia came here, and The Beatles wrote the songs “All you need is love” and “She’s leaving home” especially for the Summer of Love.

Sunset

Sunset is the largest neighborhood of San Francisco, located in the central-western part of the city. Once only sand dunes, Sunset is now a developed residential and commercial area. The area is surrounded by Golden Gate Park to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The eastern and southern boundaries of the area are slightly blurred. Sunset territory is divided into two parts:

• Inner Sunset
• Outer Sunset

Inner Sunset is located closer to the center of city life and away from the ocean. In fact, it is a relaxed student area where the University of California is located. Since there is a vast park area nearby, students can relax during breaks from studying in the lap of nature. And in the evening they are attracted by the lights and noise of the big city.

Outer Sunset is always foggy and smells of the sea as it stretches along the Pacific Ocean. This area is very different from the central parts of the city. It is always quiet and peaceful here, and on the streets you can come across shops with farm products, modest restaurants and inconspicuous cafes.

Richmond

Richmond is an area in the northwestern part of San Francisco, surrounded on all sides by greenery. If in the south Richmond is connected to Golden Gate Park, then in the north it is bordered by Lincoln and Presidio parks. In the west, the area is washed by the Pacific Ocean. There is a large Russian-speaking community in San Francisco. The bulk of Russian residents live in Richmond along Geary Boulevard. Here is also the only Russian Orthodox church in the city - the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This building of unique beauty stands out against the background of other buildings in the area. Richmond also hosted a large number of Chinese immigrants. Locals sometimes call it the “New Chinatown.” Richmond always has a relaxed atmosphere. There are no trendy boutiques or noisy clubs, but there are modest restaurants serving delicious food. The name of the area is taken in honor of one of the suburbs of Melbourne.

Treasure Island (Treasure Island)

The artificial island of Treasure Island is a former US naval base in San Francisco Bay. Today it is a thriving oasis visited by many tourists. Treasure Island was created in 1936 and 1937 specifically for the international exhibition "Golden Gate". The name of the island translates as “Treasure Island” in honor of the book by R. L. Stevenson, who once lived in San Francisco. Treasure Island is connected to the mainland by the neighboring island of Yerba Buena, which is crossed by the San Francisco-Oakland Bridge. There is also a bus route through the island to the city center. On Treasure Island, hangars have been preserved from the time of the international exhibition, which are of particular interest to tourists. After all, many scenes from famous films were filmed in them. Among them are “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, “The Matrix”, “What Dreams May Come” and others. There is a version according to which they plan to turn Treasure Island into one of the “green” cities of the future.

Civic Center (Civic Center)

San Francisco's largest government and cultural institutions are located in the Civic Center neighborhood. In addition to the city hall, there are two huge squares: Civic Center Plaza and United Nations Plaza. Lovers of beautiful architecture will appreciate a number of classical-style buildings. The name Civic Center literally means "civic center." The following buildings can be seen in the area: Supreme Court of California, Asian Museum of Art, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco Institute of Arts, Conservatory of Music. The area also includes the Fox Plaza condominium. Due to the area's central location, almost all city parades, marches and ceremonies pass through it. Among them are the famous Gay Pride Parade, the Love Parade, the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, etc. Next to the Civic Center is another remarkable area - South of Market.

South of Market

The South of Market is a fairly large neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, stretching from the Embarcadero to 11th Street. The area is quickly changing its appearance and is interesting with its new buildings, skyscrapers, and the stadium of the Giants baseball team called AT&T Park. South of Market is popularly abbreviated as SoMa. SoMa is home to many hotels, chic nightclubs and restaurants, warehouses, art spaces, modern penthouses, furniture showrooms and tenacious Internet companies that managed to survive the collapse of the technology market. Recently, more and more new high-rise buildings have appeared, but there are still quite a few empty blocks here. The area owes its name to the adjacent Market Street and literally translates as “south of Market Street.” The most attractive points for tourists are located near South Park, on 11th Street and where Yerba Buena Gardens are located. South of Market attractions include the Museum of Cartoon Art, the California Historical Society, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, and the renowned Museum of Contemporary Art.

