Sod Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area includes nine counties that border the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun estuaries. These nine counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. 

The Bay Area is known worldwide for its most famous landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge was once referred to as the bridge that couldn’t be built, but after battling heavy winds, tides, and fog for four years, it was finally opened in 1937. Known for its ingenuity of architecture and engineering and as one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the bridge spans 1.7 miles long and features sidewalks that allow everyone, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchair users, to enjoy it. 

The Bay Area is also known for being the home of Alcatraz Island, which was once a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, and is now one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions.  Some of the prison’s more infamous former residents were Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Stroud, and James “Whitey” Bulger.                                           

Pier 39 is also one of the most popular attractions in the area, providing beautiful views and two levels of dining, entertainment, shopping, and attractions along the San Francisco waterfront. 

Opportunities for arts and culture are also abundant in the area. These include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, African American Art & Culture Complex, the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, the California Academy of Sciences, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the American Conservatory Theater 

The area is home to six professional sports teams, including the San Francisco 49ers NFL team, the San Francisco Giants MLB team, the Golden State Warriors NBA team, the San Jose Sharks NHL team, and the San Jose Earthquakes MLS team. 

There are many different business industries represented in the area, including financial, tourism, metalworking, oil, transportation and shipping, technology, and agriculture and wine. 

Some of the major companies in the area are Google, Facebook, Apple, Inc. eBay, Oracle, Salesforce, Chevron, Netflix, Lockheed Martin, Tesla, Inc., Coca Cola, and Bayer. 

The Bay Area was once home to the Miwokan and Costanoan Ohlone people before the arrival of Spanish and English immigrants.  Gold was discovered in the area in 1848, which was the beginning of the California Gold Rush. Within six months, there were 4,000 men panning for gold, with about $50,000 worth of gold found each day. This led to a huge boost in the area’s population. More recent figures according to the 2010 Census, put the population of the Bay Area at approximately 7.75 million people. 

The Bay Area is in the warm-summer Mediterranean climate zone typical of the California coast. Residents experience wet but mild winters and dry summers. The area’s diverse topography has also created several microclimates, with great differences in temperature and climate within short distances.