San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in the State of California, with a population of approximately 860,000 inhabitants spread across 121 km². Located on the West Coast of the United States, at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and connected to the mainland only from the south.
San Francisco has become one of the most important cities in the United States. Today, it stands as one of California’s leading cultural, technological, and financial hubs, at the forefront of biotechnology and biomedicine research, where the opportunities generated by the internet revolution continue to attract educated, high-income residents and workers. Furthermore, the city welcomes more than 16 million tourists annually, drawn by its iconic image. Its music, cinema, and monuments are recognized worldwide.
In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, the small trading post of Yerba Buena became the port of entry for numerous ships carrying thousands of fortune seekers from around the world. The population surged from 400 to 25,000 residents in a single year. The promise of great wealth was so tempting that the crews of arriving ships deserted, rushing to the gold fields and leaving the port of San Francisco filled with "ghost ships."
