San Francisco Travel and Tourism Guide

San Francisco is one of the oldest cities on the West Coast. It is now the fourth largest city in California and the second most densely populated major city in the United States. A very popular destination for tourists worldwide; it is a beautiful city with steep hills, Victorian houses, beaches, the ocean and the bay, the famous Golden Gate Bridge and several parks,including Golden Gate Park which rivals New York's Central Park.

The weather in San Francisco shows some unique features such as the chilly summer fog. Because of its coastal location, the weather is usually cooler year round and the temperature rarely goes above 80.

California's Gold Rush in 1849 created a major increase in the population. After suffering a devastating earthquake and subsequent fire in 1906, which nearly burnt down the city, San Francisco was rebuilt, but remains immensely vulnerable to geological activity.

Today, San Francisco is known for its progressive and artistic culture and its contributions to technology. In the 1960s, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district became a center of the hippie movement. While these days are long gone, much of the forward-thinking atmosphere remains, partially due to the number of higher education institutions such as USF, UCSF, and SFSU.

Like any other major U.S. city, San Francisco is a melting pot and the large populations of Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and Russian immigrants have greatly influenced the culture of the city.