San Francisco

A city of western California on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, an inlet of the Pacific. A Spanish presidio and mission were founded here in 1776. The first settlement was known as Yerba Buena, and the name was changed to San Francisco after control of the town passed to the United States in 1846. Discovery of gold nearby in 1848 changed the city from a small community into a thriving boom town known for its lawlessness and bawdy amusements. The city was all but destroyed by a devastating earthquake and fire on April 18, 1906. Population: 744,000.