Mission

The Mission is a colorful neighborhood in the eastern part of San Francisco, home primarily to Spanish immigrants and hipsters. This name comes from the original Mission of St. Francis of Assisi, after whom the city was named. Tourists who have already seen all the sights of the city and want to see something colorful go to Mission. This is a hospitable corner of the city, where various subcultures and ethnic groups peacefully coexist. This area is like a melting pot. It has everything from expensive restaurants to grubby bars and street food. On Mission Street, stalls cluttered with baskets of produce juxtapose with colorful shops and roadside cafes serving excellent, freshly brewed coffee.

Many consider this area to be the most interesting in San Francisco. Among tourists and locals alike, Mission's diverse dining options are especially popular. There are dozens of first-class Mexican eateries, the so-called taquerias, many restaurants with Guatemalan, Nicaraguan and Salvadoran food, as well as traditional establishments of French, Chinese, Italian cuisine. The Mission District is distinguished from other parts of San Francisco by its colorful painted houses and buildings. This is the work of Latin American activist artists dating back to the 1970s. The Mission is like a magnet for creative people. There are dozens of art studios, galleries, and exhibition venues here. At the intersection of Mission Street and 16th Street, you can often see a gathering of poets, musicians and artists.

On the west coast of the United States, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, is located the most liberal city in America - San Francisco, California.

A tourist center, a financial hub, the hippie capital of the world, the creator of computer and biomedical technologies, a beautiful city - unite in one metropolis, creating a unique atmosphere of everyday life, relaxation and communication.

It has the highest standard of living, the coldest fogs and the largest number of homosexuals. All this makes the city unique, unforgettable, arousing the interest of any tourist, deservedly receiving the name “Pearl of the West Coast.”

general information

The city of San Francisco dates back 239 years. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1776, when the Spaniards founded a fort named after the Catholic Saint Francis on the coast. The small village that formed nearby was called Yerba Buzna (or Good Grass). Since then, the city has undergone several fundamental changes and turned into a large populated center.

The first event that caused the city's population to grow 70 times was the California Gold Rush. Within three years of the gold rush, the population of 500 exploded to 35,000.

Then the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake (in 1906) and rebuilt. 60 years later, San Francisco has become the center of the hippie movement and the territory of sexual freedom.

Today's San Francisco is a city of almost a million people with a high population density. 880 thousand inhabitants are settled on 120 square kilometers of land. It is the second most densely populated city in America (after).

Population

San Francisco is one of the most diverse. Among the city's population live 50% Europeans, 34% Chinese, 6% African Americans, and only 0.5% Indians. The remaining 10% are Hispanic.

Among the city's resident population there is the largest percentage of homosexuals in America (15% is the maximum for the continent). And the smallest number of children in the overall population (less than in neighboring cities, by 14%).

Almost half of the residents of the Northern Fleet have higher education. That's tightening the job market, driving up prices and making the city one of the most expensive cities to live in the United States.

The city of San Francisco is the tourist center of California. The number of visitors per year exceeds 17 million tourists. Income from the tourism sector exceeds income from any other type of activity (genetic engineering, computer technology, banking trading). Therefore, the city has established and functioning public transport, a system of hotels, restaurants and entertainment.

City districts

Modern San Francisco was built up after the destruction of 1906 (when a strong earthquake occurred). Therefore, the city streets have a clear architectural plan. Only the historical center (or Old Town) with winding but very picturesque streets is distinguished by an illogical development system.

The city on the peninsula has 40 districts. Among them, the most popular among tourists are Fisherman’s Wharf, Embankment, Central Square, and ethnic quarters.

Fishermans Wharf invites you to the Marine Historical Park, to Pier 39 with souvenir shops and seals living on it, to the Aquarium, as well as to the seaport building with a tower and an ancient clock at the top. The building houses a shopping center and a marine terminal.

The next tourist mecca is Central Union Square. There are many shops and hotels here.

An area of ​​round-the-clock festivities and entertainment welcomes tourists on the Embankment.

Financial buildings (the Financial District or "FiDi") are located in downtown San Francisco. Here are banking skyscrapers and headquarters.

Ethnic neighborhoods are areas where exclusively immigrants live and work. The Italian area of ​​North Beach is today a place of nightlife with clubs and bars. Nearby is a picturesque tower on top of Telegraph Hill (Telegraph Hill area).

China Town or Chinatown is a place where the Chinese settled. The Chinese New Year Parade is held here every year. By the way, the population of Chinatown is growing every year.

Other Asians live in Sunset. Richmond is called the new Chinatown and is teeming with Russian emigrants.

The largest number of museums is concentrated in South of Market (SoMa).

