Greetings from San Francisco Bay Area

Postcard Greetings from San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco is known for its cultural, financial, and commercial significance. It is a popular tourist destination.  The city is famous for its Golden Gate Bridge, steep streets, and Alcatraz Island. San Francisco has 44 billionaires, most of whom made their fortunes in the tech industry.  It boasts world class universities such as Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley.

Discovery of Yerba Buena
San Francisco was discovered by Gaspar de Portola.  He led a Spanish expedition in 1769 and found the bay.  It was originally called Yerba Buena.  Spanish settlers lead by Juan de Anza founded the city in 1776.  San Francisco gained independence from Spain and became a part of Mexico in the 1800s.  It gained independence from Spain in 1821 and became a part of the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War.

Aftermath of 1906 Earthquake
1906 earthquake in San Francisco was a major disaster.  It killed more than 3,000 people and destroyed over 80% of the city.  Newer buildings such as the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco and San Jose city hall are designed to comply with strict earthquake requirements in the building code. 

Greetings from San Francisco area’s elite Universities
San Jose is home to San Jose State University, which is the oldest public university on the West Coast.  UC Berkeley is the top public university in the United States.  It’s 307 feet tall Campanile is the third tallest bell and clock tower in the world.  Since 1952, more than 54 faculty, staff, and alumni of Stanford University have received the Nobel Prize, 19 of whom currently teach at the university. 

Mass Transit runs empty
Bay area’s mass transit system – BART – has lost 80% of ridership since 2019.  I wonder why people still drive cars despite dangers of climate change. 

If this post created a desire to explore more, checkout travel greetings from other locations here!  I would love to hear your thoughts about your own travel adventures.  Please feel free to share your thoughts.  Thanks.

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