Noted for its picturesque beauty and open hospitality, the city of approximately 882,000 residents rests on steep rolling hills at the end of a narrow peninsula bounded by the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. Both a city and a county, San Francisco is the financial capital of the Pacific Coast, a major corporate headquarters location, and the gateway to Silicon Valley, America’s premier high-technology center. The wider San Francisco Bay Area is a global trade hub and one of the largest exporting regions in the United States, as well as a world-renowned center for the arts and sciences with several leading educational and cultural institutions. The region is also home to the wine country of Napa Valley in the north, and in proximity to Sacramento, the capital of California.

The birthplace of the United Nations, San Francisco is one of the few truly international cities in the United States. One can find a taste of many cultures in The City by the Bay, from Chinatown and Little Italy to Greek-inspired architecture at the Palace of Fine Arts. At every turn, the city celebrates a range of international influences for a feel that is distinctly San Franciscan.

The city’s character — innovative, laid-back, and unconventional — derives in large part from its historic beginnings as a rugged mining and trading town that attracted to its shores the most adventurous and hardened types from around the world. Its heterogeneous population, iconic fog, mild climate, eclectic architecture, historic landmarks and neighborhoods, fine restaurants, fashionable stores, sidewalk flower stands, and clanking cable cars make San Francisco unusually charming. Learn more about what San Francisco has to offer.