The San Francisco You Never Knew: 15 Fun Facts About the City by the Bay
San Francisco, California, is a treasure trove of unique attractions. It’s renowned for its cable cars, hilly roads, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the bustling Fisherman’s Wharf, and Lombard Street, a marvel considered the “crookedest street in America.”
Numerous intriguing facts about this splendid city aren’t widely known. From quirky tidbits to intriguing trivia, these lesser-known facts could spark your curiosity and inspire you to book a trip to “San Fran.”
Mindfully American curated a list of 15 facts you never knew about San Francisco. This vibrant city has a lot to offer, and these facts showcase its rich tapestry of experiences.
1: Karl The Fog
San Francisco is so known for its foggy atmosphere that its residents gave it a name. The name “Karl the Fog” first appeared on Twitter (now known as X), in 2010. Karl the Fog has more than 356,000 followers on the social media platform.
Its creator, who has chosen to remain anonymous, told KQED News that they found inspiration on British Petroleum’s (BP) Twitter page and wanted to create something similar for locals complaining about the fog. Karl the Fog has shown its followers that fog is not always bad.
2: The Most Coffee
Seattle is known as a coffee destination, but San Francisco has it beat. This super-caffeinated city has the most coffee shops per capita and square mile.
San Francisco has a strong coffee culture and takes its coffee seriously. In fact, Irish Coffee, a famous beverage made with whiskey, coffee, sugar, and cream, originated at San Francisco’s iconic Buena Vista Cafe in 1952.
3: First Electric TV
In 1927, Philo Taylor Farnsworth invented and patented the first electronic television at his lab in, you guessed it, San Francisco. He was known as “the genius of Green Street.”
When Farnsworth invented his device, he was 21 years old. By the time of his passing in 1971, he had amassed 300 U.S. and foreign patents.
4: Golden Gate Bridge Colors
The bright reddish-orange Golden Gate Bridge is a widely recognized tourist destination. Many wonder why it isn’t actually golden. The truth is, it was originally supposed to be bright yellow and black.
The U.S. Navy had the idea to paint the bridge yellow with black stripes. They thought this could help with visibility for planes and ships. Architect Irving Morrow suggested its current International Orange shade because he thought it would be more visible through (Karl the) fog.
5: Where Jeans Were Born
Levi Strauss, a dry goods business owner, and a tailor named Jacob Davis received a patent for jeans in San Francisco in 1873. The idea arose when a client asked Davis to create sturdy work pants for her husband.
Davis then added metal rivets to denim pants, which proved very successful. He then teamed up with Strauss to secure the patent.
6: The Last Official Beatles Show
The Beatles played their last planned show in San Francisco. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison performed at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.
It was the last of an 18-day, 19-show tour. However, the iconic band did perform one more live performance, a last-minute gig in London in 1969.
7: Oldest Chinatown in America
San Francisco’s Chinatown is accessed through an ornate gate at Grant and Bush streets. This expansive area includes 30 blocks filled with restaurants, bars, clubs, markets, and shops.
The area was developed in the 1850s. San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the largest in the U.S., alongside New York’s Chinatown.
8: The History of Bendy Straws
Inventor Joseph B. Friedman was inspired to create the bendy straw while dining with his daughter in San Francisco’s Varsity Sweet Shop. He devised the idea while watching his daughter struggle to drink a milkshake through a paper straw.
Using a screw and dental floss, Friedman made the paper straw bendable. His invention, called the Drinking Tube, was patented in 1937.
9: Fortune Cookies in America
San Francisco was the first place in the U.S. to serve fortune cookies. Many researchers looked into their history and it seems to trace back to Makoto Hagiwara, a landscape architect who worked on the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.
Some historians say Hagiwara was the first to serve these cookies in 1908. However, they discovered that the first fortune cookies were made near Kyoto, Japan, in the late 1800s.
10: The Massive Golden Gate Park
New York’s Central Park gets a lot of publicity. However, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is also beloved, and it’s 200 acres larger than Central Park.
Golden Gate Park covers 1,017 acres of land. It’s not the biggest park in the world, but it’s bigger than Central Park. The 154-year-old park ranked No. 19 on USA Today’s 2024 list of the best parks.
11: The First Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread, a popular provision several people tried making during the pandemic, originated in San Francisco. French baker Isadore Boudin combined flour, water, salt, and mother dough in 1849 to bake the first loaf.
Boudin Bakery attributes the distinct flavor of their sourdough bread to a key ingredient, the “mother dough.” This starter is a blend of wild yeast, lactobacillus, and other microbes, which work together to create the one-of-a-kind flavor that sourdough bread is known for.
12: Oldest, Largest Japantown
San Francisco’s Japantown is the oldest and biggest in America. It started in 1906 and blossomed into a large cultural mecca of boutiques, restaurants, and more.
Located along Post and Sutter streets, this is a popular destination for Manga and Anime fans. It is one of the three last Japantowns in America. The other two are also in California (Los Angeles and San Jose).
13: So Many Hills
San Francisco is well-known for its seven hills: Nob Hill, Twin Peaks, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, Rincon Hill, Mount Sutro, and Mount Davidson. However, there are many more named hills in the area.
San Francisco is one of the hilliest cities in America, with approximately 48 named hills. When parking there, it’s advisable to use your parking brake.
14: Birthplace of the Pride Flag
In 1978, San Francisco politician Harvey Milk asked designer Gilbert Baker to create a positive symbol for the LGBTQ+ community. Baker accepted the challenge and hand-dyed eight pieces of material in rainbow colors.
Each symbolized something different: pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. Pride flags nowadays include six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet.
15: Where Burning Man Began
Burning Man began in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco. Larry Harvey and Jerry James created the popular annual art event.
In the 1990s, Burning Man’s location moved to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The festival draws approximately 80,000 people each year.
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