The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area or the Bay, is a geographically and ethnically diverse metropolitan region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo bays in Northern California. San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive Estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento San Pablo Bay is a shallow tidal Estuary that forms the northern extension Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment Northern California is the northern portion of the US state of California.

USGS satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area taken in 1999. (Click the image for a description of major features. )

It encompasses large cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Oakland (ˈoʊklənd founded in 1852 is the eighth-largest city in the U Overall, the Bay Area consists of nine counties, 101 cities, and 7,000 square miles. ^[1] The nine counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Alameda County is a county in the US state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Contra Costa County ( Spanish for "opposite coast" is a suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U March 11, 1889 | Napa County is a County located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") ( Spanish for: St Santa Clara County is a County located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U Solano County is a County located in Bay-Delta region of the U Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of California, is one of the northernmost counties of the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area, U ^[2]

San Francisco Bay Area highlighted in red on a map of California

As of July 2006, the Bay Area is home to 7. 2 million people^[3]. It is one of the wealthiest regions in the United States, according to the United States Census Bureau. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census The area has the highest median household income in the nation at over $65,000. The United States Bureau of the Census defines 280 metropolitan statistical areas. The Bay Area hosts many cities, towns, military bases, airports, and associated regional, state, and national parks, connected by a massive network of roads, highways, railroads, bridges, tunnels and commuter rail. Etymology The word bases is first recorded in English language from c An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Bridges is the plural form of Bridge. People Bridges is the Family name of Alicia Bridges, A tunnel is an underground passageway The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon Commuter rail, regional rail or suburban rail is a Passenger rail transport service between a city center and outer suburbs and Commuter towns

While San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, having surpassed San Francisco in the 1990 census, for most of its history San Francisco was the area's most populous city. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The United States Census is a decennial Census mandated by the United States Constitution. San Francisco remains the focal point and major cultural center in the region. ^[4][5] In addition to having the highest median household income in the nation, the Bay Area has the highest per capita income of any metropolitan area in the United States^[6] and is also one of the most politically liberal areas in the nation. Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Modern liberalism in the United States, also referred to as American liberalism, is a political ideology that seeks to use the power of the state to effect change upon society ^[7] The cost of living is also one of the highest in the nation. ^[8]

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the "Golden Gate", the strait connecting the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the suspended-deck type The Golden Gate is the North American Strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It connects San Francisco with Marin County

Subregions

San Francisco

Main article: San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is generally placed in a category by itself in terms of geography and culture even within the Bay Area, and is known locally as "The City. March 11, 1889 | The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The City as a linguistic term is a generic name used in various contexts to refer to a particular city " It is separated by water from the north, west and east, and by a county line from its neighbor cities to the South. San Francisco has long served as the cultural, financial and urban center of the region. For most of the Bay Area's history, it was the key population center. However, the limitations of the size of the county (47 square miles, making it the second most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City) constrained the growth of the city and, since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, other cities and counties have received the larger share of population growth. The City of New York Despite these limitations, San Francisco has a larger commuter and daytime population than any other city in the Bay Area.

North Bay

Napa Valley is most famous for its wine. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice

Main article: North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)

The region north of the Golden Gate Bridge is known locally as the North Bay. The North Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean This area consists of Marin County and extends northward into Sonoma County and Napa County and eastward into Solano County. March 11, 1889 | Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of California, is one of the northernmost counties of the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area, U Napa County is a County located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U Solano County is a County located in Bay-Delta region of the U The city of Vallejo, being part of Solano County, is often considered the eastern most city of the North Bay, though due to a stronger cultural/socioeconomic similarity to many East Bay cities, it is also often considered the northern most city of the East Bay. Vallejo (vəˈleɪoʊ or /vəˈleɪhoʊ/ in English /baˈjeho/ in the original Spanish) is the largest city in Solano County With few exceptions, this region is quite affluent: Marin County is ranked as the wealthiest in the nation. The North Bay is generally the least urbanized part of the Bay Area, with many areas of undeveloped open space, farmland and vineyards. Santa Rosa in Sonoma County is the North Bay's largest city, with a population of 156,200 and a Metropolitan Statistical Area population of 466,477, making it the fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Rosa is the County seat of Sonoma County California, United States Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|Table of United States Core Based Statistical AreasIn the United States, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB has produced The North Bay is the only section of the Bay Area that is not served by a commuter rail transit service, and Sonoma-Marin service was recently voted down. The lack of transportation services is mainly because of the lack of population mass in the North Bay, and the fact that it is separated completely from the rest of the Bay Area by water, the only access points being the Golden Gate Bridge leading to San Francisco, the Richmond-San Rafael and Carquinez Bridges leading to Richmond, and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge leading to Martinez. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (officially the John F McCarthy Memorial Bridge is the northernmost of the east-west crossings of the San Francisco Bay in The Carquinez Bridge refers to two parallel bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait linking Vallejo California to the north with Crockett Richmond (ˈɹɪtʃmənd is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The Benicia-Martinez Bridge refers to three parallel bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait just west of Suisun Bay; the spans link Benicia California Martinez ( "mar-TEE-niss" or "mar-TEE-nezz") is the County seat of Contra Costa County California, United States

Peninsula

View of Colma, California, looking down from San Bruno Mountain

Main article: San Francisco Peninsula

The area between San Francisco and the South Bay is the San Francisco Peninsula, known locally as the Peninsula. Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula San Bruno Mountain, situated in northern San Mateo County California, is the northernmost part of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The San Francisco Peninsula in California separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The San Francisco Peninsula in California separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. This area consists of a series of small cities and suburban communities in San Mateo County and the northwestern part of Santa Clara County, as well as various towns along the Pacific coast, such as Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") ( Spanish for: St Santa Clara County is a County located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay is a Coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. This area is extremely diverse, although it contains significant populations of affluent family households with the exception of East Palo Alto and some parts of Redwood City. East Palo Alto (often called EPA) is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. Redwood City is a suburb located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California Many of the cities and towns had originally been centers of rural life until the post-World War II era when large numbers of middle and upper class Bay area residents moved in and developed the small villages. Since the 1980s the area has seen a large growth rate of middle and upper class families who have settled in cities like Palo Alto, Redwood Shores and Atherton as part of the technology boom of Silicon Valley. Palo Alto (ˌpæloʊˈæltoʊ from Spanish: palo: "stick" and alto: "high" i Redwood Shores is an affluent waterfront neighborhood on the San Francisco Peninsula in California. Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Many of these families are of foreign background and have significantly contributed to the diversity of the area. The Peninsula is also home to what used to be one of the deadliest cities in the United States, East Palo Alto. East Palo Alto (often called EPA) is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. Peninsula cities include; Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Redwood Shores, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco and Woodside.

East Bay

Looking west from the Berkeley Hills. The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges which overlook the northeast side of the Valley in which San Francisco Bay Visible clockwise around the bay from the distant Golden Gate (upper center) are Marin County (Upper Right). The Golden Gate is the North American Strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. March 11, 1889 | Albany (Lower Right), Berkeley (Center and foreground), Emeryville (Lower Left), Oakland (Far Lower Left), South San Francisco (Far Upper Left) and San Francisco (Upper Left)

Main article: East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)

The eastern side of the bay, consisting of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is known locally as the East Bay. Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County California, in the United States. South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city The East Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties The East Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties The East Bay is split into two regions, the inner East Bay, which sits on the Bay shoreline, and the outer East Bay, consisting of inland valleys separated from the inner East Bay by hills and mountains.