Nob Hill is a prestigious and expensive place for wealthy citizens to live. The most expensive hotels are located here.

Another upscale neighborhood is called Russian Hill, although most Russian emigrants live in Richmond.

In addition, there is the punk and hippie district of Haight-Ashbury and the gay district of the Castro.

Climate and weather

San Francisco's climate is different from the rest of California. You can't sunbathe here like in Los Angeles or bask in the sun like in Florida. The city is located south of Sochi, at the latitude of Central Asia and Ashgabat. However, summer temperatures rarely exceed 25?C. This is due to the cold Pacific current and frequent fogs.

Baker Beach

The coast in the vicinity of the city is inconvenient for sea swimming; there is cool water (in summer - no higher than +15? C) and strong surf. Surfing is complicated by underwater currents.

The coastline along San Francisco is lined with beaches. However, you can sunbathe and soak up the sun not every day. Even in sunny weather, a cold ocean wind can blow.

A characteristic feature of the climate is that there are no large temperature fluctuations. In September, during the day the air warms up to +25?C, and at night it cools down to +16?C. In January, the temperature during the day is +13?C, and at night +8?C.

The average temperature of the summer months is colder than July in Moscow. But at the same time, there are no frosts in San Francisco, and winter represents the rainy season, not the cold season. Snow is such a rare phenomenon that its occurrence has been recorded several times over the course of decades.

The foggiest weather in San Francisco is in August-September (the temperature difference between air and water reaches its maximum). November marks the beginning of the rainy season. At this time, visiting the city is not so interesting. Therefore, most visitors appear here at the end of March or beginning of April, when winter precipitation ends. One of the best periods to visit the city is April and May. Dry, warm and little fog.

How to get to San Francisco

There is no direct flight Moscow - San Francisco, you can get to Los Angeles (ticket price - 45,000 rubles, travel time - 16-18 hours) or New York.

The second option for air travel is to make a transfer in London (the cost of the entire flight is 64,000 rubles, duration is about 20 hours), Helsinki (40,000 rubles and 20 hours) or Istanbul (35,000 rubles, 21 hours).

Find cheap flight tickets Moscow-San Francisco:

My promo code SERGEY5565 will give you a discount 500 rub. for your first hotel reservation or purchase of air tickets on www.onetwotrip.com

San Francisco International Airport is located 22 kilometers from the city. Its short name is SFO(according to the code on the ticket). To get from SFO to San Francisco, you can take a taxi, minibus, or BART subway car.

Driving time by car is 20 minutes, if there are no traffic jams or congestion. Traffic without traffic complications is guaranteed by the underground metro (“BART”). This is the most inexpensive transport. Transfer from the airport will cost $8, the duration of travel will not exceed 30 minutes.

You can also use a minibus or a group taxi (shuttle). The cost of such a move is from $12 to $25 per person.

The city's attractions

Time flies by in San Francisco. I want to do everything, see everything, go everywhere. You can start exploring the city right at the entrance to the peninsula through a unique suspension bridge.

Connected the city with the opposite shore of the bay. In any weather it presents a stunning spectacle. Its length is 2.8 km. The length of each span is 1.3 km. The height above the water is almost 70 m.

Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

In addition to the bridge, San Francisco offers picturesque hills, charming parks and unusual museums.

Hills

The number of hills on which the city is located exceeds 50 (the height of each of them is more than 30 meters). Hills, fog and a suspension bridge represent the hallmark of San Francisco. The height of the most impressive hill reaches 280 m, this is Davidson Hill. There is a large cross 30 m high on it.

Among the hills, the twins are the most visited Twin Peaks. They are located in the center of residential areas and allow you to admire the panorama of the entire city.

Grand Cross on Davidson Hill in San Francisco Twin Peaks in San Francisco

Parks

The next group of city attractions are parks and green areas. Golden Gate Park stretches 5 km from the coast deep into the peninsula, here there are only artificial plantings.

There is Land's End Park, Lincoln Park and the parkland of the former Presidio military installation. The oldest park in the city is called Buena Vista; it was founded on one of the hills in 1867.

Islands

The most famous and notable island is a former prison. This Alcatraz- a maximum security prison for dangerous criminals. Today Alcatraz is open to the public as a museum.

Alcatraz - former prison island

The second notable island is named after Angels. This is a former migration camp area where military houses, ancient trees, wild animals and natural beauty have been preserved.

