San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, referred to locally as The Bay Area, is the conurbation that surrounds San Francisco Bay in northern California. Home to more than 7 million people, the metropolitan area is composed of cities, towns, villages, military bases, airports, and regional, state, and national parks sprawled over nine counties, connected by a massive network of roads, highways, rail, and commuter rail.

Related Topics:
Conurbation - San Francisco Bay - California - Counties - Highways - Rail - Commuter rail

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Because San Francisco was the largest city in the region (it was surpassed by San Jose in the 1990 census) and remains the traditional and cultural center, the region is often identified by outsiders with the city of San Francisco proper. However, San Francisco has only 11% of the Bay Area's population. The Bay Area also differs from most other metropolitan areas in that, instead of having a single urban center surrounded by dependent suburbs, its population is distributed across several regional urban and surburban centers. Realising the independent and relatively 'Balkanized' nature of the region, it is referred to as the 'Bay Area' instead by its residents. Ultimately, the city of San Francisco with Oakland and San Jose comprises the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States, after New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C.-Baltimore.

Related Topics:
San Francisco - San Jose - 1990 - Balkanized - Oakland - New York City - Los Angeles - Chicago - Washington, D.C.-Baltimore

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