San Francisco is one of the largest cities in California and a leading center of culture, finance, and industry in the United States. It is also one of the world's most attractive cities. Its clanging cable cars, fascinating Chinatown, and many hills give the city a special charm. Its scenic beauty and mild climate make it a popular tourist destination.

With more than 775,000 people, San Francisco is one of the largest cities on the Pacific Coast of the United States. It also has one of the largest Asian American populations on the mainland of the United States. About 240,000 people of Chinese, Japanese, Philippine, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese ancestry live in the city.

San Francisco is built on and around more than 40 hills. Some of the steepest streets in the world lie in San Francisco's downtown area on Nob Hill and Russian Hill. These hills rise as high as 376 feet (115 meters). Cable cars and other vehicles seem almost to stand on end as they climb or descend the slopes.

San Francisco lies on the northern tip of a peninsula. The sparkling blue water that nearly surrounds the city provides a magnificent setting. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west and San Francisco Bay to the east. On the north, a strait 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide connects the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. This strait is named the Golden Gate, and San Francisco is often called the City by the Golden Gate. It is also known as the City by the Bay.

Indian cultures flourished in the San Francisco region for countless generations before Spanish settlers arrived in 1776. Gold was discovered east of San Francisco in 1848, and the city quickly became a busy mining supply center during the gold rush of 1849. In the late 1800's, it thrived as the financial and industrial capital of the western United States. Then, in 1906, a terrible earthquake and fire destroyed most of San Francisco. But the residents soon rebuilt their city. In 1945, the United Nations (UN) was organized in San Francisco.