Museums

The number of museums in San Francisco exceeds 30. Among them: the Museum of Cable Cars, Contemporary Art, Science (Exloratorium), Ophthalmology, Mechanics, Tattoos and UFOs.

San Francisco Cable Car Museum
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The Exploratorium is an interactive science museum in San Francisco, California, USA. San Francisco Tattoo Museum

As well as a number of national museums: Mexican, Asian, African, Jewish. And also - the Russian Cultural Center.

You can easily explore the city of San Francisco on foot, sometimes using public transport. Car parking here is expensive, road traffic is unusual, with traffic jams and difficult maneuvers. Therefore, if you want to see the sights and not traffic jams, use buses or the old cable tram.

Where to stay in the city

The most inexpensive hotels in San Francisco are located near the international airport. In addition, they provide free bus services to the airport.

However, most hotels are located in the city. Living in them makes it possible to travel on foot or by public transport, with minimal travel costs. The largest concentration of hotels is in the center (Downtown and Union Square). The main shopping spots are also located here.

Crab restaurants greet visitors in the coastal areas (Marina and Fisherman's Wharf). There are also many hotels of different levels of comfort and prices.

Fewer hotels on Russian Hill. Specific hotels in San Francisco are in the Castro district (district of sexual minorities).

In addition to hotels, there is a widely operating hostel system. This is a budget accommodation where comfort is offered for less money. Here you can rent a separate room or a separate bed.

Find a hotel in San Francisco:

How to call to San Francisco?

San Francisco Area Code +1 415 , where the first digit "1"— USA country code. When calling from a mobile phone, the combination is dialed +1415 , after which the subscriber's number is dialed (7 digits). To call from a landline, dial the intercity access code (8), then the international call code (0 or 10), and only then the combination 1 415 and a seven-digit phone number.

To successfully make a call from Moscow, you need to correctly determine the time in America. The clock in San Francisco differs from the clock in Moscow by more than half a day. To find out what time it is in San Francisco now, you need to subtract 15 hours from Moscow time.

San Francisco is a city of eccentrics and experimenters, gays and businessmen. He can delight, he can attract with freedom or irritate with tolerance, but he will never leave a person indifferent. The pearl of the coast, the misty hills of California, the most romantic city in America.

Watch the amazing video:

- a city that grew out of “Good Grass”.
Located in western California, the administrative center of the district of the same name. The largest commercial, financial and industrial city in the American West. The epicenter of the 19th century gold rush. The capital of all informal youth movements of the 20th century.

San Francisco. What enthusiastic epithets were bestowed upon him! Beautiful, dazzling, mysterious... Experts say: San Francisco is the most picturesque city in America. Solid and reliable, with many banks and corporations, and at the same time free and rebellious. It was sung by the convinced romantic Jack London as “the worldwide port of residence for romantic adventures.” And Robert Stevenson noted: “This is the city of Gold, into which adventurers are carried by all the winds of heaven. I am amazed that the charm of a thousand and one nights became a reality within the lifetime of one generation.”

By American standards, San Francisco is not very big. Bounded by the ocean and natural terrain, it covers an area of ​​122 square meters. kilometer And in terms of population (730 thousand) it is not among the ten largest cities in the United States. But, nevertheless, with the suburbs of the Santa Clara Valley and the city of San Jose, San Francisco forms a huge metropolis (6.3 million people). Silicon Valley, where engineers and programmers work and new “high” technologies are created, is located right within its boundaries. The center of the US electronics industry produces a fifth of the world's electronics.

The city is located at the very tip of the peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by the ocean. But San Francisco can be called a resort conditionally. It is washed by the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. Thick fog envelops the city every night, and cool sea breezes disperse it only in the morning. There is no cold winter here, but there is no really hot summer either. The temperature throughout the year stays within +20° C. Mark Twain said about the local weather: “The coldest winter of my life was in the summer in San Francisco.” Romantics call San Francisco the city of eternal spring, and skeptics call it eternal autumn.
“Frisco”, “City”, “City by the Bay” - these are the nicknames the Americans awarded their favorite. And if California in America is called the “Golden State,” then San Francisco can be called the “Golden City.” Much in it, one way or another, reminds us of a noble metal. Golden Gate Bay, the bridge that connects the peninsula to the mainland is the Golden Gate. The beautiful city park is also called “Golden Gate”.

