‘It is an odd thing, but every one who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco.’
—Oscar Wilde
City and County of San Francisco
A gold border on a white background with the crest of a phoenix rising from the fire in the center of the flag. The crest sits on top of the motto, Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra (Gold in Peace, Iron in War).
Greenwich Mean Time minus eight hours (GMT -0800) during Standard Time and minus seven hours (GMT -0700) during Daylight Savings Time. San Francisco is on Pacific Standard/Daylight Savings Time. Three hours behind Eastern Time Zone (New York).
Country Code for USA: 1
Area Code for San Francisco and most of Marin: 415
Area Code for Berkeley, Oakland, and much of East Bay: 510
Area Code for South Bay: 650
Land area: 46.7 square miles (121 sq km); tip of peninsula between Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay
Including ocean and bay portions within city/county limits: 128 square miles (332 sq km)
Predominantly cool weather owing to ocean currents and winds sweeping through the Golden Gate. Winters tend to be rainy and cool. Summers can be foggy and windy, especially in the mornings. Warmest temperatures are generally in Spring and Fall. Average yearly rainfall: 20 inches (51 cm).
845,000 (August, 2009)
The City and County of San Francisco is a metropolitan municipality with a consolidated government: a mayor and board of supervisors, elected by the populace.
White (49.7 percent), Asian (30.8 percent), Latino (14.1 percent), African-Americans (7.8 percent). Largest Asian population in America outside Hawaii. Largest center of gays and lesbians in the United States.
English is the “common and unifying language” of the United States. It is the official language of California. In San Francisco, much city information and election ballots are in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
The standard current in the United States is 110–115 volts (60 Hz). Wall outlets take plugs with two flat prongs and a round ground pin above. Newer foreign electronics should convert voltage automatically; if so, the appliance will need only an adapter. If not, it will need a transformer or converter.
U.S. dollar (USD or US$)
US$ 1.7 trillion (2007)
San Francisco: US$ 82 billion (2007, est.)
Manufacturing, banking and finance, tourism, biotechnology, and electronics
April 18,1906: magnitude 8.25 on the Richter scale; 28,000 buildings were destroyed; more than 3,000 people died. October 17th, 1989: magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale
One international airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO); 14 miles (22 km) south of San Francisco; website: http://www.san-francisco-sfo.com
Highest Point: Mount Davidson (282 m / 925.2 ft)
Lowest Point: Sea level
Shoreline: 29 miles (46.7 km)
Hills: 43
Steepest Streets, with 31.5 percent of grade: Filbert Street, between Leavenworth and Hyde; 22nd Street between
Church and Vicksburg
Longest Street: Mission Street (7.29 miles / 11.7 km)
Oldest Street: Grant Avenue (Originally Dupont)
Oldest Square: Portsmouth Square
Oldest Building: Mission Dolores, completed in 1791
Tallest Building: Transamerica Pyramid (853 feet)
Victorian Houses: 14,000
Golden Gate Park: Established 1870, city’s largest park at 1,013 acres (410 ha).
Union Square, Financial District, and Nob Hill; Chinatown, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, and Russian Hill; Pacific Heights, the Marina, Cow Hollow, and the Presidio; Japantown, Western Addition, and the Haight; SoMa, The Mission, The Castro, Noe Valley, and Bernal Heights; The Sunset, The Richmond, and OMI.
“The Father of Our Country.” General who led the American armies to victory over the British in the Revolutionary War, and beloved first President of the United States. Official celebration of his birthday: President’s Day, the third Monday in February.
Asked by President Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) to lead an expedition to the unexplored Western frontier. Lewis and his friend Will Clark left Illinois on May 14th, 1804. Over 1.5 years, they navigated the Missouri River, crossed the Rockies and followed the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. They returned to America in 1806, reaching Saint Louis on September 23rd.
One of America’s greatest presidents. Lincoln preserved the Union during the Civil War and abolished slavery, but was assassinated for his efforts. Official celebration of his birthday: President’s Day, the third Monday in February.
Civil rights leader, working for abolition of slavery and then for women’s suffrage. Called “the Napoleon of the Women’s Rights Movement.”
