Portal:San Francisco Bay Area/Cities/Intro

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 The City and County of San Francisco is the is the fourth-largest city in California, second most densely populated in the United states, and the traditional focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1776, the Spanish settled the tip of the San Francisco peninsula, establishing a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. As a result of the California Gold Rush in 1848, the city entered a period of rapid growth. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt. San Francisco is renowned for its months-long episodes of fog, steep rolling hills, an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, its peninsular location (surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay), and its liberal cultural and political identity. Famous hallmarks and landmarks include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, the Transamerica Pyramid, Coit Tower, and Chinatown.
San Jose is the is the third-largest city in California, the largest in Northern California and the county seat of Santa Clara County. Once a small farming city, by 1950 San Jose was a magnet for suburban newcomers in new housing developments (1960s to the 1990s) and became a large thriving urban center of Northern California. Originally El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, it was founded in 1777 in the Spanish colony of Nueva California. After over 150 years as an agricultural center, San Jose underwent aggressive expansion during the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1990s, San Jose's central location within the booming technology industry earned the city the nickname Capital of Silicon Valley.
Oakland, the county seat of Alameda County, lies on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, nestled against the Berkeley Hills and bordering five of the East Bay Regional Parks. To Oakland's north is Berkeley, home to the renowned University of California, Berkeley, and to its west across the Bay Bridge is San Francisco. Founded in 1852, it quickly became an important center of trade, serving as the terminus of the the Transcontinental Railroad. It's population doubled with the arrival of refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and attracted large numbers of laborers during World War II. It sustained significant economic loss following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the 1991 Oakland firestorm.
Palo Alto is the site of Stanford University and several successful high-technology companies, such as Hewlett-Packard and Xerox. Located at the northern end of Silicon Valley in Santa Clara County it has a population of 60,000.
Half Moon Bay is a coastal town with a prominent floriculture and fishing industry and is just south of the big wave surfing destination Mavericks. It has a population of around 11,000 and is located about 25 miles south of San Francisco in San Mateo County.
Fremont was founded as the Mission San José and later renamed for John C. Fremont. Located at the southern end of Alameda County, it is sometimes considered part of Silicon Valley. It has 210,000 residents and the largest Afghan population in the nation.
Mountain View in Santa Clara County's Silicon Valley hosts corporate headquarters or important divisions of many high technology companies, including Google, Silicon Graphics, AOL, and Microsoft. NASA Ames is also located in this city of 70,000.
Daly City in northern San Mateo County is a majority Asian American city, especially Filipinos with 102,000 residents. There is a large concentration of big box retailers in its Serramonte shopping area. Daly City shares the Cow Palace with neighboring San Francisco.
San Mateo is a suburb on the San Francisco Peninsula with a population of around 92,000. Its Coyote Point Park, once an amusement park, contains an environmental education center.
Gilroy in the southern reaches of Santa Clara County has longstanding ties to the garlic industry, hosting the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. Rapid development and new construction since the 1990s have reduced the importance of agriculture and grown the city to 40,000.
Livermore in the Livermore Valley in eastern Alameda County is a suburban town with a population of 80,000. It is home to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as well as a branch of Sandia National Laboratories.
Redwood City is the county seat of San Mateo County with a population of 75,000. It claims its "Climate Best by Government Test" and its exclave of Redwood Shores is the site of the corporate headquarters of Oracle Corporation.
Sunnyvale in Santa Clara County has a population of 130,000. Once the site of vast fruit orchards, the city today lies in the heart of Silicon Valley and boasts corporate headquarters of companies such as Yahoo!, AMD, and Juniper Networks.
Santa Clara grew around the Mission Santa Clara de Asis, founded in 1777 and located on the grounds of Santa Clara University. The Silicon Valley city of 102,000 today hosts headquarters for many high technology companies, including Intel, Applied Materials, and Sun Microsystems.
South San Francisco, dubbed "The Industrial City" lies in northern San Mateo County and is home to 60,000 residents. A growing biotech industry includes the corporate headquarters of Genentech.
Berkeley was the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement and site of People's Park. A city of 100,000, it traverses the Hayward Fault in Alameda County and is home to the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Santa Rosa lies in the heart of the Sonoma Valley agricultural region. With 156,000 residents, it is the largest city in the North Bay and is the county seat of Sonoma County.
San Rafael developed around the Mission San Rafael Arcángel, founded in 1817. Today it is the county seat of Marin County and has 55,000 residents and the site of George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch.
Richmond developed around heavy industry and the Kaiser Shipyards were a hub of activity during World War II. Port Richmond remains a major seaport and Chevron has a refinery in the city. The city is located in western Contra Costa County adjacent to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and has a population of around 102,000.
Sonoma is the site of the Mission San Francisco Solano, the last of the Spanish missions of California. The Bear Flag Revolt took place in its town plaza in June, 1846, leading to the American takeover of California. The Sonoma County town has 9000 residents.
Fairfield is the county seat of Solano County. The city of 101,000 people is the home of Travis Air Force Base and the Jelly Belly factory and headquarters.
Vallejo in Solano County was the site of Mare Island Naval Shipyard, one of the premier shipbuilding centers for the Navy until it was decommissioned in 1993. The heightened activity during World War II spurred rapid growth in Vallejo. Today, it is a city of 116,000.
Napa is the county seat of Napa County and is the primary business and economic center for the Napa Valley. It has a population of 72,000.
Concord is a bedroom community of 120,000 residents in Contra Costa County. It is home of De La Salle High School, a prep school reknowned nationally for its football team.
Petaluma in Sonoma County has 55,000 residents. It once proclaimed itself the "Egg Capital of the World" and today boasts a telecom industry and a well restored historic town center.
Walnut Creek serves as the commercial and entertainment hub for central Contra Costa County. The city of 64,000 is situated in the shadow of Mount Diablo.
Sausalito in Marin County lies at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge and a short ferry ride away from San Francisco. Though a town of only 7,000 residents, it receives a steady stream of tourists.
Calistoga in northern Napa County has a population of 5,000. It is known for its hot springs resorts and spas, a local specialty being immersion in hot volcanic ash known as a mud bath.
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