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Bay Area or The Bay Area
Bay Area or The Bay Area
Population	7,427,757

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Aerial view of the Bay Area facing east from Golden Gate.

The Bay Area, or known locally as the the Bay, is an extensive, mostly urbanized region that primarily surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is generally considered to consist of the nine counties which have coastline along the San Francisco Bay and several, smaller bays including the Suisun Bay, Antioch Bay, and Grizzly Bay to name a few, that are located closer to the Sacramento River delta.^[3]^[4] This area encompasses the metropolitan areas of San Jose and San Francisco, as well as four other smaller metropolitan areas.^[5] The region is well known for its wealth and high cost of living,^[6] and includes the five wealthiest counties in California. It is home to many cities, towns, military bases, airports, and associated regional, state, and national parks, and is interconnected by a massive network of roads, highways, railroads, bridges, tunnels and commuter rail that form the Pacific coastal hub of transportation for the northern two-thirds of California. The San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which includes all of the Bay Area and also all of San Benito and Santa Cruz counties has 7.4 million people.^[7] The combined San Jose-San Francisco urban area is the 50th largest urban area in the world.

The Bay Area is home to many well-known cities and landmarks. San Francisco has the second highest population density of any major city in North America after New York City.^[8] It is internationally famous for its unique landmarks, steep hills, and vibrant cultural history. The Bay Area is also home to San Jose and Silicon Valley, the premier high technology region of the world. Ranging from Redwood City in the north to San Jose in the south, Silicon Valley is home to many of the industry leaders in technology, including Google, Yahoo!, Cisco, Apple, Oracle, and Hewlett-Packard. Largely due to San Jose and Silicon Valley's influence, the Bay Area ranks second to only the larger New York City region in concentration of Fortune 500 companies.^[9] On the east side of the Bay, the city of Oakland has the fifth largest container shipping port in the United States and is a major rail terminus.^[10] The region's northern counties also encompass California's famous Wine Country, home to hundreds of vineyards and wineries. The Bay region is known for leading the sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and sustainable energy movements and for being a leading producer of high quality food, wine, and innovation in the culinary arts. The Bay Area is renowned for its natural beauty, affluence, diversity, and progressive thinking new age reputation.^[11]^[12]

Subregions

East Bay

The eastern side of the bay, consisting of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is known locally as the East Bay. The East Bay is split into two regions, the inner East Bay, which sits on the Bay shoreline, and the outer East Bay, consisting of inland valleys separated from the inner East Bay by hills and mountains.

The inner East Bay includes the western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, including the cities of Oakland, Hayward, Fremont, Berkeley, and Richmond, as well as many smaller suburbs such as Alameda, Castro Valley, Newark, Union City, Emeryville, Albany, San Leandro, San Pablo, El Sobrante, Pinole, San Lorenzo, Hercules, Rodeo, Piedmont, and El Cerrito. The inner East Bay is more urban, more densely populated, has a much older building stock (built before World War II) and a more ethnically diverse population. Oakland hosts the region's largest seaport and professional sports franchises in basketball, football, and baseball. As with many inner urban areas, the Inner East Bay also features a high incidence of crime as well as other socio-economic problems. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, more than 50% of all homicides in the Bay Area in 2002 occurred within the city limits of Oakland and Richmond. The homicide rates have steadily increased, as 2005 had the highest homicide rates for both Richmond and Oakland in many years.

File:Oakland night skyline web.jpg

A panorama of Downtown Oakland

The outer East Bay consists of the eastern portions of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and is divided into 5 distinct areas: Lamorinda, Central Contra Costa County, East Contra Costa County, the San Ramon Valley, and the Livermore-Amador Valley. The word Lamorinda was coined by combining the names of the cities it includes: Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda. Walnut Creek is situated east of Lamorinda and north of the San Ramon Valley and, together with Concord, Martinez, and Pleasant Hill comprises Central Contra Costa County. The cities of Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley and the unincorporated areas surrounding them comprise East Contra Costa County. The cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, comprise the Livermore-Amador Valley (sometimes joined with the San Ramon Valley and called the Tri-Valley), or more popularly referred to as the Livermore Valley because Livermore is the largest city in the valley. The San Ramon Valley consists of Alamo, Danville, Diablo and its namesake, San Ramon to the south. The outer East Bay is connected to the inner East Bay by BART, Interstates 80, 580, and 680, and State Route 24 via the Caldecott Tunnel. The outer East Bay is particularly rural in Livermore ^{[citation needed]}, while being part suburban in Pleasanton-Dublin, and its infrastructure was mostly built up after World War II. This area remains largely white demographically, although the Hispanic and Filipino populations have grown significantly over the past 2-3 decades, particularly in the Concord area.