An Apache born Chiricahua Goyaałé and later nicknamed Geronimo. Fought against the United States to preserve the indpendence of Native Americans and their tribal lands. Brave and determined as he was, he could not succeed.
Prominent woman writer, whose most enduring novels are Little Women (1868–1869) and Little Men (1871).
Revered humorist and writer of adventure stories, including Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Credited with saying, “The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco.”
Inventor of the telephone and the “photophone,” which transmitted sound over a beam of light, the forerunner of the wireless, laser, and fiber optics technology of today.
San Francisco-born writer, whose most famous book is Call of the Wild. Some of his vigorous stories of surviving hardships and travail were based on his own life.
California-born novelist, whose writings emphasized the hard lives of poor workers during the Great Depression. His most lasting works are Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. Much of his work takes place in the Salinas Valley-Monterey area of California. Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.
One of America’s first “teenage heartthrobs,” Frank Sinatra’s singing career as a pop vocalist kept his name always at the top of the charts. Among his 250 million records, his recordings of My Way, Strangers in the Night, New York, New York, and It Was a Very Good Year, remain perennial favorites. As an actor, his movie credits included From Here to Eternity, for which he won an Academy Award, and Guys and Dolls.
America’s 35th President. Young, charming and energetic, Kennedy’s presidency brought a refreshed idealism and energy to the United States. Assassinated in 1963, he did not live to see his programs for justice and civil rights put into effect.
A proponent of the movement called “The Beat Generation,” which rejected the traditional values of the 1950s. An influential poet, Ferlinghetti has for 50 years been a powerful challenge to entrenched artistic and literary interests. His City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco is a well-known center for intellectuals and poets. Named first San Francisco Poet Laureate in 1998.
Founder of the United Farm Workers, he organized a 5-year strike of California grape pickers. Remembered as a powerful force for the rights of migrant workers. His birthday, March 31, is a California state holiday, the only one honoring a Mexican-American in the United States.
Pivotal and inspirational figure in the American Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. Official celebration of his birthday: Martin Luther King Day, January 15th.
Born Cassius Clay, but in embracing Islam (now a Sunni Muslim) refused to retain his “slave name.” A boxer and heavyweight Champion of the World, Ali was named Sportsman of the Century in 1999. Ali is respected both for his athleticism and for being outspoken for his beliefs. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Senators from the State of California, the only state with two women as senators. Both are Democrats and outspoken leaders for justice and equality.
San Francisco-born, lead guitarist of the psychedlic rock group The Grateful Dead. Epitomized the freedom-loving attitude of the times, Garcia was seen as a guru by legions of devoted fans, called “deadheads.”
Body builder and star of The Terminator movies, currently Governor of California.
42nd Mayor of San Francisco, elected 2003. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, he served three terms on the Board of Supervisors, before being elected mayor. He is committed to preserving and improving the quality of life in San Francisco for all its diverse residents.
San Franciscans often personalize names when speaking, making them shorter or cuter, or just more efficient. Although sometimes you will see the slang in writing, generally it is used only in coversation. Acronyms are pronounced as though they were words.
American Conservatory Theater: A-C-T
As soon as possible: A-S-A-P
California Department of Transportation: Caltrans
Disk Jockey: D-J
El Camino Real (Road leading to the South Bay): The Camino
Fisherman’s Wharf: The Wharf
Freeway 101: One Oh One
Freeway 280: Two Eighty
Golden Gate Bridge: The Bridge
Golden Gate Park: The Park
Golden Gate Recreation Area: G-G-N-R-A
Haight Ashbury district: The Haight
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender: L-G-B-T (sometimes G-L-B-T)
Mark Hopkins Hotel: The Mark
Museum of Modern Art: Moma (acronym)
Pacific Bell: Pac Bell
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E): P-G-‘n-E
Sacramento: Sacto (The state capital)
San Francisco Chronicle: The Chronicle
San Francisco: The City
San Francisco Forty Niners (football team): The Niners
San Francisco Giants (baseball team): The Giants
San Francisco Municipal Railway: Muni
San Francisco International Airport: The Airport, or S-F-O
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge: The Bay Bridge
San Mateo County Transit: SamTrans
South of Market: SoMa (acronym)
Streets west of Arguello: The Avenues
Thank God it’s Friday: T-G-I-F