But don’t forget that the city’s history began much earlier than the Gold Rush. The first to visit here, in 1542, were the ships of the Portuguese Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who served the Spanish crown. In 1579, the famous English pirate F. Drake sailed off these shores. But the first settlement was founded only in 1775, when Spanish sailors discovered a bay with a convenient bay. They founded Fort Presido and the village of Yerba Buepa in this place, which translated meant “Good Grass.” It was from this “Good Grass” that the future city actually grew. Later, the tireless Spaniards missionaries built a church, which received the name of St. Francis of Azis. In 1848, Mexico lost the war with the United States and gave them the upper part of California, which included a small coastal village. The Americans began to call the town the same as the church - San Francisco.
The city began counting down its prosperity on August 19, 1848. It was on that day that the New York Herald newspaper published a sensational report: a gold deposit had been discovered in California, on the Sacramento River. This information was later confirmed by US President James Knox Polk. From that time on, settlers began to arrive in the small town with a population of five hundred people in search of fortune. In 1849, the city was inhabited by more than 10,000 adventurers, and in 1850 there were already one hundred thousand. Not only Americans came here for good luck. Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Greeks, Filipinos, Scandinavians, Mexicans, this is not a complete list of nationalities. All of them settled in their communities around the city, forming a kind of conglomerate. Now, traveling around San Francisco, you can find yourself in amazing places where residents religiously preserve the traditions of their native places.

Chinatown - Chinatown of San Francisco. This is one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia with more than 60 thousand people, and the largest in America. Walking through the streets of the quarter, you plunge into the unique atmosphere of a Chinese city - numerous pagoda-shaped buildings, ethnic restaurants, and souvenir shops. All inscriptions on cafes and shops are duplicated in Chinese and made in oriental style, and the houses of residents are painted in colors that, according to legend, should bring good luck to their owners. Red gives happiness, green - longevity, yellow promises the owner a good fate, and black - money.

Describing the history of San Francisco, one cannot help but touch upon the “Russian question” in North America. One of the 42 hills on which the city is located is called Russian Hill. Here in the middle of the 19th century. The graves of Russian seal hunters working for the Russian-American Company were discovered. And not far from Yurod, if you go north along Freeway No. 1, there are the restored remains of the wooden fortress Fort Ross, founded by Russian settlers in 1812. It is sad to realize that it was from the Russians that the enterprising American Sutter bought the land on which, eight years after the sale, gold was first discovered. Now “Russian quarters” are located in the Richmond area. Russians, like other ethnic groups of emigrants, try to preserve their identity. There are Russian restaurants, Russian cinemas showing exclusively Russian films, Russian newspapers, many of which are delivered from Moscow.

California also attracts Americans with its own lifestyle, which is so different from other states. Not only emigrants from abroad move here, internal immigration is strong here. The incredible mixture of races and peoples in the city created here an extraordinary freedom of morals and tolerance for other people's way of life. For its free inhabitants there are absolutely no strict Puritan traditions. The city's bars have become legendary. The weakness of local residents for strong drinks was emphasized by “Mr. San Francisco” - Herb Kane, a famous local historian who devoted his entire life to studying his city: “San Francisco learned to drink during the days of the gold rush and has been improving in this quality throughout its life.” And in the 50-60s of the XX century. San Francisco became the capital of the world counterculture, challenging the morals and tastes of the world of well-fed and limited ordinary people.

Young rebels Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg created the philosophy of the “beat generation” in the 1950s and its new values, among which motorcycles, alcohol, poetry and jazz came first. You can go to City Light, where Allen Ginsberg read Howl. Or visit City Lights in North Beach, the former headquarters of the Beats. It is now one of the richest and most interesting bookstores in the United States.
Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, from which a generation of hippies came to roam the world. Compared to the more aggressive beatniks, the “flower children” preferred passing cars, drugs, oriental teachings and rock. The hippies staged a half-million-strong Summer of Love here in 1967, the culmination of their movement. Now the area for tourists has been put into museum order. One of its attractions is a wildly colored psychedelic bus, which was driven across America by Ken Kesey, the author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was elevated to a cult by Hollywood Czech Miklas Forman.