• The inner East Bay includes the cities of Oakland, Hayward, Fremont, Berkeley, and Richmond, as well as many smaller suburbs such as Alameda, Castro Valley, Newark, Union City, Emeryville, Albany, San Leandro, San Pablo, El Sobrante,Pinole, Piedmont, and El Cerrito. Oakland (ˈoʊklənd founded in 1852 is the eighth-largest city in the U Hayward ( is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County. Fremont (ˈfriːmɒnt is a city in California, USA that was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities Centerville Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Richmond (ˈɹɪtʃmənd is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Castro Valley is a Census-designated place (CDP in Alameda County, California, United States. Newark is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County California, in the United States. Albany is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. San Leandro is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. El Sobrante is a Census-designated place (CDP in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Piedmont is a small extremely affluent city in Alameda County, California, United States. El Cerrito is a City in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The inner East Bay is more urban, more densely populated, has a much older building stock (built before World War II) and a more ethnically diverse population. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Oakland hosts the region's largest seaport and professional sports franchises in basketball, football, and baseball. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in the city of Oakland California. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. As with many inner urban areas, the Inner East Bay also features a high incidence of crime as well as other socio-economic problems. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, more than 50% of all homicides in the Bay Area in 2002 occurred within the city limits of Oakland and Richmond. The homicide rates have steadily increased, as 2005 had the highest homicide rates for both Richmond and Oakland in many years.
• The outer East Bay consists of the eastern portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and is divided into 4 distinct areas: "Lamorinda," Central Contra Costa County, The San Ramon Valley, and the Livermore-Amador Valley. Alameda County is a county in the US state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Contra Costa County ( Spanish for "opposite coast" is a suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U Lamorinda includes the cities of Orinda, Moraga and Lafayette. Moraga is an affluent suburban incorporated town located in Contra Costa County California, The United States of America (USA in the San Francisco Bay Walnut Creek is situated between Lamorinda and the San Ramon Valley, and together with Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, Antioch, and Pleasant Hill comprises Central Contra Costa County. Walnut Creek is a Suburban community located 16 miles east of the city of Oakland Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, California, USA. Martinez ( "mar-TEE-niss" or "mar-TEE-nezz") is the County seat of Contra Costa County California, United States Pittsburg California is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County California, the outer portion of the East Bay region Antioch is a Suburb of San Francisco and Oakland located in Contra Costa County, California Pleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County, California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, comprise the Livermore-Amador Valley (sometimes joined with the San Ramon Valley and called the Tri-Valley). Dublin is a suburban city of the East (San Francisco Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894 Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Tri-Valley is a triangle-shaped region in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Ramon Valley consists of Alamo, Danville, Diablo and its namesake, San Ramon to the south. Alamo is an Unincorporated community and Census-designated place (CDP in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States The Town of Danville is located in a part of Contra Costa County California called the San Ramon Valley, United States. Diablo is a Census-designated place (CDP in Contra Costa County, California, United States. San Ramon (from Spanish San Ramón meaning St Raymond is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The outer East Bay is connected to the inner East Bay by BART, Interstates 80, 580, and 680, and State Route 24 via the Caldecott Tunnel. In the US state of California, Interstate 80, a major east-west route of the Interstate Highway System, has its western terminus in San Francisco Interstate 680 (I-680 is a north-south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U State Route 24 in the US state of California is a heavily-traveled east-west Freeway in the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area of northern The Caldecott Tunnel is a three bore highway Tunnel in Oakland California. The outer East Bay is part suburban, part rural and its infrastructure was mostly built up after World War II. This area remains largely white demographically, although the Hispanic population has grown significantly over the past 2-3 decades, particularly in the Concord area.

South Bay

Looking west over northern San Jose (downtown is at far left) and other parts of Silicon Valley

Main articles: South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) and Silicon Valley

The communities along the southern edge of the Bay are known as the South Bay, Santa Clara Valley, and Silicon Valley. For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. The South Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and is roughly synonymous with Silicon Valley and the For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. The South Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and is roughly synonymous with Silicon Valley and the See Silicon Valley for a discussion of the technological aspects of the Santa Clara Valley For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. Some Peninsula and East Bay towns are sometimes included in the latter. It includes the major city of San Jose, and its outlying neighbors, including the cities Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and the high-tech hubs of Santa Clara, Milpitas, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Mountain View as well as many other suburbs like Los Altos, Saratoga, Campbell and Los Gatos. Morgan Hill (ˈmɔrgɨn ˈhɪl is a city located in the southern part of Santa Clara County California, USA Gilroy (ˈgɪlrɔɪ is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, USA Santa Clara California (ˌsæntəˈklærə founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852 is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U Milpitas (mɪlˈpiːtəs is a City in Santa Clara County California. Cupertino (ˌkuːpɚˈtiːnoʊ is a Suburban city in Santa Clara County, California, U Sunnyvale ( or) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Palo Alto (ˌpæloʊˈæltoʊ from Spanish: palo: "stick" and alto: "high" i Los Altos (lɑːˈsæltoʊs is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Saratoga (ˌsærəˈtoʊgə is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. Campbell (ˈkæmbəl is a city in Santa Clara County, California, part of Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Generally, the South Bay is Santa Clara County, but the northwest portion of the county (Palo Alto and Mountain View) is often considered part of the Peninsula instead. Home of Silicon Valley, the South Bay was also an early development of working and middle class families who left the coastal cities of the Eastern Bay south of Oakland and Alameda. Large numbers of families during the post-World War era also moved there for the aerospace industry. This area has long been developed and expanded and is often featured as a stereotype of the typical California suburban city. Today, the growth continues, primarily fueled by technology and cheap immigrant workers. The result has been a huge increase in the value of property forcing many middle class families out of the area or into nascent ghettos in older sections of the region.

Befitting of the title Silicon Valley, this region is home to a vast number of technology sector giants. For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. Some notable tech companies headquartered in the South Bay are AMD, Intel, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Google, eBay, and Yahoo!. For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics Google Inc is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online eBay Inc is an American Internet company that manages eBaycom an Online auction and shopping Website in which people and businesses buy and As a consequence of the rapid growth of these and other companies, the South Bay has gained increasing political and economic influence both within California and throughout the world.

Santa Cruz and San Benito

Main articles: Santa Cruz County, California and San Benito County, California

The regional governments in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board include only the nine counties above in their boundaries or membership. Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U The Association of Bay Area Governments ( ABAG) is a regional planning agency incorporating various Local governments in the San Francisco Bay Area The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC is a regional planning financing and funding government agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. History The first meeting of the Bay Area Air Pollution Control District (as it was initially known board of directors was on November 16 1955, possessing (The BAAQMD includes all of the nine counties except the northern portions of Sonoma and Solano; the RWQCB includes all of San Francisco and the portions of the other eight counties that drain to San Francisco Bay or to the Pacific Ocean. )^[9] However, the United States Census Bureau defines the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area as an eleven-county region, including the nine counties above plus Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U Meanwhile, the California State Parks Department defines the Bay Area as including ten counties,^[10] including Santa Cruz but excluding San Benito. On The Other hand, Santa Cruz and San Benito along with Monterey County are part of a different regional government organization called the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, or AMBAG, is a regional governmental organization which consists of representation of a large number of public agencies within

Some residents of the Santa Cruz Mountains (Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Ben Lomond, Felton, Scotts Valley) do not usually consider themselves to be residents of the Bay Area, rather just of the Santa Cruz Mountains themselves. The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a Mountain range in central California, United States. The Santa Cruz Mountains run along the spine of the San Francisco Peninsula, beginning in San Francisco and continuing down to their terminus near the City of Gilroy, effectively creating the Santa Clara Valley. The San Francisco Peninsula in California separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. See Silicon Valley for a discussion of the technological aspects of the Santa Clara Valley

The city of Santa Cruz is geographically isolated from the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area, and is usually considered a part of the Monterey Bay area since the city lies on the north end of the Monterey Bay. This article is about the bay near Monterey CA For other uses see Monterey Bay Aquarium, California State University Monterey Bay The city is also sometimes regarded as the northernmost point of the California Central Coast, which extends along the state's coastline to Santa Barbara. The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay and Point Conception. Santa Barbara is a city in Santa Barbara County California, United States.

