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Schule > Englisch > Landeskunde > San Francisco - Facts, Sights, History

San Francisco

San Francisco is a town in California. It’s trilateral surround by water. In the east is San Francisco bay, in the north the Golden Gate and in the west is Pacific Ocean. In San Francisco or Frisco, how the people there call their town, life 735.000 people. The most of the people are Chinese, but there live many Europeans, too. Usually they have moist-mild winters and dry summers. In San Francisco you can find many universities and libraries.

Famous sights

This is the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s the second biggest suspension bridge of the world. With the slip roads Golden Gate Bridge is 11 kilometres long ,27,5 meters wide and the road on it is 67 meters above the water. The work was stared in 1933 and ending in 1937. The bridge was constructed by Joseph B. Strauss. Every year 45Milion vehicle cross the bridge.
This is a picture of Financial District with the big skyscrapers.
Financial District is in the north of San Francisco. One of the skyscrapers is Transamerica Pyramid. It’s 262 meters high, and the highest skyscraper of the town.
Union Square is the real centre of San Francisco. It was constructed in 1847 but it became the name not until the civil war was. At this time there were the big demonstrations because of the accession of California by Union. Today there are big department stores and hotels.
Golden Gate Park is 5 kilometres long and 800 meters wide. You can find there many little lakes and botanic gardens .1971 W. Hall and John McLaren ) established it from sand dunes.
This is Fisherman’s Wharf. It was built by Italians in the last century. Today it’s a famous sight in San Francisco because of the many restaurants and museums there.
3 Cable-Cars stretches are at work today. The Cable Cars were constructed in 1873 by Andrew Hallidie. A continuous cable pull the Cable Car. 1964 the Cable Cars became monument protection. The only vehicle on the world which became it.
Alcatraz is a little island in San Francisco bay without freshwater-spring and it ‘s surround by cold ocean water and dangerous currents. In the middle of the 19th century there was built a military prison and from 1934-1963 it was a prison for serious offenders. The prisoners often were in isolate cells, which were cold and dark.

History

1776: Spaniard built a mission at San Francisco.
The Franciscan-monk Junipero Serra calls the mission as his order (San Francisco de Asis) but the
people call it Mission Dolores.
The most of the 200 Red Indians, who lived there before the Spaniard came, died because of the diseases of the Whites.
1846: America occupied the village San Francisco
1848: the first gold-rush; many people (diggers, adventures) came to San Francisco, which belonged to
the wild west.
1850: San Francisco get the law of town
1906: (18.4.) the big earthquake; 4/5 of the town was destroy. There was a big fire after it.
1951: The Peace of San Francisco stopped the Second World War between USA and Japan.
1989: There was a big earthquake again but it wasn’t so awful how the first in 1906.

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