November 3rd, 2009
San Francisco is an Exciting City, Past and Present
San Francisco is such a beautiful city. Located on a peninsula in northern California the city is surrounded by water, the San Francisco bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. This city has a rich history that has brought together cultures from around the world.
The city of San Francisco was officially founded in 1776, in a rather large ceremony that included the attendance of every available Spaniard in the region and was held at the mission that was established there. The missions were the centers of life for the Spaniards in colonial California with the main focus being agriculture before the discovery of gold.
A little known bit of San Francisco history includes the building of a Russian fort at Ross. In March of 1812 a large ship maneuvered into a cove and began unloading Russian and Alaskans. They began building a fort there for the purposes of trapping otters, growing wheat and trading with the Spanish colony. This eastward movement of the Russian Empire was also an attempt to continue the expansion of Russia to the east, which was started some 250 years earlier under the rein of Ivan the Terrible.
The city took off in population and growth with the discovery of gold and the beginning of the gold rush of the 1840’s. Settlers traveled across the continent from what was then the newly established United States, up from Mexico and arrived on ships from across the Pacific. Saloons, opera houses, mercantile and Inns flourished to entertain, accommodate and make money from those that came in search of gold. San Francisco was known as rough and lawless town during these times.
Today when visiting San Francisco there is such a mix of cultures and diversity. From the world renowned China Town and Castro District the contrasts and compliments are strong. There is still a pervasive and prevalent influence of Mexican culture reaming from its colonial days. When staying in San Francisco hotel you will be at the doorstep of this fascinating city and its history.
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