This partial inclusion of these two counties in the Bay Area is one manifestation of a "spillover" where, because of high housing prices in the Bay Area proper, people with Bay Area jobs purchase homes in outlying areas and endure long commutes. This blurs the outer borders of the Bay Area, which now can be said to spillover not only to the south (Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties) but to the Central Valley counties of Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Yolo. Sacramento County is a county in the US state of California. The County seat is the city of Sacramento, the State capital San Joaquin County is a county located in Central Valley of the U Stanislaus County is a County located in the Central Valley of the state of California, between Stockton and Fresno. Yolo County is located in the northern part of the US state of California, bordered by the counties of Sacramento, Solano,

Demographics

As of 2006 , there were 6,927,555 people residing in the Bay Area. The racial makeup of the 9 County Bay Area was 47. 29% White, 19. 83% Asian, 0. 67% Pacific Islander, 7. 32% African American, 0. 87% Native American, 9. 46% from other races, and 5. 28% from two or more races. 19. 89% of the population were Hispanic of any race. 29. 6% of the population was foreign born.

As of 2006, there were 7,236,391 people residing in the Greater Bay Area. The racial makeup of the 9 County Bay Area plus Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties was 50. 41 White, 19. 96% Asian, 0. 72% Pacific Islander, 7. 35% African American, 0. 90% Native American, 10. 17% from other races, 5. 46% from two or more races. 21. 19% of the population were Hispanic of any race. 31. 8% of the population was foreign born.

Affluence

The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the wealthiest regions in the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, of the 280 defined metropolitan areas, the San Francisco Bay Area has the highest median household income in the nation with $62,024 in the year 2000. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central The United States Bureau of the Census defines 280 metropolitan statistical areas. The Census Bureau also released data in August 2006 citing San José as having the second highest median household income among large cities. Among medium-sized cities, Pleasanton has the highest household income in the country, and Livermore the third highest. Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894 Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Nevertheless, disposable income is very comparable with the rest of the country, largely because the increased cost of living offsets increased income. Disposable income is Gross income minus Income tax on that income ^[11]

While only 26% of households nationwide boast incomes of over $75,000 a year, 48% of households in the San Francisco Bay Area enjoy such incomes. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions ^[12] The percentage of households with incomes exceeding the $100,000 mark in the Bay Area was double the nationwide percentage. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions Roughly one third (31%) of households in the San Francisco Bay Area had a six figure income, versus less than 16% at the nationwide level. Affluence in the United States refers to an individual's or household's state of being in an economically favorable position in contrast to a given Reference group. ^[13] In June 2003, a study by Stanford University reviewing US Census Bureau statistics determined the median household income in the San Francisco Bay Area to be roughly 60% above national average. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions ^[12] Overall the largest income bracket in the Bay Area were households making between $100,000 and $150,000 annually, who constituted roughly 18% of households. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions ^[12] On a national level the largest income bracket were households with incomes between $30,000 and $40,000 who constituted 13% of all households nationwide. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions ^[13]

Six of the top ten California places with the highest per capita income are in the San Francisco Bay Area (Belvedere, Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Diablo). Belvedere is an affluent city in Marin County, California, United States. Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Woodside (pop 5352 is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Diablo is a Census-designated place (CDP in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Of the 100 highest income counties by per capita income in the United States, six are in the San Francisco Bay Area (Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Alameda). There are 3142 counties in the United States. The source of the data is the U March 11, 1889 | San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") ( Spanish for: St The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Santa Clara County is a County located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U Contra Costa County ( Spanish for "opposite coast" is a suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U Alameda County is a county in the US state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. According to Forbes Magazine, published in 2005, 12 of the top 50 most expensive Zip Codes are in the Bay Area (Atherton, Ross, Diablo, Belvedere-Tiburon, Nicasio, Portola Valley, Los Altos-Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno, the Cow Hollow-Marina District of San Francisco, Alamo, and Burlingame-Hillsborough). Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Ross is a small incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States, just north of Diablo is a Census-designated place (CDP in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Belvedere is an affluent city in Marin County, California, United States. Tiburon is an affluent incorporated town in Marin County California. For people with this name see Nicasius. Nicasio (ni-kash'-oh is a contiguous area of unincorporated land in west Marin Portola Valley is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Los Altos (lɑːˈsæltoʊs is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Los Altos Hills (lɑːs ˈæltoʊs ˈhɪlz is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Monte Sereno (from Spanish monte, hill and sereno, serene is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA Counting both major well-known neighborhoods as well as smaller specific subsections and developments there are over 100 neighborhoods in San Francisco California, USA The Marina District is one of the northern districts of San Francisco, California. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Alamo is an Unincorporated community and Census-designated place (CDP in Contra Costa County, California, in the United States Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Hillsborough is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. [1]

This graph compares the income distribution among Bay Area households to the national level. ^[12][13]

Forty-two San Francisco Bay Area residents made the Forbes magazine's 400 richest Americans list, published in 2006. Forbes is an American Publishing and media company Its flagship publication Forbes magazine is published bi-weekly ^[14] Thirteen live within San Francisco proper, placing it seventh among cities in the world. Among the forty-two were several well-known names such as Steve Jobs, George Lucas, and Charles Schwab. Steven Paul Jobs (born February 24 1955 is the Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc and former CEO of Pixar Animation George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter The highest-ranking resident is Larry Ellison of Oracle at No. Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation Oracle Corporation ( specializes in developing and marketing Enterprise software products — particularly Database management systems In 2007 Oracle ranked 4. He is worth $19. 5 billion.