North Bay

The region north of the Golden Gate Bridge is known locally as the North Bay. This area encompasses Marin County, Sonoma County, Napa County and extends eastward into Solano County. The city of Fairfield, being part of Solano County, is often considered the eastern most city of the North Bay, though due to a stronger cultural and socioeconomic similarity to many East Bay cities, it is also often considered the northern most city of the East Bay.

With few exceptions, this region is quite affluent: Marin County is ranked as the wealthiest in the state. The North Bay is comparatively rural to the remainder of the Bay Area, with many areas of undeveloped open space, farmland and vineyards. Santa Rosa in Sonoma County is the North Bay's largest city, with a population of 157,985 and a Metropolitan Statistical Area population of 466,891, making it the fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The North Bay is the only section of the Bay Area that is not currently served by a commuter rail service. The lack of transportation services is mainly because of the lack of population mass in the North Bay, and the fact that it is separated completely from the rest of the Bay Area by water, the only access points being the Golden Gate Bridge leading to San Francisco, the Richmond-San Rafael and Carquinez Bridges leading to Richmond, and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge leading to Martinez.

Peninsula

View of Colma, California, looking down from San Bruno Mountain

The area from San Francisco to the Silicon Valley, geographically part of the San Francisco Peninsula, is known locally as the Peninsula. This area consists of a series of cities and suburban communities in San Mateo County and the northwestern part of Santa Clara County, as well as various towns along the Pacific coast, such as Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. This area is extremely diverse, although it contains significant populations of affluent family households with the exception of East Palo Alto and some parts of Redwood City. Many of the cities and towns had originally been centers of rural life until the post-World War II era when large numbers of middle and upper class Bay Area residents moved in and developed the small villages. Since the 1980s the area has seen a large growth rate of middle and upper class families who have settled in cities like Palo Alto, Woodside, Portola Valley, and Atherton as part of the technology boom of Silicon Valley. Many of these families are of foreign background and have significantly contributed to the diversity of the area. The Peninsula is also home to what used to be one of the deadliest cities in the United States, East Palo Alto. Peninsula cities include: Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Redwood Shores, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, San Francisco, South San Francisco and Woodside.

San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides; the north, east, and west. The city squeezes approximately 845,000 people in only 46.7 square miles, making it the second most densely populated major city in North America after New York City.^[13] On any given day, there can be as many as 1.2 million people in the city because of the commuting population and tourism. San Francisco has the largest commuter population of any city in the Bay Area. The limitations of land area make continued population growth challenging, and has resulted in increased real estate prices.

South Bay/Silicon Valley

The communities at the southern region of the Bay Area, are primarily located in what is known as the Santa Clara Valley. These include the major city of San Jose, and its suburbs, including the high-tech hubs of Santa Clara, Milpitas, Cupertino, Sunnyvale as well as many other cities like Saratoga, Campbell, Los Gatos and the exurbs of Morgan Hill and Gilroy. Some Peninsula and East Bay towns are sometimes recognized as being in the Santa Clara Valley. Generally, the term South Bay/Silicon Valley refers to San Jose and Santa Clara County, but the northwest portion of the county (Palo Alto and Mountain View) is considered part of the Peninsula (even though these cities are in Santa Clara County).

The Silicon Valley was primarily an agricultural center from the time of California's founding until World War II. During and after the war, working and middle class families migrated to the area to settle and work in the burgeoning aerospace and electronics industries. The South Bay Area experienced rapid growth as agriculture was gradually replaced by high-technology. During this period, the Santa Clara Valley became the stereotypical suburban region. Today, the growth continues, fueled primarily by technology jobs, the weather, and immigrant labor. Urbanization is gradually replacing suburbanization as the population density of the valley increases. This trend has resulted in a huge increase in property values, forcing many middle class families out of the area or into lower income neighborhoods in older sections of the region.

San Jose/Silicon Valley is the premier technology center of the United States. Some notable tech companies headquartered in the South Bay are AMD, Intel, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Google, eBay, and Yahoo!. As a consequence of the rapid growth of these and other companies, the Silicon Valley has gained increasing political and economic influence within California, the U.S., and throughout the world.

San Jose, the tenth largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the Bay Area, is a financial and cultural center. It contains many neighborhoods and a large and diverse demographic comparable to San Francisco. San Jose prides itself in being an environmentally conscious city. It recycles a greater percentage of its waste than any other large American city.

