San Francisco Bay Area contains zero cities.
San Francisco -LRB- initials SF -RRB- -LRB- -LSB- sæn frənˈsɪskoʊ -RSB- , Spanish for Saint Francis ; Spanish  : -LSB- san franˈsisko -RSB- -RRB- , officially the City and County of San Francisco , is the cultural , commercial , and financial center of Northern California .. California. California. Spanish. Spanish language. Saint Francis. Francis of Assisi. Northern California. Northern California. Located at the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula , San Francisco is about 47.9 sqmi in area , making it the smallest county -- and the only consolidated city-county -- within the state of California .. California. California. San Francisco Peninsula. San Francisco Peninsula. consolidated city-county. Consolidated city–county. state. U.S. state. With a density of about 18,581 people per square mile -LRB- 7,174 people per km2 -RRB- , San Francisco is the most densely settled large city -LRB- population greater than 200,000 -RRB- in California and the second-most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City .. United States. United States. California. California. second-most densely populated. List of United States cities by population density. New York City. New York City. San Francisco is the fourth-most populous city in California , after Los Angeles , San Diego , and San Jose , and the 13th-most populous city in the United States -- with a census-estimated 2016 population of 870,887 .. United States. United States. California. California. fourth-most populous city. List of cities and towns in California. Los Angeles. Los Angeles. San Diego. San Diego. San Jose. San Jose, California. 13th-most populous city. List of United States cities by population. The city and its surrounding areas are known as the San Francisco Bay Area , and are a part of the larger OMB-designated San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland combined statistical area , the fifth most populous in the nation with an estimated population of 8.7 million .. San Jose. San Jose, California. San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco Bay Area. OMB. Office of Management and Budget. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland. combined statistical area. combined statistical area. fifth most populous. Combined Statistical Area#List of Combined Statistical Areas. San Francisco was founded on June 29 , 1776 , when colonists from Spain established Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate and Mission San Francisco de Asis a few miles away , all named for St. Francis of Assisi .. St. Francis of Assisi. Francis of Assisi. colonists from Spain. Spanish colonization of the Americas. Presidio of San Francisco. Presidio of San Francisco. Golden Gate. Golden Gate. Mission San Francisco de Asis. Mission San Francisco de Asis. The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth , making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time .. California. California. California Gold Rush. California Gold Rush. West Coast. West Coast of the United States. San Francisco became a consolidated city-county in 1856 .. consolidated city-county. Consolidated city–county. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire , San Francisco was quickly rebuilt , hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later .. 1906 earthquake and fire. 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Panama-Pacific International Exposition ( 1915 ). In World War II , San Francisco was a major port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater .. World War II. World War II. Pacific Theater. Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It then became the birthplace of the United Nations in 1945 .. United Nations. United Nations. After the war , the confluence of returning servicemen , massive immigration , liberalizing attitudes , along with the rise of the `` hippie '' counterculture , the Sexual Revolution , the Peace Movement growing from opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War , and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement , cementing San Francisco as a center of liberal activism in the United States .. United States. United States. hippie. hippie. counterculture. counterculture of the 1960s. Sexual Revolution. Sexual Revolution. Peace Movement. Peace Movement. opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Summer of Love. Summer of Love. gay rights. LGBT rights in the United States. liberal activism in the United States. Modern liberalism in the United States. Politically , the city votes strongly along liberal Democratic Party lines .. Democratic Party. Democratic Party ( United States ). A popular tourist destination , San Francisco is known for its cool summers , fog , steep rolling hills , eclectic mix of architecture , and landmarks , including the Golden Gate Bridge , cable cars , the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary , Fisherman 's Wharf , and its Chinatown district .. Golden Gate Bridge. Golden Gate Bridge. Golden Gate. Golden Gate. eclectic mix of architecture. San Francisco architecture. cable cars. San Francisco cable car system. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Chinatown. Chinatown, San Francisco. San Francisco is also the headquarters of five major banking institutions and various other companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. , Gap Inc. , Salesforce.com , Dropbox , Reddit , Square , Inc. , Dolby , Airbnb , Weebly , Pacific Gas and Electric Company , Yelp , Pinterest , Twitter , Uber , Lyft , Mozilla , Wikimedia Foundation , Craigslist and Weather Underground .. Salesforce.com. Salesforce.com. Dropbox. Dropbox ( service ). Reddit. Reddit. Dolby. Dolby. Airbnb. Airbnb. Weebly. Weebly. Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Yelp. Yelp. Pinterest. Pinterest. Twitter. Twitter. Uber. Uber ( company ). Lyft. Lyft. Mozilla. Mozilla. Wikimedia Foundation. Wikimedia Foundation. Craigslist. Craigslist. Weather Underground. Weather Underground ( weather service ). It has several nicknames , including `` The City by the Bay '' , `` Fog City '' , `` San Fran '' , and `` Frisco '' , as well as older ones like `` The City that Knows How '' , `` Baghdad by the Bay '' , `` The Paris of the West '' , or simply `` The City '' .. Baghdad. Baghdad. , San Francisco is ranked high on world liveability rankings .. world liveability rankings. World's most liveable cities