A study by Claritas indicates that in 2004, 5% of all households within the San Francisco and San José metropolitan areas held $1 million in investable assets [2], and Wells Fargo estimates that there are 180,000 millionaire households in the Bay Area, 10% of which have $5 million or more in assets [3]. Wells Fargo & Co ( is a diversified Financial services company headquartered in San Francisco California, United States with operations around the

Living expenses

The popularity of the region, owing both to its mild weather and its cultural and economic diversity, combined with strong anti-growth sentiment (both local and statewide), has led to high housing costs, especially for ownership and for commercial property leases. Owing to the relatively lower costs of outlying housing and limited public transportation, long, expensive, and often unpleasant automobile commutes are common in the region, and these costs tend to trickle down throughout various activities, making many other activities such as dining out, theater tickets, etc. more expensive than in other areas of the country. Wages of only a limited portion of the population have kept pace with the increased expenses, and many minimum wage earners, even those holding multiple jobs, (and many families with multiple members employed) are classified as "working poor", while the higher incomes necessary for a satisfactory lifestyle in the region lead to higher taxes, especially at the federal level for persons not qualifying for high mortgage or self employment related deductions. A minimum wage is the lowest hourly daily or monthly Wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers Working poor is a term used to describe Individuals and families who maintain regular employment but remain in relative Poverty due to low levels of pay Although most working-class households in the United States earn between $20,000–$30,000 a year, working-class households in the Bay Area earn over $50,000 a year performing the same jobs (such as in the service industry), which would be considered middle-class in other parts of the country. The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. Nevertheless, because of extremely expensive housing costs, disposable income of working-class Bay Area households is only equivalent to the amount of disposable income in other parts of the country because the rest of the income increase goes to pay for an increased cost of living. Disposable income is Gross income minus Income tax on that income Disposable income is Gross income minus Income tax on that income Therefore, although the great majority of the population is much more affluent (without taking into account the increased costs of living) compared to the rest of the country, the disposable income is nearly identical. Disposable income is Gross income minus Income tax on that income This enables low cost goods shops such as variety stores to maintain a presence in the Bay Area. A variety store or price-point retailer is a Retail store that sells inexpensive items usually with a single Price point for all items in the

Political views

The Bay Area is relatively renowned as being among the most liberal areas in the country. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI), congressional districts the Bay Area tend to favor Democratic candidates by roughly 40 percentage points, considerably above the mean for Coastal California or California overall. The Cook Partisan Voting Index ( CPVI) sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index ( PVI) is a measurement of how strongly an American A congressional district is an electoral Constituency that elects a single member of a Congress. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Coastal California refers to the coastal regions of the US state of California. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. All but one congressional district in the region voted for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election with only 25% of votes being cast in support of George W. Bush. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. CPVI ratings ranged from D +14 in San Jose to D +21 in Marin County and D +38 in Barbara Lee's district encompassing Berkeley and Oakland. The Cook Partisan Voting Index ( CPVI) sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index ( PVI) is a measurement of how strongly an American March 11, 1889 | Barbara Jean Lee (born July 16 1946) is an American politician and has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. Oakland (ˈoʊklənd founded in 1852 is the eighth-largest city in the U Nancy Pelosi's district, California's 8^th which includes most of the city of San Francisco, had a CPVI rating of D +36 with G. W. Bush having received only 14% of votes in the city. Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi (born March 26 1940 is the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States.

Over the last four and a half decades the 9 county Bay Area has voted for a Republican candidate only twice, in 1972 for Richard Nixon and in 1980 for Ronald Reagan. The last county to have voted Republican was Napa county in 1988 for George H. W. Bush. Napa County is a County located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993

Weather

Because the hills, mountains, and large bodies of water produce such vast geographic diversity within this region, the Bay Area offers a significant variety of microclimates. A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the Climate differs from the surrounding area The areas near the Pacific Ocean are generally characterized by relatively small temperature variations during the year, with cool foggy summers and mild rainy winters. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Inland areas, especially those separated from the ocean by hills or mountains, have hotter summers and colder overnight temperatures during the winter. Few residential areas ever experience snow, but peaks over 2,000 feet (610 m) are often dusted with snow several times each winter (including Mount St. Helena, Mount Hamilton, Mount Diablo, and Mount Tamalpais). Mount Hamilton is a Mountain in California 's Diablo Range. In 1861 while working for Josiah D Mount Diablo is a mountain in Contra Costa County California in the San Francisco Bay Area, located south of the town of Clayton and northeast of Mount Tamalpais (tæməlˈpaɪəs MWCD, known locally as "Mount Tam" is a peak in Marin County, California, USA, often The coast north of San Francisco, where year-round cool, moist conditions enable redwoods to grow, has almost nothing in common with Livermore, just 40 miles (64 km) inland across the bay, which has desert-like precipitation and heat. The Cupressaceae or Cypress family is a Conifer family with worldwide distribution San José at the south end of the Bay averages fewer than 15 inches (380 mm) of rain annually, while Napa at the north end of the Bay averages over 30 and parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains just a few miles west of San José get over 55. In the summer, inland regions can be over 40 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) warmer than the coast. This large temperature contrast induces a strong pressure gradient, which results in brisk coastal winds which help keep the coastal climate cool and typically, foggy during the summer. Additionally, strong winds are produced through gaps in the coastal ranges such as the Golden Gate, the Carquinez Strait, and the Altamont Pass, the latter the site of extensive wind farms. The Golden Gate is the North American Strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. The Carquinez Strait is a narrow tidal Strait in northern California. Altamont Pass (el 755 ft / 230 m is a pass in Northern California, United States, located in the Diablo Range between Livermore A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power During the fall and winter seasons, when not stormy, a high pressure area is usually present inland, leading to an offshore flow. While negatively impacting air quality this also clears fog away from the Pacific shore, and so the best weather in San Francisco can usually be found from mid September through mid November. Winter storms are typically short, wet, and mild in temperature, being caused by cold fronts sweeping the eastern Pacific and originating from low pressure systems in the Gulf of Alaska. The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Occasionally during the Summer, spells of warm humid weather will drift over the Bay Area from the Southwest Monsoon, usually bringing high variable clouds as well, and more rarely, high-based thunderstorms. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months

Skyline Boulevard stretches through the Santa Cruz Mountains, here near Palo Alto, California. State Route 35 (SR 35 in the US State of California, generally known as Skyline Boulevard, is a 2-lane Road running along the western ridge During winter and spring, the hills surrounding the Bay Area are lush and green.

Rain is rare in the Bay Area during the summer months. As a result, the surrounding hills quickly become dry and golden-hued in grassy areas.

Geology and landforms

See also: San Francisco Bay

Multiple terranes

The area is well known worldwide for the complexity of its landforms, the region being composed of at least six terranes (continental, seabed, or island arc fragments with distinct characteristics) pushed together over millions of years by the forces of plate tectonics. San Francisco Bay is a shallow productive Estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento A terrane in Geology is a fragment of crustal material formed on or broken off from one Tectonic plate and accreted — " sutured " A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions "Ocean Floor" redirects here For the 2001 song by Audio Adrenaline, see Lift (Audio Adrenaline album. A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic islands or Mountains formed by Plate tectonics as an oceanic Tectonic plate subducts under Plate tectonics (from Greek τέκτων tektōn "builder" or "mason" describes the large scale motions of Earth 's Lithosphere As a consequence, many types of rock and soil are found in the region. Formations include the sedimentary rocks of sandstone, limestone, and shale in uplifted seabeds, metamorphic serpentine rock, coal deposits, and igneous forms as the basalt flows and ash deposits of extinct volcanos. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clay minerals or Muds It is characterized by The serpentine group describes a group of common rock-forming hydrous Magnesium Iron phyllosilicate (()3 Minerals they Igneous rocks (etymology from Latin ignis, fire are rocks formed by solidification of cooled Magma (molten rock Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Pleistocene-era fossils of mammals are abundantly present in some locations. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands

Vertical relief

The region has considerable vertical relief in its landscapes that are not in the alluvial plains leading to the bay or in inland valleys. An alluvial plain is a relatively flat Landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more Rivers coming from highland regions In combination with the extensive water regions this has forced the fragmented development of urban and suburban regions and has led to extensive building on poor soils in the limited flatland areas and considerable expense in connecting the various subregions with roads, tunnels, and bridges.

