San Francisco

San Francisco, a city in western California is coextensive with San
Francisco County. Famous for its beautiful setting, San Francisco is
primarily located on the northern tip of a peninsula at the entrance
to San Francisco Bay. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the
west, the strait known as Golden Gate on the north, San Francisco
Bay on the east, and San Bruno Mountain on the south. Alcatraz,
Angel, Farallon, Treasure, and Yerba Buena islands are part of the
city.

POPULATION

The population of San Francisco increased from 678,974 in 1980 to
723,959 in 1990; the population was 735,315 in 1996. According
to the 1990 census, whites constitute 53.6 percent of San
Francisco's population; Asians and Pacific Islanders, 29.1 percent;
blacks, 10.9 percent; and Native Americans, 0.5 percent.
Hispanics, who may be of any race, represent 13.3 percent of the
population. San Francisco is part of a major metropolitan region
that also includes Oakland and San Jose. The region's population
increased from 5,368,000 in 1980 to 6,253,000 in 1990, reaching
an estimated 6,940,000 in 2004.

ECONOMY

San Francisco is a leading financial and international trade center
for the western United States. The downtown financial district
contains the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange; the headquarters of the
12th Federal Reserve District; and numerous banks and corporate
office buildings, including the home office of the Bank of America,
one of the largest banks in the world. Tourism is also important to
the city's economy. The San Francisco region is also home to many
companies developing computer software and hardware. Several
national apparel manufacturers also have headquarters in the city.

EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

The main institutions of higher education in San Francisco are San
Francisco State University (1899), the University of San Francisco
(1855), Golden Gate University (1853), the University of California-
San Francisco (1864), the New College of California (1971), the
University of California Hastings College of Law (1878), the San
Francisco Art Institute (1871), the Academy of Art College (1929),
the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (1917), and a large
community college. San Francisco has many performing-arts
organizations. Among the best known are the San Francisco
Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Ballet, the San Francisco
Opera, and the American Conservatory Theater.