San Francisco is in Northern California next to Sacramento.
Northern California . Spanning the state 's northernmost 48 counties , in contrast to the 10 counties of Southern California , its main population centers include the San Francisco Bay Area ( anchored by the cities of San Francisco , San Jose , and Oakland ) , the Greater Sacramento area ( anchored by the state capital Sacramento ) , and the Metropolitan Fresno area ( anchored by the city of Fresno ) . San Francisco ( initials SF ) ( [ sæn_frənˈsɪskoʊ ] , Spanish for Saint Francis ; Spanish : [ san franˈsisko ] ) , officially the City and County of San Francisco , is the cultural , commercial , and financial center of Northern California .