Over the past several decades, the San Jose and Silicon Valley area has experienced rapid growth. To limit the effects of urban sprawl, planned communities were laid out to control growth. Urban growth boundaries have been established to protect remaining open space (primarily in the surrounding hills and southern border) from development. Most new growth has been urban infill in the form of high density housing, further increasing the population density. The growth rate has slowed, but the area continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.

San Jose and Silicon Valley have a Mediterranean Climate. The San Jose area hosts many outdoor events throughout the year as a result, including concerts, sporting events, and other outdoor activities. San Jose is home to many sports teams both amateur and professional, such as the San Jose Sharks of the NHL, and the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS.

The San Jose area has a large transportation infrastructure that includes many freeways, VTA bus service and light rail, Amtrak, and commuter rail such as Caltrain and ACE Train (Altamont Commiter Express). The Mineta San Jose International Airport serves air traffic in the San Jose Bay Area and is conveniently located just north of downtown in the center of Silicon Valley. The height of buildings in Downtown is limited (due to FAA regulations and city ordinance) because it is situated directly under the flight path. The South Bay is poised to have a more efficient transportation network with the completion of the BART system to Silicon Valley extension and the California High-Speed Rail system.^[14]^[15]

Santa Cruz and San Benito

The regional governments in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board include only the nine counties above in their boundaries or membership. (The BAAQMD includes all of the nine counties except the northern portions of Sonoma and Solano; the RWQCB includes all of San Francisco and the portions of the other eight counties that drain to San Francisco Bay or to the Pacific Ocean.)^[16] However, the United States Census Bureau defines the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area as an eleven-county region, including the nine counties above plus Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. Meanwhile, the California State Parks Department defines the Bay Area as including ten counties,^[17] including Santa Cruz but excluding San Benito. On the other hand, Santa Cruz and San Benito along with Monterey County are part of a different regional government organization called the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

Some residents of the Santa Cruz Mountains (Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Ben Lomond, Felton, Scotts Valley) do not usually consider themselves to be residents of the Bay Area, rather just of the Santa Cruz Mountains themselves. The Santa Cruz Mountains run along the spine of the San Francisco Peninsula, beginning in San Francisco and continuing down to their terminus near the City of Gilroy, effectively creating the Santa Clara Valley.

The city of Santa Cruz is geographically isolated from the rest of the Bay Area, and is usually considered a part of the Monterey Bay area since the city lies on the north end of the Monterey Bay. The city is also sometimes regarded as the northernmost point of the California Central Coast, which extends along the state's coastline to Santa Barbara.

This partial inclusion of these two counties in the Bay Area is one manifestation of a "spillover" where, because of high housing prices in the Bay Area proper, people with Bay Area jobs purchase homes in outlying areas and endure long commutes. This blurs the outer borders of the Bay Area, which now can be said to spillover not only to the south (Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties) but to the Central Valley counties of Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Yolo.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	658,111	—
1910	925,708	40.7%
1920	1,182,911	27.8%
1930	1,578,009	33.4%
1940	1,734,308	9.9%
1950	2,681,322	54.6%
1960	3,638,939	35.7%
1970	4,628,199	27.2%
1980	5,179,784	11.9%
1990	6,023,577	16.3%
2000	6,783,760	12.6%
2009 (est.)	7,427,757

^{[citation needed]}

According to the 2007 American Community Survey,^{[citation needed]} the Bay Area's population was 6.958 million, up from 6.784 million in 2000. In 2000 the racial makeup of the 9 County Bay Area was 58.10% white, 19.01% Asian, 0.54% Pacific Islander, 7.53% black, 0.64% Native American, 9.24% from other races, and 4.93% from two or more races. 19.39% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.36% of the population was foreign born; of this, 51.31% from Asia, 32.46% came from Latin America, 11.39% from Europe, 4.84% from other parts of the world.

In 2007 the population density was 1,057 people per square mile. There were 2,499,702 housing units with an average family size of 3.3. Of the 2,499,702 households, approximately one-third were renter occupied housing units, while two-thirds were owner occupied housing units. 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 11.6% of households had someone 65 years of age or older, and 27.4% of households were non-families.^[18]

Among the 114 Combined Statistical Areas in the United States, San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland has the second highest educational-attainment in both bachelor’s and master's degree attainment, and the second highest median household income after Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia.^[19]^[20]

Political views

The Bay Area is widely regarded as being among the most liberal areas in the country. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI), congressional districts the Bay Area tends to favor Democratic candidates by roughly 40 to 50 percentage points, considerably above the mean for California and the nation overall. All congressional districts in the region voted for Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain in the 2008 Presidential Election. Over the last four and a half decades the 9-county Bay Area voted for Republican candidates only twice, once in 1972 for Richard Nixon and again in 1980 for Ronald Reagan, both Californians. The last county to vote for a Republican Presidential candidate was Napa county in 1988 for George H. W. Bush.

