| San Francisco, a city in western California | | | | United States. The downtown financial |
| is coextensive with San Francisco County. | | | | district contains the Pacific Coast Stock |
| Famous for its beautiful setting, San | | | | Exchange; the headquarters of the 12th |
| Francisco is primarily located on the | | | | Federal Reserve District; and numerous banks |
| northern tip of a peninsula at the entrance | | | | and corporate office buildings, including the |
| to San Francisco Bay. It is bordered by the | | | | home office of the Bank of America, one of |
| Pacific Ocean on the west, the strait known | | | | the largest banks in the world. Tourism is |
| as Golden Gate on the north, San Francisco | | | | also important to the city's economy. The |
| Bay on the east, and San Bruno Mountain on | | | | San Francisco region is also home to many |
| the south. Alcatraz, Angel, Farallon, | | | | companies developing computer software and |
| Treasure, and Yerba Buena islands are part of | | | | hardware. Several national apparel |
| the city. | | | | manufacturers also have headquarters in the |
| | | | city. |
| POPULATION | | | | |
| | | | EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS |
| The population of San Francisco increased | | | | |
| from 678,974 in 1980 to 723,959 in 1990; the | | | | The main institutions of higher education in |
| population was 735,315 in 1996. According to | | | | San Francisco are San Francisco State |
| the 1990 census, whites constitute 53.6 | | | | University (1899), the University of San |
| percent of San Francisco's population; Asians | | | | Francisco (1855), Golden Gate University |
| and Pacific Islanders, 29.1 percent; blacks, | | | | (1853), the University of California-San |
| 10.9 percent; and Native Americans, 0.5 | | | | Francisco (1864), the New College of |
| percent. Hispanics, who may be of any race, | | | | California (1971), the University of |
| represent 13.3 percent of the population. | | | | California Hastings College of Law (1878), |
| San Francisco is part of a major metropolitan | | | | the San Francisco Art Institute (1871), the |
| region that also includes Oakland and San | | | | Academy of Art College (1929), the San |
| Jose. The region's population increased from | | | | Francisco Conservatory of Music (1917), and a |
| 5,368,000 in 1980 to 6,253,000 in 1990, | | | | large community college. San Francisco has |
| reaching an estimated 6,940,000 in 2004. | | | | many performing-arts organizations. Among |
| | | | the best known are the San Francisco Symphony |
| ECONOMY | | | | Orchestra, the San Francisco Ballet, the San |
| | | | Francisco Opera, and the American |
| San Francisco is a leading financial and | | | | Conservatory Theater. |
| international trade center for the western | | | | |