San Francisco is characterized by a high standard of living. The great wealth and opportunities created by the Internet revolution continue to attract high-income, educated residents and workers to San Francisco. The poorer neighborhoods have consequently undergone a gentrification process and many of the city’s traditional business and industrial districts have been driven by the rebuilding of the Embarcadero, including the neighborhoods of South Beach. and Mission Bay. The city’s proprietary values ​​and household income have risen to rub shoulders with the highest in the country, allowing the city to support a large dining and entertainment infrastructure. Because the cost of living in San Francisco is exceptionally high, many middle-class families can no longer afford to live within the city and have left. See topschoolsintheusa for high school codes in San Francisco.

Although the centralized business districts of the Financial District and surrounding Union Square are well known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by the cultural richness of its urban landscape that features mixed-use neighborhoods located around commercial corridors. central where residents and visitors can walk. Because of these characteristics, San Francisco was rated the “most walkable” city by the Walkscore.com website. Many neighborhoods have a mix of businesses, restaurants, and venues that serve the daily needs of the community and visitors. Some neighborhoods are full of shops, cafes and an active nightlife, such as Union Street in the Cow Hollow neighborhoodand 24th Street in Noe Valley. Others are less so like Irving Street in the Sunset district or Mission Street in the Mission neighborhood. This approach has especially influenced the continued development of the South of Market neighborhood with the emergence of apartment businesses and residences.

The international character that San Francisco has promoted since its founding continues today thanks to the arrival of a large number of immigrants from Asia and Latin America. With 39 percent of its residents born abroad, San Francisco has numerous neighborhoods full of businesses and civic institutions that cater to newcomers. In particular, the arrival of many people of Chinese origin, which accelerated beginning in the 1970s, has complemented the historically based community in Chinatown by settling throughout the city and has transformed the Chinese New Year Parade, held annually, in the largest event of its kind outside of China.

Following the arrival of writers and artists in the 1950s, who established the culture of modern coffee shops, and the social upheaval of the 1960s, San Francisco became an epicenter of liberal activism, with Democrats and Greens dominating the city. local politics. In fact, San Francisco has never cast more than 20 percent of the vote for a Republican presidential candidate since the 1988 election.. The city’s extensive gay population has created and sustained a politically and culturally active community for many decades, developing a powerful presence in San Francisco’s civic life. The city is a popular destination for gay tourists and hosts the San Francisco LGBT Pride March, a parade and festival held annually.

Performing arts

The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center is home to some of the oldest performing arts companies in the country. The War Memorial Opera House is home to the San Francisco Opera, the second largest opera company in North America, as well as the San Francisco Ballet, while the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra performs at the Davies Symphony Hall.

The American Conservatory Theater has been a landmark in the Bay Area’s performing arts since its arrival in San Francisco in 1967, hosting productions regularly. San Francisco frequently hosts Broadway theater productions that are touring across the country at its many venues located in the Theater district including Curran, Orpheum and Golden Gate theaters. Other theaters of importance are the Theater Bay Area, the New Conservatory Theater Center and the Geary Theater. The Fillmore is a music venue located in the Western Addition neighborhood. It is the second incarnation of the historic venue that gained fame in the 1960s from concert promoter Bill Graham, being the setting where musicians such as the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane began their careers, ushering in what was Known as the San Francisco Sound or “Sound of San Francisco”.

Museums

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art contains contemporary and 20th-century art. It moved into its current building in the South of Market neighborhood in 1995 and now attracts more than 600,000 visitors a year. The Legion of Honor Museum mainly exhibits European antiquities and works of art in its building located in Lincoln Park, which was modeled after its Parisian namesake. It is managed by the San Francisco Museums of Fine Arts, which also operates the MH de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park. The de Young’s collection includes American decorative pieces and anthropological items from Africa, Oceania and the Americas. The Asian Art Museum was located in de Young’s, until it was moved with its 6,000-year-old objects to the old San Francisco Public Library, next to the Civic Center, in 2003.

Music

The Rock has always played an important role in the city, starting with the “San Francisco sound” during the late 1960s. Two of the most influential bands of the time, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, began their careers in San Francisco in 1965. Other groups include rockers Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana and Journey, [[punk] band Dead Kennedys, metal giants Metallica, and alternative metal band Faith No More. The Punk, the electronic music, the music industry, the Gothic rock and the Raves were popular and influential in the 1980s and early 1990s. San Francisco is also home to important rappers from the West Coast rap scene such as Messy Marv, RBL Posse, Rappin ‘4-Tay, San Quinn, Andre Nickatina, Big Rich (also known as Fillmore Rich), JT the Bigga Figga and Paris.. Miguel Migs, Mark Farina and DJ Garth are prominent DJs and electronic musicians in the city.

San Francisco also hosts numerous festivals, parties, and parades. The most famous are the gay pride parade, which is the largest of its kind in the world and held annually in June; the [[Folsom Street Fair] in September, the Chinese New Year Parade in February, the Carnival during the Spring, the [Litquake]] and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in October and the Love Parade (now known as “Lovefest”) to late Summer and early Autumn. During Labor Day weekend in 2008, the city also hosted the first Slow Food Nation, Slow Food USA’s first major public event and one of the nation’s top foodie events.

Sports

The San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) are the longest established professional sports franchise in the city. The team was created in 1946 as a founding member of the All-America Football Conference, moving to the NFL in 1950and Candlestick Park in 1971. The 49ers won five Super Bowl titles in the 1980s and 1990s under coach Bill Walsh and stars Joe Montana, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice.

The San Francisco Giants, a team belonging to Major League Baseball, traded New Yorkfor California before the 1958 season. Despite having had stars of the caliber of Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Barry Bonds throughout its history, the team did not win a World Series since arriving in San Francisco until 2010, when it beat the Texas Rangers in 5 games., conquering the sixth title of the franchise, first in San Francisco. The Oakland Athletics beat the Giants in the 1989 World Series4-0, after Game 3, held in San Francisco, was postponed due to the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Giants play at AT&T Park, opened in 2000, a cornerstone of the South Beach and Mission Bay redevelopment project.

With an ideal climate for outdoor activities, San Francisco has extensive resources and opportunities for both professional and amateur sports and leisure activities. There are more than 320 kilometers of bike lanes and routes in the city, while El Embarcadero and Marina Green are favorite spots for Skateboarding. There are abundant tennis facilities in Golden Gate Park and Dolores Park, as well as in other neighborhoods throughout the city. Boating, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular activities in San Francisco Bay. In the Marina district, the city has a marina. San Francisco residents have frequently been ranked among the fittest in their country.