#1 Introduction: Why Visit San Francisco?
     San Francisco is a city filled with plenty of history, beauty, art and nature. There are a ton of places to go and activities to participate in in this small 232 square mile city. From museums to parks, to malls and farmers markets, there are attractions around every corner that entertain both children and adults. Two of the most well-known landmarks are the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most longest suspension bridges in the world! Do you like to exercise? Well, challenge yourself and bike across the bridge to the little town of Sausalito. Whether traveling with children or alone, you can make this vacation a learning experience by visiting Alcatraz. Take a tour and learn about this prisons past and its infamous inmates like Al Capone.



     The bridge and prison are just two of thousands of places to visit and things to do. This small town is commonly split into ten functional regions called "districts," that were created based on the interrelatedness of the functions performed in those areas. For example, as seen in the image below, Richmond is known as a residential area while Downtown is known for its business economy. Geographically, the entire city is located in the Ecotopia region of North America.

#2 Environmental Setting: Learn a Little About Nature

   ~Geomorphic Processes
     One of the worlds most well-known faults is the San Andreas Fault; it stretches from southern California, near the Salton Sea,  all the way up to San Francisco (page 19). Due to the location of this fault, this city experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 1906 that destroyed the city. It caused several fires to break out and killed hundreds of innocent people. But don't worry! There hasn't been a earthquake with such a high magnitude since then, so you don't have much to worry about. Here is a link to a YouTube video that further discusses the San Andreas Fault and the damage from the San Francisco earthquake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a7OizEdAik

~Weather and Climate
  San Francisco expereinces Mediterranean climate, meaning its receives most of its annual precipitation during the winter months and then has a dry summer season (page 33). This is also known as Maritime Climate. The figure below shows the temperature change throughout the year in San Francisco.
     

#3 Historical Settlement of San Francisco
      San Francisco was first founded in 1776 by Juan Bautista de Anza. It was originally named "Yerba Buena" because of the "good mint" that had been growing in the area. In 1848, its 469 residents included Ohlone Indians, Americans, Spanish Californians, Hawaiians, Europeans, South Americans and New Zealanders. During the Gold Rush of 1849, the population drastically grew as people move to this city in hopes of finding gold. 

 Fun Historical Facts...
     1. At Angel Island, 175,000 Chinese immigrants and Japanese once waited to enter the country. They carved poems of hope into the walls that are still visible at Immigration Station today.
    2. Mission Dolores is the oldest building in San Francisco, built in 1791. Two major earthquakes couldn't bring it down, but small beetles almost did in 2000 by chewing their way in. 
    3. San Francisco outlawed burials in 1901 

#4 The Economy

   This unique city has the San Francisco Center for Economic Development (SFCED) to attract and retain business specifically in San Francisco. It supports and encourages small local businesses. Their goal is to "strengthen business ties within the local community as well as spur growth and development throughout the Bay Area Regional Economy." Why San Francisco you may ask. Well, according to SFCED San Francisco's worker productivity doubles the national average. It also produces more patents than any other region in the U.S. and attracts 36% of the nation's total venture capital investments. 

#5 The Atlantic Periphery does not apply to San Francisco, but the two regions have several similarities and differences...

1) Weather
  The Atlantic Periphery typically experiences cool to mild summers and cold, snowy winters (page 94). San Francisco is usually characterized with moist, cold winters and dry, cool summers. Snow is extremely rare in this city, but fog is more common.  The Atlantic oceans affects the temperature and precipitation of both these regions (page 94).

2) Tourism

  Tourism is very popular is both regions, but for different reasons. The Atlantic Periphery is popular in the summer for hiking, camping, fishing, boating and other sports (page 101), while San Francisco is more popular for its landmarks, architecture, cultural diversity, and business economy. 

#6 The Scenery

Here are just a few of the many beautiful views in San Francisco....

#7 Megalopolis
    Even though San Francisco is no where near Megalopolis, we considered it to be the "Megalopolis of the West Coast" for three different reasons

1.  Just like Megalopolis has Ellis Island, San Francisco has Angel Island. Both landmarks were used as immigration stations for people migrating into the United States. Ellis Island opened before Angel Island, so Angel Island was also known as "Ellis Island of the West."

2. Both areas are very unique with culture, people, and places (page 138).

3.  Both regions also have areas known for their business aspects. Megalopolis has Brooklyn as an impressive central business district and San Francisco has a couple districts (out of the ten mentioned earlier) that are known for their business.