Several mountains are associated with some of the many ridge and hill structures created by compressive forces between the Pacific Plate and the North American plate. These provide spectacular views (in appropriate weather) of large portions of the Bay Area and include Marin County's Mount Tamalpais at 2,571 feet (784 m). Mount Tamalpais (tæməlˈpaɪəs MWCD, known locally as "Mount Tam" is a peak in Marin County, California, USA, often Contra Costa County's Mount Diablo at 3,849 feet (1,173 m), Alameda County's Mission Peak at 2,517 feet (767 m), and Santa Clara County's Mount Hamilton at 4,213 ft (1,284 m), the latter with significant astronomical studies performed at its crowning Lick Observatory. Mount Diablo is a mountain in Contra Costa County California in the San Francisco Bay Area, located south of the town of Clayton and northeast of Mission Peak is a peak east of Fremont California. It is part of a ridge that includes Mount Allison and Monument Peak. Mount Hamilton is a Mountain in California 's Diablo Range. In 1861 while working for Josiah D The Lick Observatory is an astronomical Observatory, owned and operated by the University of California.

The three major ridge structures (part of the Pacific Coast Range) which are all roughly parallel to the major faultlines:

• The various ranges which form the spine of the San Francisco Peninsula and Marin County (San Andreas Fault)
• The Berkeley Hills, San Leandro Hills and their southern ridgeline extension through Mission Peak (Hayward Fault)
• The Diablo Range, which includes Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton (Calaveras Fault)

Major waterways

Main article: Hydrography of the San Francisco Bay Area

• San Joaquin River
• Sacramento River
• Napa River
• Sonoma Creek
• Guadalupe River
• Coyote Creek
• Petaluma River
• San Pablo Creek
• Wildcat Creek
• Oakland Estuary
• Russian River
• San Lorenzo River
• Gulf of the Farallones
• Corte Madera Creek

Earthquake faults

Map showing some of the major faults in the Bay Area. The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of Mountain ranges that stretch along the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern and central Mexico The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges which overlook the northeast side of the Valley in which San Francisco Bay The Diablo Ranges is a Mountain range in western California, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges. Mount Diablo is a mountain in Contra Costa County California in the San Francisco Bay Area, located south of the town of Clayton and northeast of Mount Hamilton is a Mountain in California 's Diablo Range. In 1861 while working for Josiah D The Hydrography of the San Francisco Bay Area is a complex network of watersheds marshes rivers creeks reservoirs and bays predominantly draining into the San Francisco The San Joaquin River ( 330 miles (530 km long is the second-longest River in California, United States. The Sacramento River is the longest River entirely within the U The Napa River, approximately 55 miles (89 km long is a River in the U Sonoma Creek is a Stream in Northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of Southern Sonoma County California, with headwaters rising The Guadalupe River is a short River in California that runs from the Santa Cruz Mountains flowing north through San Jose California, and emptying The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough near its mouth San Pablo Creek is a creek in Contra Costa County, California which drains the canyon between the San Pablo Ridge and the Sobrante Ridge parts of the Pacific Coast The Oakland Estuary is the body of water separating the cities of Oakland and Alameda, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Lorenzo River drains a large watershed in Santa Cruz County California. Gulf of the Farallones is a gulf of the Pacific Ocean off of the San Francisco California coast Numerous minor faults are also capable of generating locally destructive earthquakes.

The region is also traversed by six major slip-strike fault systems with hundreds of related faults, many of which are "sister faults" of the infamous San Andreas Fault, all of which are stressed by the relative motion between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate or by compressive stresses between these plates. The San Andreas Fault is a geologic Transform fault that runs a length of roughly 800 miles (1300 km through California in the United States. The Pacific Plate is an oceanic Tectonic plate beneath the Pacific Ocean. The North American Plate is a Tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland and part of Siberia. Significant blind thrust faults (faults with near vertical motion and no surface ruptures) are associated with portions of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the northern reaches of the Diablo Range and Mount Diablo. A thrust fault is a type of fault, or break in the Earth's crust with resulting movement of each side against the other in which a lower stratigraphic position is pushed up The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a Mountain range in central California, United States. The Diablo Ranges is a Mountain range in western California, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges. Mount Diablo is a mountain in Contra Costa County California in the San Francisco Bay Area, located south of the town of Clayton and northeast of

Natural hazards

Earthquakes

Map showing earthquake amplification due to soil type.

The region is particularly exposed to hazards associated with large earthquakes,^[16] owing to a combination of factors:

• Numerous major active faults in the region. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer
• A combined thirty year probability of a major earthquake in excess of seventy percent.
• Poorly responding native soil conditions in many places near the bay and in inland valleys, soils which amplify shaking as shown in the map to the right.
• Large areas of filled marshlands and bay muds that are significantly urbanized, with most subject to liquefaction, becoming unable to support structures. Soil liquefaction describes the behavior of loose saturated unconsolidated soils i
• A large inventory of older buildings, many of which are expected to perform poorly in a major earthquake.
• Extensive building in areas subject to landslide, mudslide, and in some locations directly over active fault surface rubble zones. A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement such as rock falls deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows which can occur Mudslide redirects here it is also the name of a cocktail. A mudflow or mudslide is the most rapid (up to 80 km/h / 50 mph
• Most lowrise construction is not fireproof and water systems are likely to be extensively damaged and so large areas are subject to destruction by fire after a large earthquake.
• The coastal location makes the region vulnerable to Pacific Ocean tsunamis. A tsunami ((tsuːˈnɑːmi is a series of waves created when ^[17]

Some of these hazards are being addressed by seismic retrofitting, education in household seismic safety, and even complete replacement of major structures such as the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. See also Earthquake engineering Seismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, Contributions of photographs related to details of preparation are needed As of December 2007 work is continuing on the eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

For an article concerning a typical fault in the region and its associated hazards see Hayward Fault Zone. The Hayward Fault Zone is a Geologic fault zone capable of generating significantly destructive Earthquakes About 60 kilometers long it lies mainly along the For projected ground movement after selecting a locality and a generating fault see this ABAG web page

Flooding

Some flooding occurs on local drainages under sustained wet conditions when the ground becomes saturated, more frequently in the North Bay area, which tends to receive substantially more rainfall than the South Bay. In one case, the Napa River drainage, floodplain developments are being purchased and removed and natural wetlands restored in the innovative Napa River Flood Project as the previous channelization of insufficient capacity around such developments was causing flooding problems upstream. The Napa River, approximately 55 miles (89 km long is a River in the U The Napa River-Napa Creek Flood Protection Project is a Civil Works project of the US Army Corps of Engineers in the city of Napa California. Many of the local creeks have been channelized, although modern practice and some restoration work includes returning the creeks to a natural state with dry stormwater bypasses constructed to handle flooding. While quite expensive, the restoration of a natural environment is of high priority in the intensively urbanized areas of the region.

Windstorms and Wildfires

Typically between late November and early March, a very strong Pacific storm can bring both substantial rainfall (saturating and weakening soil) and strong wind gusts that can cause trees to fall on power lines. Owing to the wide area involved (sometimes hundreds of miles of coast), service can be interrupted for up to several days in some more remote localities, but service is usually restored quickly in urban areas.

