San Francisco has had to deal with urban life realities since World War II. These include water and air pollution, congestion, vandalism and violence and an overall decaying of the inner city. The makeup of this city has been impacted by families, namely white and middle class, leaving for the suburbs and leaving the city with a higher population of older and people that haven’t been married. These days, one of two residents of San Francisco are considered to be “nonwhite”, and in this case we are talking African Americans, Filipino, Samoan, East Asian, Native American, Vietnamese or Latin Americans. The dreams they have often require a realization that doesn’t have much to do with the romantic ideas we have of San Francisco. Both the realities and the dreams are crucial because they are what makes the fabric of the city and what makes San Francisco known as the Paradox by the Bay.

Even though the people that reside in San Francisco complain about high cost of living pushing people out, congestion, homelessness, and talk of the days of old, the majority of the people that still reside in the city still believe that San Francisco is one of the most colorful, distinctive and attractive places to live and that is still one of the premier cities in the United States.

Landscape of the City

Roughly square and full of hills, San Francisco takes up a peninsula’s northern tip. To the south of the city lies the San Mateo county suburbs, to the northwest and west of San Francisco you will find the Pacific Ocean, and to the northeast and east you can find the San Francisco Bay.

Of all the hills that lie under the city of San Francisco, the most notable hills are Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks and Mount Davidson and all of these hills have an elevation of 900 feet. The best known hill in the area would be the infamous Nob Hill, and this is where you will find giant mansions owned by “nobs” built in the 1870’s, a neighborhood once alive with flashy wickedness, and Telegraph Hill which at one time looked down over the Barbary Coast. The downtown streets of San Francisco travel up and down slopes and make new drivers nervous because of the prejudice of the planners who were who favored a square grid. In addition, this style of grid made cable cars more than just a sentimental relic and allowed people to ride and at the same time, taking in a wonderful view of the bay.