One of the symbols of free America - the famous jeans - was born here. Gold mining work pants from Levi Strauss have become the iconic clothing of a rebellious generation. Mass fashion for them came with the beatniks, from the Hollywood images of James Dean and Marlon Brando. Against the backdrop of all the ups and downs, the history of this clothing is very indicative. She was working-class, then rebellious, and now the average American or European cannot imagine his life without comfortable casual trousers.
San Francisco is still one of the world leaders in the non-standard approach to life. The city is the most famous center of the civil rights movement for sexual minorities. On Christopher Street, seven-color flags are hung in the windows of many houses to ensure that no one doubts the sexual orientation of their residents.

San Francisco is located in a seismically dangerous area and does not have the San Andreas Cleft running underneath it. Now Oma “behaves” relatively calmly - 100 shocks per month with a force of less than 1 point. In modern houses such small tremors are almost unnoticeable. You notice them only when the paintings on the walls periodically change their position. But there were times when the elements showed themselves in all their power. Strong earthquakes were recorded here in 1812 and 1865. From 1849 to 1852, San Francisco experienced major fires caused by underground vibrations six times. In 1906, it was almost completely destroyed by a strong earthquake and the subsequent large fire. But the city was always rebuilt. It is no coincidence that its coat of arms is decorated with the legendary Phoenix bird, reborn not from the ashes, but from a ring of flame. After the last destruction, restoration proceeded at a truly “Stakhanovite” pace. Already in 1915, San Francisco was restored to such an extent that it was able to host the international exhibition “Panama International”.
The city's desire for constant development is characterized by the fact that during the Great Depression, when the United States was going through hard times, an ingenious project was implemented here, which has now become a symbol of San Francisco - the Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of the longest (total length - 2730 m, central span - 1280 m) and beautiful bridges in the world. It spans the bay and connects the city to the mainland. It has six lanes of car traffic, and for walkers there are two pedestrian paths. If you look down from the bridge at the fog swirling below, you get a fantastic feeling of flying. The romantic image of the bridge and the strait of the same name was sung by Jack London: “The Golden Gate actually turned golden in the rays of the setting sun, and behind them the immense expanses of the Pacific Ocean opened up. Behind them are the Pacific Ocean, China, Japan, India, and... Coral Islands. You can sail through the Golden Gate anywhere, to Australia, to Africa, to seal rookeries, to the North Pole, to Cape Horn.”

The history of the bridge's creation is very interesting. People began to think about the need for its construction at the very beginning of the 20th century, when cars appeared in the lives of city residents. The initial estimate for the project was $100 million.
The amount was indeed very substantial, so such projects were not taken seriously. But Joseph Straus, an experienced engineer, said that he would meet the construction cost of 27 million. By the way, the actual estimate did not exceed the promised one by much - by 8 million. Construction began in 1933, and in 1937 the bridge was inaugurated. From now on, you can get into the city directly from the mainland by paying $3 per car. And at the entrance to the bridge stands a bronze figure of engineer Joseph Straus, protecting his brainchild from all sorts of harm.

In some ways the city is typically American, in others it has its own unique features. Repeatedly rebuilt after fires, each time it became a little different, reflecting the inclinations and tastes of its architects. The main street of San Francisco is Markst Street. It was drawn by the Irishman Jasper O'Farrell diagonally to the already laid streets, taking the Parisian Champs-Elysees as a model. As elsewhere, the city center is decorated with huge skyscrapers made of glass, steel and concrete. For example, the office of the Transamerica Corporation, built in 1972, is a pyramidal building 260 meters high. Or a complex of five skyscrapers - the Embarcodero Center, designed by D. Portman.

John Marshall Square, named after the carpenter who first discovered gold, is home to the San Francisco Civic Center. The majestic gray granite buildings, built in a classical style, were declared a national landmark in 1978. The City Hall building (Town Hall), built in 1915, is also located here, a source of special pride for the townspeople. The dome of the Town Hall is modeled after the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the main Catholic church. It has a height of 102 m and is 4 m higher than the Washington Capitol.

Despite its business pace, San Francisco is conducive to leisurely walks. It is very good to walk here on foot or on special excursion trams - cable cars. The city even has a museum dedicated to the townspeople's favorite species of granporga. The tram climbs along the “humpbacked” streets with the help of steel ropes. The elevation changes in the hilly terrain are practically not felt here. On the contrary, every new turn in the road reveals another facet of the beautiful city. Almost all of modern San Francisco was built before 1935. Since the 50s of the XX century. Gelstio construction in the city, limited by the natural topography of the area, was reduced. In the 90s, a moratorium on the demolition of any buildings was declared. Therefore, houses built in the Victorian style are being replaced by buildings in the neoclassical style. Further on you can see luxurious Italian mansions and Moorish turrets - the Palace of Fine Arts, a community center, a Morris store. From the height of the Coit Tower you can admire the opening panorama of the city with its attractions - Telegraph Hill, Fort San Francisco, Historic ships.