In the Spring and Fall, strong offshore winds periodically develop. Diablo wind is a relatively recent Term for a hot dry offshore wind from the northeast that typically occurs in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California These winds are an especially dangerous fire hazard in the fall when vegetation is at its driest, as exemplified historically by the 1923 Berkeley Fire and the 1991 Oakland Firestorm. The 1923 Berkeley Fire was a Conflagration which consumed some 640 structures including 584 homes in the densely-built neighborhoods north of the campus of the University The Oakland Firestorm of 1991 was a large urban fire that occurred on the hillsides of northern Oakland California and southeastern Berkeley on Sunday October

Mudslides and Landslides

Some geologically unstable areas have been extensively urbanized, and can become mobile due to changes in drainage patterns and grading created for development. These are usually confined to small areas, but there have been larger problems in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area

(1) Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, (2) Golden Gate Bridge, (3) San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, (4) San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, (5) Dumbarton Bridge, (6) Carquinez Bridge, (7) Benicia-Martinez Bridge

The Bay Area is served by many public transportation systems, including three international airports (SFO, OAK, SJC), six major overlapping bus transit agencies (AC Transit, Muni, SamTrans, VTA, Golden Gate Transit, County Connection), in addition to dozens of smaller ones. The following is a list of transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (officially the John F McCarthy Memorial Bridge is the northernmost of the east-west crossings of the San Francisco Bay in The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean The San Mateo-Hayward Bridge (commonly called the San Mateo Bridge) is a Bridge crossing California 's San Francisco Bay in the United The Dumbarton Bridge is the southernmost of the highway Bridges that span the San Francisco Bay in California. The Carquinez Bridge refers to two parallel bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait linking Vallejo California to the north with Crockett The Benicia-Martinez Bridge refers to three parallel bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait just west of Suisun Bay; the spans link Benicia California An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land San Francisco International Airport is a major international Airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States adjacent to the Oakland International Airport ( also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public Airport located ten miles (15 km) south of Norman Y Mineta San José International Airport in Santa Clara County, California, United States. AC Transit (in full Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District) is a regional Bus agency serving parts of Alameda County and Contra Costa County The San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni, is the Public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco California San Mateo County Transit District ( SamTrans) is a Public transport agency in and around San Mateo California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA is a Special-purpose district responsible for public transit services congestion management specific highway improvement Golden Gate Transit is a Public transportation system in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, United States. County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority or CCCTA is a Concord -based public transit agency operating fixed-route Bus and ADA Paratransit There are four rapid transit and regional rail systems including BART and CalTrain and two light rail systems (San Francisco Muni Metro and VTA Light-rail). A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway Various terms are used for Passenger rail lines and equipment Caltrain ( AAR reporting marks JPBX) is a California Commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. Muni Metro is a Mass transit system operated in the City and County of San Francisco by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, managed by the San Francisco There are also several regional rail lines provided by Amtrak, notable the Capitol Corridor. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 The Capitol Corridor is a 172-mile (275 km Passenger train route operated by Amtrak in California. In addition to rail lines, there are multiple public and private ferry services (notably Golden Gate Ferry and Blue and Gold Fleet), which are being expanded by the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority. Golden Gate Ferry is one of three transportation systems owned and operated by the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District. Blue & Gold Fleet is a privately owned company in the United States providing Ferry services in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA is a government entity created by the California state legislature in 2007 by Senate The regional ferry hub is San Francisco Ferry Building. The Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a Shopping center located on The Embarcadero AC Transit and some other agencies provide an extensive network of express "transbay" commuter buses from the suburbs to San Francisco Transbay Terminal. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. San Francisco Transbay Terminal, or simply Transbay Terminal, is a transportation complex in San Francisco California, USA, located roughly in the

The freeway and highway system is very extensive; however, many freeways are heavily congested during rush hour, especially the trans-bay bridges (Golden Gate and Bay Bridge). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve Rush hour at Shinjuku 02JPG|thumb|right|250px|Rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Yamanote Line]] A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension Bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean Furthermore there are some large gaps in the highways which run onto city streets in San Francisco, partially due to the Freeway Revolt (SF Board of Supervisors decisions made in 1959, 1964 and 1966), which prevented completion of freeways connecting the San Francisco Bay Bridge western terminus ( Highway 80) with the southern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge, and Highway 101 through San Francisco, and additionally due to the destruction of several of those very freeway structures that sparked the revolt, which were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and subsequently removed rather than being reinforced or rebuilt. The Freeway Revolts (sometimes expressway revolts) refer to a phenomenon encountered in the United States and Canada and in the 1960s and 1970s where planned The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislature of the City and County of San Francisco, California. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. In the US state of California, Interstate 80, a major east-west route of the Interstate Highway System, has its western terminus in San Francisco In the US state of California, US Route 101 (also known as Highway 101, The 101, or simply 101) is one of the last remaining and The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Quake, was a major Earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay

Higher education

The region is home to many universities and seminaries, most notably the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and the University of California, San Francisco. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is a specialized and often live-in Higher education institution for the purpose of instructing students The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in The University of California San Francisco ( UCSF) is one of the world's leading centers of Health sciences research Patient care, and education In 2003, there were approximately 545,000 students enrolled in college or graduate school, while approximately 41 percent of residents aged 25 years and over had a bachelors degree or higher. ^[18] The San Francisco Bay Area population is near the top in the Nation for overall education level. The San Francisco and San Jose PMSAs rank third and fourth in college graduates, ahead of Boston and behind only Boulder–Longmont, Co PMSA and Stamford–Norwalk, CT PMSA. The Boulder Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA located in the Boulder region of Named after the extremely large area of salt-marshes and swamps both on the coast and inland Fairfield County is located in the southwestern corner of the U Santa Cruz PMSA ranks eighth and the Oakland PMSA eleventh. ^[19]

Public University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley City College Cabrillo College California Maritime Academy California State University, East Bay (Hayward) Cañada College Chabot College City College of San Francisco College of Alameda College of Marin College of San Mateo Contra Costa College De Anza College Diablo Valley College Evergreen Valley College Foothill College Laney College Las Positas College Los Medanos College Merritt College Mission College Napa Valley College Ohlone College San José City College San Francisco State University San José State University Santa Rosa Junior College Sonoma State University Skyline College Solano Community College West Valley College University of California, Berkeley University of California, Hastings College of the Law University of California, San Francisco University of California, Santa Cruz Seminaries American Baptist Seminary of the West The Church Divinity School of the Pacific (Episcopal) Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology Franciscan School of Theology Fuller Northern California Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary Graduate Theological Union Institute of Buddhist Studies Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (ELCA, Berkeley) Pacific School of Religion (UCC, Disciples & Methodist) Saint Patrick Seminary San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) Starr King School for the Ministry (Unitarian Universalist)