**Presidential election results**
Year	Democrat	Republican
2008	73.8% 2,172,411	24.4% 717,989
2004	69.2% 1,926,726	29.3% 815,225
2000	64.1% 1,607,695	30.0% 751,832
1996	60.5% 1,417,511	28.3% 662,263
1992	56.2% 1,476,971	25.0% 658,202
1988	57.8% 1,338,533	40.8% 945,802
1984	50.8% 1,157,855	47.9% 1,090,115
1980	40.7% 827,309	44.4% 904,100
1976	49.9% 950,055	45.8% 872,920
1972	48.2% 990,560	49.1 1,007,615
1968	50.8% 890,650	41.3% 725,304
1964	65.7% 1,116,215	34.1% 579,528
1960	52.0% 820,860	47.6% 751,719

District	Location	Cook PVI	% for Obama, 2008^[21]	Median Household Income^[22]	Per Capita Income^[22]
&066th district	Marin County and southern Sonoma County	D +23	76.0%	$59,115	$33,036
&077th district	Richmond, Vallejo, Vacaville, and Pittsburg	D +19	71.7%	$52,778	$22,016
&088th district	City and County of San Francisco	D +35	85.4%	$52,322	$34,552
&099th district	Oakland, Berkeley and the Oakland hills	D +37	88.1%	$44,314	$25,201
&1010th district	Fairfield, Livermore, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Concord, and El Cerrito	D +11	64.9%	$65,245	$31,093
&1111th district	Parts of Contra Costa, Alameda, and Santa Clara counties including Morgan Hill, Pleasanton, and San Ramon	R +01	53.8%	$61,996	$28,420
&1212th district	San Francisco Peninsula including most of San Mateo County	D +23	74.3%	$70,307	$34,448
&1313th district	Much of the East Bay, including Fremont, Union City and Hayward	D +22	74.4%	$62,415	$26,076
&1414th district	Silicon Valley, including Redwood City, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Santa Cruz	D +21	73.0%	$77,985	$43,063
&1515th district	City of San Jose (western areas)	D +15	68.4%	$74,947	$32,617
&1616th district	San Jose, Morgan Hill	D +16	69.6%	$67,689	$25,064
Median	Districts: 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 12^th, 13^th, 14^th, 15^th, 16^th	D +21.5	73%	$65,052	$32,826

Affluence

The Bay Area is one of the wealthiest regions in the U.S, due, primarily, to the economic power engines of San Jose and San Francisco. The Bay Area has approximately 123,621 millionaire households.^[23] Among medium-sized cities, Pleasanton has the highest household income in the country, and Livermore the third highest. However, discretionary income is very comparable with the rest of the country, primarily because the higher cost of living offsets the increased income.^[24]

While only 26% of households nationwide boast incomes of over $75,000 a year, 48% of households in the Bay Area enjoy such incomes.^[25] The percentage of households with incomes exceeding the $100,000 mark in the Bay Area was double the nationwide percentage. Roughly one third (31%) of households in the Bay Area had a six figure income, versus less than 16% at the nationwide level.^[26] In June 2003, a study by Stanford University reviewing US Census Bureau statistics determined the median household income in the Bay Area to be roughly 60% above national average.^[25] Overall the largest income bracket in the Bay Area were households making between $100,000 and $150,000 annually, who constituted roughly 18% of households.^[25] On a national level the largest income bracket were households with incomes between $30,000 and $40,000 who constituted 13% of all households nationwide.^[26]

Six of the top ten California places with the highest per capita income are in the Bay Area (Belvedere, Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley, Diablo). Of the 100 highest income counties by per capita income in the United States, six are in the Bay Area (Marin, San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Contra Costa, Alameda). According to Forbes Magazine, published in 2005, 12 of the top 50 most expensive Zip Codes are in the Bay Area (Atherton, Ross, Diablo, Belvedere-Tiburon, Nicasio, Portola Valley, Los Altos-Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno, the Cow Hollow-Marina District of San Francisco, Alamo, and Burlingame-Hillsborough).^[27]

