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WCG 2004 l WCG HISTORY |
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San Francisco, one of the world's great cities is the 2nd most densely populated city in U.S although only 750,000 people live here.San Francisco is in the heart of the Bay Area within a seven-by-seven-mile tip of land between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
San Francisco was incorporated as a City on April 15th, 1850 by act of the Legislature. Although City Government has played a key role in San Francisco's development, the true wealth of this City resides with the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of its pioneering Citizens. The City today is governed by the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. |
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 State:
California |
| Area:
45 sq miles (120 sq km) |
| Population:
750,000 (the basic year: 2000) |
| 6.3
million in the San Francisco Bay
Area, including 380,000 in Oakland,
140,000 in Berkeley and 835,000
in San Jose |
| Elevation:
155ft (45m) |
| Time
Zone: Pacific Time (GMT/UTC
minus 8 hours) |
| San
Francisco official website |
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Weather |
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San
Francisco enjoys relatively mild weather year-round.
This makes our City an ideal tourist destination
and a great place to live. Although fog is
not unusual, especially in the summer, temperatures
seldom rise above 70ºF (21ºC) or fall below
40ºF (5ºC).
The City sees its best weather in the fall
from September to October. Temperatures are
known to rise into the 70s and 80s, a "heat
wave" by San Francisco standards. Remember
that the bay is breezy and a medium-weight
jacket is always a good idea whatever time
of year you choose to visit.
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September |
October |
November |
Average
Max.
Temperature (F) |
73.4 |
70.2 |
62.0 |
Average
Min.
Temperature (F) |
54.6 |
51.8 |
47.2 |
Average
Total
Precipitation (in.) |
0.19 |
0.96 |
2.46 |
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San
Francisco facts at a glance |
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 Alcatraz Island |
| Alcatraz
Island was discovered in 1775
by Juan Manuel Ayala, and was
served as military fortification
from the 1850s to 1933. In 1934,
it was converted into a federal
maximum-security prison and was
believed to be a totally escape-proof
prison. But in 1963, after an
apparent escape in which no bodies
were recovered, the government
closed the prison. In 1972, it
became part of the Golden Gate
National Recreation Area and was
open to visitors. Alcatraz lighthouse
is the first lighthouse built
on the Pacific Coast. |
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Cable Car |
| San
Francisco's cable cars were invented
in 1869 by London-born engineer
Andrew Hallidie. In 1873, the
first cable car made its maiden
run from the top of Clay Street.
There are three existing lines
in the city: Powell- Hyde (Powell-Market,
Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Hyde and
Beach), Powell-Mason (Powell-Market,
Nob Hill, North Beach, Bay and
Taylor) and California Street
(California and Market, Embarcadero
BART/MUNI, Financial District,
Chinatown, Nob Hill to Van Ness). |
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Chinatown |
| San
Francisco Chinatown has over 160
years history. Now it is the largest
Chinese community on the West
Coast, and the second largest
in the U. S. next to New York
City's settlement. |
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Fisherman's Wharf |
| Fisherman's
Wharf was originally a major fishing
pier. Now, with its historic waterfront,
delicious seafood, spectacular
sights and unique shopping, remains
one of San Franciscos most popular
destinations, even though the
fishing industry is still alive
today. |
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Golden Gate Bridge |
| The
Golden Gate Bridge, completed
in 1937 after four years of construction
at a cost of $35 million. Is a
visitor attraction recognized
around the world? The Golden Gate
Bridge's 4,200 foot long main
suspension span was a world record
that stood for 27 years. The bridge's
two towers rise 746 feet making
them 191 feet taller than the
Washington Monument. |
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Lombard Street |
| Lombard
Street is San Francisco-- and
America's crookedness street.
The steep, hilly street was created
with sharp curves to switchback
down the one-way hill past beautiful
Victorian mansions. The curves
were carved in the early 1920s
to afford horses and their cargo
an easier climb up the hill. |
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Pier 39 |
| With
more than 110 stores, 11 full-service
restaurants with bay views and
numerous fun-filled attractions,
Pier 39 is one of the most visited
attractions in America. From there,
you can watch sail boats, cruise
ships and cargo ships pass by
on San Francisco Bay and sea lions
on the deck. |
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