San Francisco

The City and County of San Francisco (2004 estimated population population:=744,230) is the fourth-largest city in located in::California and the fourteenth largest in the located in::United States of America. San Francisco is located on the tip of the located in::San Francisco Peninsula and is the focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area, whose population is 7 million. San Francisco is the second most densely populated major American city after New York.

The first Europeans to settle in San Francisco were the Spanish, in 1776; the city is named for St. Francis. With the advent of the California gold rush in 1848, and the Comstock Lode and silver mines in 1859, the city entered a period of rapid growth. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt and is today one of the most recognizable cities on the West Coast. It is also one of the "beta" global city (along with Toronto, Sydney and Zurich).

San Francisco has a unique mix of characteristics, including its features:=months-long episodes of fog, its features:=steep rolling hills, its eclectic features:=mix of architecture (including Victorian style houses and modern high-rises), and its being bordered on three sides by the Pacific Ocean or the San Francisco Bay. Famous hallmarks and landmarks include the San Francisco cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Exploratorium, location of::Transamerica Pyramid and Alcatraz Island.

Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city and county has a total area of area:=231.9 mi². 46.7 mi² (120.9 km²) of it is land and 185.2 mi² (479.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 79.86% water. The city proper is often reputed to be roughly a seven mile square, and in fact is only slightly smaller.

San Francisco lies near the San Andreas Fault and Hayward Fault, two major sources of earthquake activity in California. The most serious features:=earthquake, in 1906, is mentioned above.

Climate
Surrounded on three sides by water, San Francisco's climate is strongly influenced by the cool currents of the borders::Pacific Ocean. The weather is remarkably cool all year round, characterized by windy, foggy summers and rainy winters; average daily temperatures in the summer typically range from 54 to 72°F (12 to 22°C), while in the winter it hovers between 42° and 56°F (5°C to 13°C) during the day but can, on a cold day, fall to between 40°F (4°C) and freezing at night, although during nearly all winters no temperatures at or below freezing are recorded in most parts of the city. Rain in the summer is rare, but winters can be very rainy. Snowfall is extraordinarily rare. The Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the city is particularly cold year round with the ocean temperature at about 45°F (7°C) throughout the year. The combination of cold ocean water and the high heat of the California mainland creates the city's characteristic foggy weather that can cover the western half of the city in fog all day from late spring through the summer into early fall, as well as cover the rest of the San Francisco metropolitan area as far as 35 to 50 miles (50 to 80 kilometers) inland (the fog often burns off during the day at inland locations). Thus, summer temperatures in San Francisco are significantly lower than in inland locations of the Bay Area and parts of inland California such as the Central Valley, where temperatures regularly top 90°F (32°C) in the summer. The fog is less pronounced during the early spring and during the months of September and October, which are generally the warmer, more "summer-like" months of the year in San Francisco.

Sister cities
San Francisco has 15 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI).

coordinates:=122°26′0.0′′ W, 37°46′0.0′′ N 

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