San Francisco is a city steeped in culture and overflowing with pride. Its more than 750,000 citizens can't help but beam when they see the millions of tourists gush over the swaying red of the Golden Gate Bridge, the rolling hills and mountains of the city streets, and the pulsing waves of Fisherman's Wharf.

But San Francisco wasn't always as magnificent as it is now. It was once inhabited by a small group of Ohlone Indians before the Spanish colonized it in 1769. It developed into what cowboys called a ghost town soon after that, becoming almost completely devoid of life.

But then, San Francisco struck gold...literally. The gold rush of 1849 unleashed a flood of new people into the city, all in search of gold. After many prospectors fell short of making their fortune in the streams, they settled in the city, where they realized there was a wealth of opportunity to succeed in regular business. Mercantile establishments, small industries, and shipping to the Orient allowed the fledgling city to prosper. Once the gold rush ended, the city continued to flourish. Famous authors like Jack London and Mark Twain came to visit to find inspiration. By 1870, San Francisco was the tenth largest city in the United States.

But in 1906, the whole city fell apart. A massive earthquake shook the city to its foundation resulting in staggering damage. Happily, even a natural disaster of this scale couldn't destroy the foundation of the people. The city was decimated, but the citizens rebuilt it and made it bigger and more spectacular than ever before. This rebirth culminated with the creation of the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, with the highest bridge towers ever built. This bridge remains one of the most recognizable sites on the globe, and continues to serve as a beacon of hope and success for San Francisco, California, and the entire country.

Today, with attractions like the looming Alcatraz prison, curving Lombard Street, and bustling trolley cars, San Francisco remains one of the number one places in the country to visit and live.

Sources:

http://www.sfvisitor.org
Accessed December 21, 2004

www.san-francisco-travel-services.com
Accessed December 21, 2004

www.lonelyplanet.com
Accessed December 21, 2004