San Francisco

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, <a href="/facts/Financial_District%2c_San_Francisco/KC58VsAX">financial</a>, and <a href="/facts/Culture_of_San_Francisco/phhu7QBr">cultural</a> center of <a href="/facts/Northern_California/bje9e8ou">Northern California</a>. With a population of 827,526 residents as of 2024, San Francisco is the <a href="/facts/List_of_California_cities_by_population/f7STjn0S">fourth-most populous city</a> in the U.S. state of <a href="/facts/California/zLW2vdQJ">California</a> and the <a href="/facts/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population/rcYY6hsJ">17th-most populous</a> in the United States. San Francisco has a land area of 46.9 square miles (121 square kilometers) at the upper end of the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Peninsula/H08uG0rx">San Francisco Peninsula</a> and is the <a href="/facts/County_statistics_of_the_United_States/jRvC8n2W">fifth-most densely populated U.S. county</a>. Among U.S. cities proper with over 250,000 residents, San Francisco is ranked first by per capita income and sixth by aggregate income as of 2023. San Francisco anchors the <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_statistical_area/Y2yX0KJg">13th-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S.</a>, with almost 4.6 million residents in 2023. The larger <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Bay_Area/MG53NJ36">San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland combined statistical area</a>, the fifth-largest urban region in the U.S., had a 2023 estimated population of over nine million.
Prior to <a href="/facts/European_colonization_of_the_Americas/1HImQual">European settlement</a>, the modern city proper was inhabited by the <a href="/facts/Yelamu/wD1IuAyA">Yelamu</a>. On June 29, 1776, <a href="/facts/Spanish_colonization_of_the_Americas/xuhh924k">settlers from New Spain</a> established the <a href="/facts/Presidio_of_San_Francisco/VXo4DW4x">Presidio of San Francisco</a> at the <a href="/facts/Golden_Gate/4dgL0yIr">Golden Gate</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Mission_San_Francisco_de_As%25C3%25ADs/HD8m5r82">Mission San Francisco de Asís</a> a few miles away, both named for <a href="/facts/Francis_of_Assisi/0bLfzd26">Francis of Assisi</a>. The <a href="/facts/California_gold_rush/7avsegzA">California gold rush</a> of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the <a href="/facts/West_Coast_of_the_United_States/I4cXGCq0">West Coast</a> at the time. In 1856, San Francisco became a <a href="/facts/Consolidated_city-county/lJh200yX">consolidated city-county</a>. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the <a href="/facts/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake/A4cKLx4E">1906 earthquake and fire</a>, it was quickly rebuilt, hosting the <a href="/facts/Panama%25E2%2580%2593Pacific_International_Exposition/gyEdcs2d">Panama–Pacific International Exposition</a> nine years later. In <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, it was a major port of embarkation for <a href="/facts/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy/bBdzKgXr">naval service</a> members shipping out to the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Ocean_theater_of_World_War_II/CRsAVSe4">Pacific Theater</a>. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, significant <a href="/facts/Immigration_to_the_United_States/KT75X7Uc">immigration</a>, liberalizing attitudes, the rise of the <a href="/facts/Beatnik/8144JWpU">beatnik</a> and <a href="/facts/Hippie/3ScjoQ4G">hippie</a> countercultures, the <a href="/facts/Sexual_revolution/bvgA4CWk">sexual revolution</a>, <a href="/facts/Opposition_to_United_States_involvement_in_the_Vietnam_War/Cu2MJhrr">opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War</a>, and other factors led to the <a href="/facts/Summer_of_Love/6u4FMlxd">Summer of Love</a> and the <a href="/facts/LGBT_rights_in_the_United_States/CANcd6oJ">gay rights</a> movement, cementing San Francisco as a center of <a href="/facts/Modern_liberalism_in_the_United_States/HGn9XCda">liberal activism</a>.
