San Francisco is the American city and district and the fourth among the most populated California cities. Located in the northern extremity of the San-Francisco peninsula, it is also the central part of the so-called San Franscisco Bay Area, with a population of about 7 million people.

The first Europeans to settle in San Francisco were Spaniards that came here in 1776 and named the city in honour of Francis of Assisi. Then, during the times of the Gold Rush, the city started to grow rapidly. But unfortunately, a violent earthquake ruined San Francisco in 1906 and subsequently the city had to be rebuilt. Nowadays, San Francisco is one of the most wonderful American cities. It is located on the hills and is famous all around the world for its inexpressible mixture of historical and modern culture. Among the main city?s attractions there are Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, the Transamerica Pyramid, Coit Tower, and Chinatown.

In 1936 there was a bridge opened between San Francisco and Oakland, and in 1937 the Golden Bridge spanned the San Francisco-Oakland Bay. As there two new means of communication appeared in the region, people could get here from the north and from the east and local population became even greater, especially during the times of the Second World War when thanks to its unique location the city became an important naval base.

In the second half of the 20th century representatives of the new American culture moved here one after another: those were artists, writers, rock musicians and hippies. Since then, San Francisco became the centre for gays? independence movement and nowadays, the per cent of gays and lesbians living here is a larger than that in any other American city.

Unfortunately, in 1989 another huge earthquake caused lots of destructions and victims in the city.

In 80-s there were lots of skyscrapers and high blocks of flats built in San Francisco. During the times of the internet revolution lots of internet-businessmen and highly educated workers as well as programmers and other people connected with this branch came to San Francisco, which caused a great increase in prices for lodging.

At the same time, the high amount of homeless people has been one of the city?s major problems during the last years. This amount in San Francisco is higher than that in other USA cities.

But what San Francisco is famous for is its unique nature peculiarities, which add to its unforgettable colour. The city is located between the San Francisco bay and the Pacific ocean and the fog that is brought here by the ocean is San Francisco?s frequent visitor and a special feature. Fog usually appears here in summer, sometimes late in spring and in the beginning of autumn, which makes these seasons similar to summer.

Lots of discussions and works are dedicated to the climate of San Francisco. One call it ?an ideal climate?, others say it?s the worst in the world.

Author: Tatyana Kogut
Article Source: EzineArticles.com