#8 The Great Lakes and Corn Belt

The Great Lakes and Corn Belt together have become known as the "Heartland" because of the true "American" values seen in this area. Regions in the Heartland such a Columbus, Ohio, and Illinois are used as test markets because their demographic, economic, and ethnic mixes are very similar to those of the United States as a whole. Therefore, products that are successful in this area are assumed to be successful nationwide. How does this relate to San Francisco you may ask? Well, some of the products sold and battered in San Francisco were first tested in the Heartland. Just another reason to visit San Francisco and go shopping!

#9 The Inland South

Are you a fan of jazz music? Well, it originated among African-American slaves in the Inland South (page 180). The Inland South may have the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, but San Francisco has SFJAZZ, which is a non-profit presenting arts organization dedicated to advancing the art of jazz through concerts, education programs, discussions, listening parties, and cultural events. It recently opened and is now selling tickets to several different Jazz events...just another reason to visit this fascinating city!

#10 The Coastal South

Megalopolis has Ellis Island, San Francisco has Angel Island, and now last but not least, the Coastal South has Galveston, Texas (page 194). From the early 1840s to the 1920s, this was the port of entry for tens of thousands of immigrants into Texas and the interior part of the United States. Almost half of these immigrants were Germans. A church known as the Sacred Heart Catholic Church (seen below) helped these immigrants adjust to their new life in Galveston. 

#11 The Great Plains

  Just like San Francisco has the San Andreas fault causing earthquakes, the southern Great Plans has Tornado Alley. This area extends from northern Texas across Oklahoma into Kansas and is more susceptible to tornadoes than anywhere else in the world! It also experiences winds of more than 200 miles per hour and can cause extensive property damage, injuries, and even death (209). Stay safe and come to San Francisco instead! Here is a link to a YouTube video that explains a little more about Tornado Alley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G3r6o2eTSw

#12/13 The Rocky Mountain Region and the Intermontane West

San Francisco experiences earthquakes, the Great Plains have tornados, and last but not least the Rocky Mountain region has winter storms that cause avalanches and flash flooding. All three of these places are in the United States, but experience very different hazards. All three hazards can cause property damage, injury or death. For example, violent spring and summer thunderstorms in the Rocky Mountain region can produce hail that damage crops and personal property.  These storms can also cause flash floods that injury and kill people. In 1976 there was a flash flood at Big Thompson Canyon  that killed 139 people and caused more than $30 million in damage (233).

#14 MexAmerica

The border of MexAmerica is fairly close to San Francisco, but isn't very similar to it. However, one interesting thing about MexAmerica is its weather. It is the opposite of weather in San Francisco; it is hot and dry. The mountains of California and northwestern Mexico block a lot of the mositure from the Pacific Ocean causing the east of MexAmerica to be very dry (267). The Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, and the Chihuahuan Desert are some of the main dry areas. However,  Death Valley is the driest place in North America.

#15 California

Aside from visiting San Francisco, who wouldn't want to experience everything the state of California has to offer? The beautiful weather, tourist attractions, landmarks, and cities make it impossible for one to resist the state. California is a place with much to do and not enough time to do it. The sunny summer weather makes it easy to visit places like Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, downtown Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay, and Chinatown (295-296).

   

#16 The Pacific Northwest

  Organic farmers have become increasingly important contributors in the primary sector of the Pacific Northwest, especially in the agricultural scenes of Washington and Oregon (311). Because of this, farmers' markets have become very popular in many parts of the region. Farmers' markets are also very common in San Francisco. These markets have become popular in areas such as Seattle's daily indoor Pike Place Market and downtown Portland's popular Saturday Market (311). They not only provide an outlet for organic farmers to sell their fresh wares, but also serve as social functions and gatherings for local residents and visitors. Whether in San Francisco or the Pacific Northwest, make sure you try some fresh agricultures from these markets!

#17 Hawaii and the Pacific Islands

Hawaii and San Francisco are no where near one another, but one major thing they have in common is tourism. After World War II, Hawaii became one of the most popular attractions in the world. In fact, its tourism is a major part of the states economy. In 2010, it had over 7 million visitors, most of which were United States visitors that flew in from Los Angles or San Francisco (332). The top mainlands these visitors come from are the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada (332). All that profit and revenue may sound great, but a lot of it goes to corporations that hire local residents for low wages to perform unskilled jobs in the tourist industry.

#18/19 The Future of North America

North America is filled with thousands of beautiful locations to visit like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Hawaii, etc. However, the future of North America isn't looking so bright. Years from now, these stunning locations will not be so stunning if the Earth isn't properly taken care of. Global warming, pollution, habitat loss, and shortages of natural resources are just some of the problems the Earth is facing (359).  This dilemma is demonstrated in the Tragedy of the Commons, which is a situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently in their own self-interest, deplete a shared limited resource with the knowledge of its long term effects (360). As temporary visitors on Earth we must do what we can to prevent such deterioration and damage of our home OR ELSE we won't have a future home!