San Francisco, California

Despite its location along the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco was discovered through inland exploration by Spanish explorers in the mid to late-18th century. Following exploration, San Francisco gained population and wealth through discovering gold around town. It is known as the City of the '49ers because of the discovery of gold; migrants from the eastern United States, Asian countries, and Mexico headed towards San Francisco with hopes of finding gold.

During World War I times, San Francisco was becoming a bustling city with factory job opportunities. World War II saw building of shipyards for migrants, in addition to imports and exports worldwide. Through the World Wars, in addition to the influx of immigrants, San Francisco had become a diverse city with residents from many different backgrounds and cultures.

With the diversity of migrants and residents around San Francisco, in addition to the recreational opportunities, one can easily be immersed into the local culture. The main language spoken is English; however, with districts including Chinatown and relative proximity to Mexico, Chinese and Spanish are very secondary languages. The currency used is the United States Dollar, or USD.

Job Opportunities

From business and technical operations to working in nursing, San Francisco offers a variety of employment opportunities. In the business realm, there are many administrators, financial planners, accountants, or sales representatives. San Francisco is known for its many start-up companies, or brand-new emerging companies that have a small amount of employees. Other jobs will fall in the Information Technology (IT) field, ranging from web development to computer hardware support analysts to business analysts or project managers. San Francisco consists of many hospitals and clinics nearby, so there are many opportunities to work as a registered nurse, physician, or similar occupations. With San Francisco's large school districts, teaching is a common profession, including primary and secondary education. Overall, San Francisco offers a wide array of employment, ranging from start-up companies to large school districts to well-known Fortune 500 companies.

Cost of Living

Due to its location near the Pacific Ocean, as well as large downtown, San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities to live in the United States. For a one-bedroom apartment downtown, prices average $2,850, but can easily go over $3,000, per month; three-bedroom units downtown average around $7,200 per month. For living in the outskirts of town, prices are near $2,500 for a one-bedroom unit and $4,500 for three-bedroom units. One important factor to consider before choosing to live downtown here is the availability of public transportation from one suburban area to the downtown core; finding the perfect commute distance with apartment rental prices may provide great cost savings.

High expenses also come with high rent prices. While utilities may average $190 to $200 per month, which includes all water, heating, and electric costs, other expenses may arise at high prices. One such example is fuel costs; this averages around $4.19 per gallon annually, to help fund all systems that operate in San Francisco. To buy a car, prices may be as low as $20,000 for a brand-new vehicle. In all, prioritizing one's budget is crucial in San Francisco, ranging from living very upscale to living in suburbs and using public transit versus owning a vehicle.

Transportation

San Francisco is built around the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, operating various modes of transportation on land. The Muni Network is the most popular network of transit within SFMTA. The Muni transit consists of cable cars, light-rail trains, and buses. The most common pass for residents is the Clipper Pass, an all-in-one transit card to access San Francisco's variety of transit. The pass costs $3 to buy in the first place, and is rechargeable with as much funds as one chooses. This is usable on Muni Lines, underground train lines, and other bus and train routes around San Francisco. For those living downtown, owning a car is virtually unrealistic because of the metro transit and proximity to the local airport and Amtrak station.

Recreation

San Francisco is an outdoor lover's paradise, with nice weather year-round and opportunities for hiking, going to sporting events, and experiencing different cultures. The Golden Gate Bridge is a must, used for driving but also walking across. Fisherman's Wharf is a place of interest; it is a pier on San Francisco's northern end with restaurants, souvenir shopping, and nice places to spend an afternoon. Alcatraz Island, a prison that once held Al Capone, is just a short ferry ride away to see the prison up-close. Angel Island, another popular destination, was once home to the port of entry for immigrants crossing the Pacific Ocean to the United States.

There are certainly opportunities to experience other cultures in San Francisco. Downtown there is a Chinatown district, consisting of dining options, cultural immersion, and other amentities. The Japanese Tea Garden, the oldest Japanese garden in North America, is located in Golden Gate Park.

For sports and recreation, a variety of teams play in or near San Francisco. The Giants play baseball in town, with the Athletics playing in nearby Oakland. The 49ers play football here as well. For the outdoor enthusiast's best interest, there are an abundance of hills for hiking and biking. The Lands End Trail is located near the Golden Gate Bridge, and provides great bay and ocean views along the journey. Twin Peaks is also a great walk, going up hills to get views of San Francisco a few miles from the city center. For a short trip across the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands provide great hiking experience and views of mainland San Francisco.

Climate

San Francisco has a Mediterranean climate due to cool summers with California coast currents and rainy Winters. Being on the coast, the climate in mainland San Francisco is significantly different from close inland cities; expect warmer Summer temperatures inland, along with a colder Winter season. In San Francisco, the warmest months are June through October, with highs around the low to mid 70s (22 to 23 degrees Celsius) and lows around the low to mid 50s (12 to 13 degrees Celsius). The coldest and most precipitous months are December through February, with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s (12 to 16 degrees Farenheit) and lows in the mid to upper 40s (7 to 8 degrees Celsius). On sporadic occasions, the temperature will drop down to freezing or slightly below. During the Winter months, precipitation averages 3 to 4 inches per month and occurs much more often than during Summer months. In the Summer, expect a sporadic day or two of rainfall, totaling anywhere from no rainfall to an inch of precipitation monthly.