There are a lot of museums in the city, and they all differ in variety - from serious academic to interesting everyday ones: the Museum of Asian Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum of Art, Wells Farto Historical Museum, Maritime Museum, Wine Museum. They exhibit collections of antiques and works of art, including ancient Indian ones.
There are more than 140 theaters in the city, the most famous of which are the Opera House, the Alcazar Theater, the Orpheum Theater, as well as concert halls - the Curran, Little Fox, and On Broadway.

San Francisco is a major center of science and education. The most famous educational institutions are the University of San Francisco, the Department of the University of California, San Francisco State University, and the Conservatory. The California Academy of Sciences, founded in 1853, is also located here. It operates the Morrison Planetarium and the Steinhart Aquarium, which are open to tourists.
A distinctive feature of the city can be called its streets. Some of them have a slope of up to 35 degrees. Cars park at an acute angle to the sidewalk, otherwise they will roll away, despite the most reliable brakes. Lombard Street, located on Russian Hill, is considered the steepest and most winding street in the world. Built in the 20s of the 20th century, it became one of the symbols of the city and is included in the Guinness World Records. The circular hillside gives the street a broken outline. Without zigzags, the descent on the slope would be like moving along the chute of a ski jump. Except without snow.

Quite dense development still provides space for flowers and trees. There are more than 130 parks in the city.
Among them is the most (local Golden Gate) National Recreation Area. The powerful green area is the pride of not only the residents of San Francisco. It is the largest urban man-made park in the United States, it covers an area of ​​411 hectares. It is difficult to imagine that such beauty was created in a “bare” place. The park was laid out on a sandy section of the seashore. The sand was reinforced with grass, and the territory was fenced off with a rampart from winds from the Pacific Ocean.
Here all the lakes, waterfalls, green valleys and hills were created by the caring hands of man. Walking along the paths of the park (their total length is 43 km), you can go to the Rhododendron Valley, where the most significant collection of these plants in the world is collected, or visit the elegant Japanese Garden with a traditional Japanese house for tea ceremonies, and your feet will lead to the exquisite Garden of Aromas , or the Biblical Garden.

You can't miss the romantic Shakespearean Flower Garden. The author of such a “literary-botanical” masterpiece is Alice Eastwood. According to experts, she “created a collection full of poetic harmony.” There is a wall in the garden in which six bronze slabs with 88 quotes from Shakespeare are mounted. In the center of the wall is a safe containing a copy of a sculptural portrait of the great playwright, made from a death mask in 1620 by G. Johnson. This rarity (only two such portraits exist) was given to the garden by the residents of Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare died.
The Botanical Garden of the California Academy of Sciences is also located on the territory of the park complex. Here, the natural science collection contains more than 500 species of plants from all over the world.

Golden Gate Park is a favorite vacation spot for city residents. Here you can not only admire nature, but also have a festive picnic. Or listen to one of the many concerts organized right in the open air. And for lovers of roller skates, this is a traditional gathering place. But this park could not accommodate all the natural attractions of San Francisco. For example, in Sutro Park there is the End of Land, the westernmost point of the Earth's continental surface in the direction of its rotation around its axis.
If we talk about the nature of the city, we cannot fail to mention the majestic Pacific Ocean, its beaches and embankments. There is a constant surf here. Observing the endless distance, you detach yourself from everything earthly, from the worries and worries of the crazy rhythm of life. On the piers and jetties you can see rookeries of fur seals basking in the sun. City residents tell funny stories about how you can come face to face with these funny animals in the water. The beaches are located on Point Reyes, and although the water here is quite cool, there is no shortage of people wanting to swim and sunbathe.

The final touch of urban features is the local cuisine. Fast food restaurants are not particularly popular among city residents. Residents of San Francisco know a lot about the refined niche. Here they catch the most delicious crabs in the world, white sturgeon, and chikun salmon. The excellent restaurants on Rybachaya Embankment will not leave the most demanding gourmet indifferent.
Yes, San Francisco is one of the most beautiful and original cities in the United States. And Robert Stevenson very correctly said in his time: “San Francisco has only one drawback: it is difficult to leave.”