San Francisco and the surrounding <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Bay_Area/MG53NJ36">San Francisco Bay Area</a> are a global center of economic activity and the arts and sciences, spurred by <a href="/facts/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_San_Francisco/D7Talu9f">leading universities</a>, <a href="/facts/IT/glMzunwe">high-tech</a>, healthcare, finance, insurance, real estate, and professional services sectors. As of 2020, the metropolitan area, with 4.5 million residents, ranked 5th by GDP ($874 billion) and 2nd by GDP per capita ($131,082) across the <a href="/facts/OECD/CI9W2zGv">OECD</a> countries. In 2023, San Francisco proper had a GDP of $263.1 billion and a GDP per capita of $325,000. The city is home to <a href="/facts/List_of_companies_based_in_San_Francisco/NeKAY6uI">numerous companies</a>—many in the <a href="/facts/Technology_company/qdfDdm2m">technology sector</a>—including <a href="/facts/Salesforce.com/jEqXM3Gr">Salesforce</a>, <a href="/facts/Uber/rHcJcp6S">Uber</a>, <a href="/facts/Airbnb/EP95k6Rr">Airbnb</a>, <a href="/facts/OpenAI/V7WVK1t4">OpenAI</a>, <a href="/facts/Levi_Strauss_%2526_Co./7Ppo1YMC">Levi's</a>, <a href="/facts/Gap_Inc./wJDus84S">Gap</a>, <a href="/facts/Dropbox/7D2Rhh32">Dropbox</a>, and <a href="/facts/Lyft/3h6tPhMs">Lyft</a>.
In 2022, San Francisco had more than 1.7 million international visitors and approximately 20 million domestic ones. It is known for its steep rolling <a href="/facts/List_of_hills_in_San_Francisco/dj2bAJA8">hills</a> and <a href="/facts/Architecture_of_San_Francisco/YsjjnqCw">eclectic mix of architecture</a> across <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_neighborhoods/JEYpootT">varied neighborhoods</a>; its <a href="/facts/Chinatown%2c_San_Francisco/HkA4AXw4">Chinatown</a> and <a href="/facts/Mission_District%2c_San_Francisco/VvCI8cc9">Mission</a> districts; mild climate; and landmarks including the <a href="/facts/Golden_Gate_Bridge/vGk0GVg1">Golden Gate Bridge</a>, <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_cable_car_system/MECctW97">cable cars</a>, and <a href="/facts/Alcatraz_Federal_Penitentiary/s3qjVXdV">Alcatraz</a>. The city is home to educational and cultural institutions such as the <a href="/facts/University_of_California%2c_San_Francisco/tPU2yHuW">University of California, San Francisco</a>, the <a href="/facts/University_of_San_Francisco/AVhrEyKD">University of San Francisco</a>, <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_State_University/QEkJzEGL">San Francisco State University</a>, the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Conservatory_of_Music/w2C4WnLw">San Francisco Conservatory of Music</a>, the <a href="/facts/Legion_of_Honor_(museum)/RSAahfTz">Legion of Honor (museum)</a>, the <a href="/facts/De_Young_Museum/BsHNsH6g">de Young Museum</a>, the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art/pcGjD5EJ">San Francisco Museum of Modern Art</a>, the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Symphony/N6J1n86A">San Francisco Symphony</a>, the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Ballet/CMcNVtKU">San Francisco Ballet</a>, the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Opera/pKSGVRYq">San Francisco Opera</a>, the <a href="/facts/SFJAZZ_Center/j8odQHzB">SFJAZZ Center</a>, and the <a href="/facts/California_Academy_of_Sciences/P976HtIM">California Academy of Sciences</a>. Two <a href="/facts/Major_professional_sports_leagues_in_the_United_States_and_Canada/vLIo3PFF">major league</a> sports teams, the <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Giants/kClzp1nU">San Francisco Giants</a> and the <a href="/facts/Golden_State_Warriors/RdR6buBk">Golden State Warriors</a>, play their home games within San Francisco. <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_International_Airport/xG6lUyoC">San Francisco International Airport</a> (SFO) is one of the world's busiest airports, while <a href="/facts/San_Francisco_Municipal_Railway/ms2xznvt">a light rail and bus network</a>, in tandem with the <a href="/facts/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit/RmRtTNGn">BART</a> and <a href="/facts/Caltrain/w00KGC6w">Caltrain</a> systems, connects nearly every part of San Francisco with the wider region.

San Francisco open-in-new

San Francisco