Private Stanford University. Berkeley City College ( BCC) formerly Vista Community College one of the California Community Colleges, is part of the Peralta Community College District Cabrillo College, named after the explorer Juan Cabrillo, is a Community college in Aptos California. The California Maritime Academy (also known as CMA, Cal Maritime, and CSU Maritime) is one of 23 campuses in the California State University California State University East Bay (also known as CSUEB, Cal State East Bay, and formerly known as California State University Hayward) is a campus Cañada College is a community college located at 4200 Farm Hill Boulevard in Redwood City California, just off of Highway 280. Chabot College is one of California's community colleges located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area. City College of San Francisco, or CCSF, is a two-year Community college in San Francisco California. College of Alameda is a two-year Community college located in Alameda California. The College of Marin is a Community college in Marin County, California, U College of San Mateo (commonly referred to as CSM is a community college and part of the San Mateo County Community College District Contra Costa College, in San Pablo, California, is the west campus of the Contra Costa Community College District. De Anza College is a 112-acre (453000 m² Community college located in Cupertino California. Diablo Valley College (DVC is a two-year Community college in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County, California. Evergreen Valley College is a Community college located on in the southeastern foothills of San Jose California, relatively close to downtown San Jose Foothill College is a Community college located in Los Altos Hills California and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Laney College is a Community college located in Oakland California, next to the Lake Merritt BART station and the Kaiser Convention Center. Las Positas College is a Community college located in Livermore, California, United States Los Medanos College (LMC is a two-year Community college located in Pittsburg in Contra Costa County, California. Merritt College is a two-year Community college located in the hills of Oakland in Alameda County, California. Napa Valley College, formerly known as Napa Community College, is one of California's community colleges located in Napa Valley. Ohlone College is a Community college located in Fremont California. San Jose City College, founded in 1921 is a Community college located in the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. San Francisco State University (informally referred to as San Francisco State, SF State, State and SFSU) is a public University San José State University, commonly shortened to San José State and SJSU, is the founding campus of what became the California State University system Santa Rosa Junior College ("SRJC" is a Community college located in the city of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California. Sonoma State University is a public coeducational business and Liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system Skyline College is a community (or junior college located in San Mateo County California, within the limits of the city of San Bruno California, south Solano Community College ( SCC) is a two-year institution of higher learning located in Fairfield, Solano County, California (between San West Valley College is a Community college in northern California, founded in 1963. The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley University of California Hastings College of the Law is a top tier Law school located in the Civic Center of San Francisco California. The University of California San Francisco ( UCSF) is one of the world's leading centers of Health sciences research Patient care, and education The American Baptist Seminary of the West ( ABSW) is a theological school affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP is one of the eleven seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The Episcopal Church is the official name of the Province of the Anglican Communion in the United States. The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (often abbreviated DSPT) is a Roman Catholic college seminary and graduate school in Berkeley, The Franciscan School of Theology is a Franciscan Seminary in Berkeley California. Fuller Seminary Northern California is one of Fuller Theological Seminary's five regional extension centers Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (GGBTS is one of six official Southern Baptist seminaries GTU redirects here GTU can also refer to the IMSA racing category Grand Touring Under or as in Chevrolet Beretta GTU The Institute of Buddhist Studies is a Jodo Shinshu -affiliated seminary and graduate school located in Berkeley California. The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences ( CTNS) is an international non-profit membership organization dedicated to research teaching and public service The Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley ( JSTB) is one of the member colleges of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS is a Seminary based in Berkeley, California. Pacific School of Religion is an ecumenical Seminary located in Berkeley California. The United Church of Christ ( UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination principally in the United States, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Saint Patrick Seminary and University in Menlo Park California is a Roman Catholic post-graduate Seminary whose primary mission is the formation of San Francisco Theological Seminary is a graduate theological institution in California with a northern campus in San Anselmo and a southern campus in Pasadena The Presbyterian Church (USA or PC (USA is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Starr King School for the Ministry is a Unitarian Universalist Seminary in Berkeley California and part of the Graduate Theological Union. Unitarian Universalism ( UUism) is a theologically liberal Religion characterized by its support for a "free and responsible search for truth Academy of Art University American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Art Institute of California, San Francisco The Arts Institute International California College of the Arts California Culinary Academy California Institute of Integral Studies Carnegie Mellon West Cogswell Polytechnical College Culinary Institute of America at Greystone DeVry University Dominican University Ex'pression College for Digital Arts Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Five Branches Institute Golden Gate University Holy Names University Institute of Transpersonal Psychology International Technological University John F. Kennedy University Menlo College Mills College National Hispanic University New College of California Northwestern Polytechnic University Notre Dame de Namur University Pacific Union College Patten University Presidio School of Management Saint Mary's College of California San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco Law School Santa Clara University Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center Stanford University Touro University University of San Francisco University of Northern California

Religious life

The San Francisco Bay Area has a very diverse religious life with thousands of churches, pagodas, mosques, temples, synagogues, gurdwaras, and other religious centers. The Academy of Art University (formerly Academy of Art College) a proprietary, Private university owned by the Stephens Institute was founded in Founded in 1907 California College of the Arts (formerly California College of Arts and Crafts is a regionally accredited independent school of art and design in Oakland The California Culinary Academy (CCA is an affiliate of Le Cordon Bleu and is located in San Francisco, California. The California Institute of Integral Studies ( CIIS) is a private graduate school founded in 1968 and based in San Francisco, California. Cogswell Polytechnical College is a private non-profit College located in Sunnyvale California. The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St Helena California is a branch campus of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York DeVry University and DeVry Institute of Technology are divisions of Devry Inc For other colleges with the same name see Dominican College Dominican University of California is an independent university of Ex'pression College for Digital Arts is a private, for-profit university located in Emeryville California, geared toward the entertainment industry The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising or FIDM is a co-educational specialized private college located in California dedicated to educating students for Founded in 1901 Golden Gate University (informally referred to as GGU, or simply as Golden Gate) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Holy Names University is a private coeducational University located in Oakland California. The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology is a private non-sectarian graduate school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. International Technological University is a private four-year university located in Sunnyvale, California, United States. John F Kennedy University is a Private university located in Pleasant Hill, California, with satellite campuses in Campbell and Berkeley Menlo College (founded 1927 is a four-year liberal arts college in Atherton California. Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers The National Hispanic University, is a small Private university located in East San Jose California. New College of California was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 by former Gonzaga University President Father John Leary Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU is a private institution of Higher education accredited to award Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate Notre Dame de Namur University ( NDNU) is a private, Catholic university located in Belmont California. Pacific Union College (PUC is a private Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts College located in Angwin, a small town in the hills above northern California's Patten University is a private institution of Higher education in Oakland California. Presidio School of Management is a higher-education institution based in San Francisco California, offering MBA and Executive programs in Sustainable Management Saint Mary's College of California is a private Coeducational College located in Moraga California, United States. Founded in 1871 the San Francisco Art Institute ( SFAI) is one of the U San Francisco Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917 is a Music school, with an enrollment of about 350 students San Francisco Law School is a private non-profit Law school in San Francisco California. Santa Clara University is a private co-educational Jesuit -affiliated University located in Santa Clara, California. Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center a San Francisco California based ' distance learning ' institution (originally founded in 1971 as the Humanistic Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in University of San Francisco ( USF) is a private Jesuit Roman Catholic University in San Francisco California. A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered Tower with multiple Eaves common in China, Japan, Korea A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of The Bay Area is home to Christians, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and numerous other religious communities. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism.

