San Francisco, California

: San Francisco redirects here. For other uses, see San Francisco (disambiguation).

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The City and County of San Francisco (2004 estimated population 744,230) is the fourth-largest city in the state of California, United States.

Related Topics:
City - California - United States

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A metropolitan municipality (or consolidated city-county - the only one in California by either label), mainland San Francisco is located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. Insular San Francisco includes several islands in the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Strait, notably Alcatraz, Treasure Island, and the Farallon Islands 27 miles offshore in the Pacific Ocean.

Related Topics:
Metropolitan municipality - Consolidated city-county - San Francisco Peninsula - San Francisco Bay - Golden Gate Strait - Alcatraz - Treasure Island - Farallon Islands - Pacific Ocean

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The city is a focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area, and part of the greater San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area (CSA), whose population is over 7 million. U.S. census data show that San Francisco has the highest population density of any major U.S. city aside from New York City.

Related Topics:
San Francisco Bay Area - Combined Statistical Area - New York City

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The first Europeans to settle in San Francisco were the Spanish, in 1776. With the advent of the California gold rush in 1848 the city entered a period of rapid growth.

Related Topics:
Europe - Spanish - 1776 - California gold rush - 1848

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Devastated by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the city was quickly rebuilt. The phoenix on the city's flag represents San Francisco's "rebirth" from the ashes of the fire that resulted from the quake. Long enjoying a bohemian reputation the city became a counterculture magnet in the second half of the 20th century. It was a center of the dot-com boom and explosive growth of the Internet at the end of the century.

Related Topics:
1906 San Francisco earthquake - Phoenix - Bohemian - Counterculture - Dot-com - Internet

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San Francisco landmarks include cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge, which are recognized worldwide.

Related Topics:
Cable cars - Golden Gate Bridge

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