A world-class city in every regard, the stunningly lovely and culturally rich San Francisco is not just an unique location to go to but also to live. The area has a lot going for it: exceptional arts and cultural activities, lots of history and local color, a strong industrial and monetary core; and all the education and services anybody might want. The climate is one of the most unusual on the planet, and the location is amongst the most ethnically and socially varied in the country. The many world-famous tourist attractions- Angler's Wharf, Chinatown, the cable car system, hill property enclaves, and the wine country to the north- combine with significant regional home entertainment and culture to make the city one of the most intriguing and fun places to reside in the nation.
But the city's narrow peninsula place provides an apparent problem upon a first look at a map: absence of area. There just isn't sufficient space for all the people and commercial activity. The downtown area is dense, as one might expect, but the residential areas to the south are as tightly packed as any city in the United States. The outcome: San Francisco has the highest living and housing costs in the country. The Cost of Living Index is twice the national average, and the median home cost is amazing. Lots of locals live in suburbs, but these areas are still costly and require long, difficult commutes. Luckily, the area's exceptional public transit system (spearheaded by the Bay Location Rapid Transit, or BART) helps soften the blow.
Residential communities lie primarily across the securely loaded southern hills and ridges in the city itself and in Daly City and South San Francisco, north across the Golden Gate in Marin County, east across the Bay Bridge and south along the peninsula in such locations as San Mateo, Redwood City and Menlo Park. These "Bayshore" towns and commuter neighborhoods have actually built up and grown with the city. CalTrain has taken control of the old Southern Pacific rail commute facilities; this route is a lifeline for these peninsula neighborhoods.
Attractive urban living has emerged in a previously waterfront enterprise zone just southeast of downtown near the new AT&T Park, home of major league baseball's San Francisco Giants. Anybody wanting to live in or near "the City" needs to anticipate a lengthy house search process covering the many communities. There are lots of profession opportunities for high-paid professionals, but there is a lot of job competitors. The economy, high prices and crowding may prevent some, but those tolerant of these problems and gotten ready for a fascinating metropolitan way of life among a few of the best cultural facilities on earth will love San Francisco.
The northern end of the peninsula consisting of downtown San Francisco is developed, paving the way to lushly vegetated coastal mountains to the south. A long, narrow, mostly built-up plain extends along the east (bay) side of the peninsula towards San Jose. A comparable topography extends north from the Golden Gate into Marin County. Geographical and strong marine influences lead to the unusual environment. It is called the "air-conditioned city" in summer, and heavy coats are used often during summer in certain areas (for this reason the apocryphal Mark Twain quip "I spent the coldest winter season of my life one summertime in San Francisco"). This is due to differences between ocean and inland temperatures and the resulting pressure gradient bring heavy sea fogs and low, ocean-born stratus clouds inland with strong sea breezes.
The area probably has greater irregularity in temperature level, cloudiness, and sunshine than any other similarly sized urban area in the nation. In certain places, hills block the fog; in others, it pours in easily, sometimes covering the entire area (including San Jose 50 miles south). Although there is nearly no summer rain, fogs frequently produce a cold drizzle. Optimum summer season temperatures regularly reach only the 50's. Spring and fall are relatively fog complimentary, and temperatures may increase into the 60's and 70's. Periodically, early fall winds blowing from the deserts to the southeast block ocean breeze and shoot temperatures into the 90's and even over 100. Winter temperatures are mild and constant across the area. Eighty percent of rainfall takes place November through March. Snow may take place in the surrounding seaside mountains but melts quickly. Freezing temperatures in the city are uncommon.
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