Sports

Main article: Sports in San Francisco Bay Area

NCAA Division I College Sports

• California Golden Bears
• St. Mary's College Gaels
• San Francisco Dons
• San José State Spartans
• Santa Clara Broncos
• Stanford Cardinal

Music

See also: Bay Area thrash metal

See also: Hyphy movement

The San Francisco Bay Area was home to one of the biggest thrash metal scenes in the United States, along with Tampa Bay, Florida. The San Francisco Bay Area currently hosts nine major league sports franchises The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Candlestick Park (also commonly referred to as Candlestick or The Stick) is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco California The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in the city of Oakland California. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in, that currently play in the National League West Division. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball AT&T Park is an open-air ballpark, home to the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League ( AL) is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in The Golden State Warriors are an American professional Basketball team based in Oakland, California. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The Oracle Arena, also known by its former names of the Oakland Coliseum Arena, the Oakland Arena, the Arena In Oakland, and The New Arena is The San Jose Sharks are a professional Ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey, is a team Sport played on Ice. The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America The HP Pavilion at San Jose, formerly known as Compaq Center at San Jose and San Jose Arena is an Indoor arena located at 525 West Santa Clara Street in The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in San Jose California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Major League Soccer ( MLS) is the top-flight professional Soccer league in the United States and Canada with 14 teams 13 in the U Buck Shaw Stadium is a 10300 seat Soccer stadium at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The San Francisco Nighthawks are a women’s Soccer team representing San Francisco and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, regionally nationally and internationally Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered } Kezar Stadium is a Stadium located in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco California. The San Jose SaberCats are an Arena Football League team that began play as a 1995 expansion team American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The Arena Football League (AFL was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. The San Jose Stealth are a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional Box lacrosse league of North America. Lacrosse is a full contact Team sport played using a solid rubber ball and long handled racket called a crosse or Lacrosse stick. The National Lacrosse League (NLL is the league of men's indoor lacrosse in North America. The San Francisco Dragons is a Lacrosse team based in San Jose California. Lacrosse is a full contact Team sport played using a solid rubber ball and long handled racket called a crosse or Lacrosse stick. Major League Lacrosse is a professional outdoor Lacrosse league that is made up of teams within the United States. The San Jose Giants are a Minor league baseball team in San Jose California, USA. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each The California League is a Class A Advanced Minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North The San Jose Municipal Stadium, or Muni Stadium in common usage is the home of the Minor league baseball San Jose Giants, the Advanced A league affiliate The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 27 varsity athletic programs of the University of California Berkeley. Saint Mary's College of California is a private Coeducational College located in Moraga California, United States. The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco (USF The San José State Spartans are the names of the athletic teams representing San José State University. Santa Clara University is a private co-educational Jesuit -affiliated University located in Santa Clara, California. The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University. Bay Area thrash metal, or " Bay Area thrash," refers to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in Hyphy (ˈhaɪfiː HYE-fee) is a slang word created by Bay Area Rapper Keak Da Sneak which is used in the San Francisco Bay Area that literally means Containing acts like Exodus, Death Angel, Vio-lence, Testament and Metallica (Although Metallica had initially formed in Los Angeles, it wasn't until their relocation to the East Bay area in 1983 that Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett joined as bassist and lead guitarist, sealing the band's first, formative line-up. Exodus ( Greek: έξοδος eksodos = "departure" is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. Death Angel, formed in 1982 is a Filipino-American Thrash metal band from Concord, California. Vio-lence was a Thrash metal band formed in 1985 that released a few demo tapes one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993 Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Clifford Lee Burton (February 10 1962 &ndash September 27 1986 was a bass guitarist best known for his work with the American heavy metal band Metallica Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is the Lead guitarist and a songwriter in the band Metallica and has been a member of the band ), the Bay Area Thrash scene was a huge impact on the Thrash Metal world, as well as the Death Metal scene; as Possessed is considered as one of the first death metal bands. Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs fast tempos heavily distorted guitars deep growling vocals morbid lyrics Possessed is an influential American Death metal band and was formed in 1983 in San Francisco, California.

The Bay Area saw a large punk movement from the 70s to the present. Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the Punk subculture. Bands such as the Dead Kennedys, The Avengers, Flipper, D.R.I., M.D.C. and Operation Ivy were popular in the 70s and 80s, with later bands such as Rancid, Green Day and AFI all coming out of Berkeley. Dead Kennedys was an American Hardcore punk band from San Francisco, California. The Avengers were a San Francisco -based punk band in the first wave of American punk Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (also known as DRI) are a Crossover thrash band that formed in 1982 MDC is an American Hardcore punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979. Operation Ivy was an influential Ska punk and Hardcore punk band formed in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Rancid is a punk band formed in 1991 in Albany California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. Green Day is an American rock trio AFI (abbreviated from A F ire I nside and formerly A sking F or i t A bunch of F ucking I Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States.

The Bay Area is now the home of the hyphy movement, which was started almost 10 years ago. Hyphy (ˈhaɪfiː HYE-fee) is a slang word created by Bay Area Rapper Keak Da Sneak which is used in the San Francisco Bay Area that literally means The genre which was originally pioneered by the rappers Mac Dre, Too Short, Keak Da Sneak, and E-40, is now becoming more popular throughout the world. Andre Hicks ( July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004) better known by his Stage name, Mac Dre. Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28 1966) better known by his Stage name Too Short (seen on album covers as Too $hort) is an American Charles Toby Bowens (born October 21, 1977) commonly known by his stage name Keak da Sneak, is a Rapper from Oakland California Earl Stevens (born November 15, 1967) best known by his Stage name E-40, is a Bay Area rapper, part of the Bay Area rap Hyphy themes such as ghost riding, thizzin' and going dumb are now common in other parts of the country. The Bay Area is also home to the Hieroglyphics hip hop crew, which is composed of local artists including the Souls of Mischief and Del tha Funkee Homosapien. Hieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, are an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland Souls of Mischief is an Alternative hip hop group from Oakland California, that is also part of the hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. Del tha Funkee Homosapien is an Alternative hip hop artist Del was born Teren Delvon Jones on August 12, 1972 in Oakland, California

The popular group GreenDay began in Berkeley as street preformeres, and The Pack, which did the 'Vans' song, is a group of highschool students from the Oakland area. Green Day is an American rock trio Oakland (ˈoʊklənd founded in 1852 is the eighth-largest city in the U

Regional counties, cities and suburbs

An early 20th century German map

Counties

Note: San Benito County and Santa Cruz County are sometimes considered not part of the Bay Area.

• Alameda County (737 sq. Alameda County is a county in the US state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. mi. , excluding water)
• Contra Costa County (720 sq. Contra Costa County ( Spanish for "opposite coast" is a suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U mi. , excluding water)
• Marin County (520 sq. March 11, 1889 | mi. , excluding water)
• Napa County (754 sq. Napa County is a County located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U mi. , excluding water)
• San Benito County (1389 sq. San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U mi. , excluding water)
• San Francisco County (47 sq. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city mi. , excluding water)
• San Mateo County (449 sq. San Mateo County ( "san muh-TAY-o") ( Spanish for: St mi. , excluding water)
• Santa Clara County (1,291 sq. Santa Clara County is a County located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U mi. , excluding water)
• Santa Cruz County (445 sq. Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U mi. , excluding water)
• Solano County (829 sq. Solano County is a County located in Bay-Delta region of the U mi. , excluding water)
• Sonoma County (1,576 sq. Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of California, is one of the northernmost counties of the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area, U mi. , excluding water)

Cities and municipalities

• List of cities and municipalities in the San Francisco Bay Area

See also

• Coastal California
• Islands of San Francisco Bay
• List of San Francisco Bay Area festivals and fairs
• List of San Francisco Bay Area wildflowers
• List of San Francisco Bay Area writers
• United States metropolitan area

References

External links

• limuguide.com/sfbay Live Music in San Francisco Bay Area
• Bay Area Experiences.com Community-built site with non-touristy things to do in San Francisco and surrounding areas. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Travel

• San Francisco Bay Area travel guide from Wikitravel
• World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary