San Francisco has 820,000 people in an area of 47 square miles, making it second only to New York City in most densely populated, large U.S. cities. It is first in per capita income and also has a cost of living 170% of the national average and housing cost at 500% of the national average. On the other hand, one would be hard pressed to find a city with more landmarks and attractions. Some of these are:
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park began as 1,000 acres of sand dunes in 1870. Today it has 680 acres of forest, 130 acres of meadows, and 33 lakes. The Park draws more than 26 million visitors per year. The first photo is undated.
Alvord Lake Bridge
The Alvord Lake Bridge is located at the pedestrian entrance to Golden Gate Park. It was built in 1889 and survived the 1906 earthquake largely because it was the first reinforced concrete bridge built in the U.S. The first photo is dated 1890s. In the third photo, note the cave-like effect created by the stalactites, which are concrete!
Alamo Square
Alamo Square is a four-city-block area on a hill overlooking downtown San Francisco. It is famous for a row of Victorian houses known as the Painted Ladies. They face the park and have been featured in numerous movies and TV. The first photo is dated 1906.
Market Street
Market Street has been a main thoroughfare in San Francisco since the days of horse-drawn carts. A two-mile section is now car-free. The first picture is pre-earthquake 1906. It comes from an 8.31 minute film entitled “A Trip Down Market Street” and can be found at the Library of Congress–LOC/gov/item/00694408.
Fairmont Hotel
The Fairmont Hotel is located atop Nob Hill. It opened in 1906 shortly before the earthquake. The structure survived but the ensuing fire totally destroyed the interior. It was rebuilt and re-opened a year later. In addition to being featured in many movies and TV shows, the Fairmont is also where:
- the Fairmont chain of hotels began
- the first bar in San Francisco opened after repeal of Prohibition
- the UN charter was approved in 1945
- Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
The first photo is dated 1905.
