Located on the San Francisco Peninsula, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years prior to its discovery by the Spanish, San Francisco is one of the largest and most diverse cities in the United States.

San Francisco Bay lies hidden along California's coast. The first Spanish expedition along the coast and Sir Francis Drake both missed the bay, which Captain Gaspar de Portola's expedition discovered in 1769. Over the next several years, the Spanish explored the area further until 1776, when Lieutenant Don Jose Joaquin Moraga established the presidio Franciscan missionary Father Palou co-founded the mission dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. The area laid relatively the same for the next fifty years until 1821 when Mexico seized control of Spanish territory throughout the southwest.

Under Mexican control, the town of Yerba Buena sprouted up alongside the presidio and mission. During the 1830s, Americans trickled into the region, but the population of the area stood at 150 persons in 1835. The Mexican War, along with an influx of Mormons, and American entrepreneurs increased the size of the area to around 1000 people prior to 1848, including the first Chinese immigrants to the United States. Following the Mexican War, California became part of the United States and the city was renamed San Francisco.

The year 1848 marked the beginning of the California Gold Rush and the explosive growth of the city of San Francisco. The enormous influx of people led to California's admittance into the United States in 1850. All the while, San Francisco led California and continued to grow throughout the 19th century. The city paved the way for the gradual settlement of the American West. From 1850-1906, San Francisco was a first rate city and the nation's 10th largest in 1870. The city was full of industry, commerce, and even home to the Palace Hotel, the largest hotel in the United States at the time.

Following a half century of constant growth, the great earthquake and fires of 1906 reduced San Francisco to rubble and destroyed nearly half of the city including Chinatown. San Francisco rebounded incredibly and grew rapidly just as it did during the 19th century. During the 20th century, San Francisco became home to several notable events: the opening of Angel Island as a point of entry and prison for immigrants; the formation of the nation's oldest professional ballet company; the opening of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges; the Digger movement of the 1960s, and the site of the creation of the United Nations.

During the last half-century, San Francisco has continued to grow. The Loma Prieta Earthquake struck the city in 1989 damaging some of the infrastructure of the city, but not crippling it as in 1906. Skyscrapers now adorn the skyline and the city is now home to internet companies, a leader in the green movement, a haven for the LGBT community, and still continually growing.

Credits and Sources:

Researched and written by UWF Public History Graduate Student Grant Czubinski