Forty-seven Bay Area residents made the Forbes magazine's 400 richest Americans list, published in 2007.^[28] Thirteen live within San Francisco proper, placing it seventh among cities in the world. Among the forty-two were several well-known names such as Steve Jobs, George Lucas, and Charles Schwab. The highest-ranking resident is Larry Ellison of Oracle at No. 4. He is worth $19.5 billion. Additionally, a Forbes Magazine survey of the super wealthy concluded that the Bay Area had the highest concentration of the super wealthy relative to other locations such as New York City and Dallas. "America's Greediest Cities". (Forbes Magazine, 12/03/07)

A study by Claritas indicates that in 2004, 5% of all households within the San Francisco and San Jose metropolitan areas held $1 million in investable assets.^[29]

As of 2007, there were approximately 80 public companies with annual revenues of over $1 billion a year, and 5-10 more private companies. Nearly 2/3 of these are in the Silicon Valley section of the Bay Area. According to the May 2009 Fortune Magazine analysis of the US "Fortune 500" companies, the combined San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan region ranks second nationally (along with metro Chicago and Houston) with 29 companies. (May 4, Fortune Magazine) Additionally, when the combined total revenue of the Fortune 500 list companies is considered, the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland region again ranks second nationally after New York with $884 billion. (May 4, Fortune Magazine) As of 2010, the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland region ranks second only to New York City (and ahead of Chicago and Houston) as the number of Fortune 500 companies has increased to 31 companies. (April 2010 Fortune Magazine)

Weather

Because the hills, mountains, and large bodies of water produce such vast geographic diversity within this region, the San Francisco Bay Area offers a significant variety of microclimates. The areas near the Pacific Ocean are generally characterized by relatively small temperature variations during the year, with cool foggy summers and mild rainy winters. Inland areas, especially those separated from the ocean by hills or mountains, have hotter summers and colder overnight temperatures during the winter. Few residential areas ever experience snow, but peaks over 2,000 feet (610 m) (including Mount St. Helena, Mount Hamilton, Mission Peak, Mount Diablo, and Mount Tamalpais) occasionally receive snow. San Jose at the south end of the Bay averages fewer than 15 inches (380 mm) of rain annually, while Napa at the north end of the Bay averages over 30 and parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains just a few miles west of San Jose get over 55. In the summer, inland regions can be over 40 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) warmer than the coast. This large temperature contrast induces a strong pressure gradient, which results in brisk coastal winds which help keep the coastal climate cool and typically, foggy during the summer. Additionally, strong winds are produced through gaps in the coastal ranges such as the Golden Gate, the Carquinez Strait, and the Altamont Pass, the latter the site of extensive wind farms. During the fall and winter seasons, when not stormy, a high pressure area is usually present inland, leading to an offshore flow. While negatively impacting air quality, this also clears fog away from the Pacific shore, and so the best weather in San Francisco can usually be found from mid September through mid October. Winter storms are typically wet and mild in temperature during this time of year, being caused by cold fronts sweeping the eastern Pacific and originating from low pressure systems in the Gulf of Alaska. During November into mid March, winter storms are usually several days in length, wet and cool, with severely damaging storms rare. Occasionally during the Summer, spells of warm humid weather will drift over the Bay Area from the Southwest Monsoon or from the residue of Western Pacific hurricanes near Mexico, usually bringing high variable clouds as well, and more rarely, high-based thunderstorms.

"The California Fur Rush"

Before 1825, Spanish, French, English, Russians and Americans were drawn to the Bay Area to harvest prodigious quantities of beaver (Castor canadensis), river otter, marten, fisher, mink, fox, weasel, harbor and fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and sea otter (Enhydra lutris). It was California's early fur trade, more than any other single factor, that opened up the West, and the Bay Area in particular, to world trade.^[30] The Russian-American Company's Ivan Kuskov sailed into Bodega Bay in 1809 on the Kodiak and returned to Novo Arkhangelsk, Alaska, with beaver skins and 1,160 sea otter pelts.^[31] Before establishing a southern colony at Fort Ross, the Russian-American Company contracted with American ships beginning in 1810, providing them with Aleuts and their baidarkas (kayaks) to hunt otter on the coast of Spanish California.^[32] From 1810 to 1812 Americans contracted to the Russians snuck Aleuts into San Francisco Bay multiple times, despite the Spanish capturing or shooting them while they hunted otter in the estuaries of San Jose, San Mateo, San Bruno and around Angel Island.^[32] By 1817 sea otter in the area were practically eliminated.^[33] The Russians maintained a sealing station in the Farallon Islands from 1812 to 1840, taking 1,200 to 1,500 fur seals annually, though American ships had already exploited the islands.^[34] By 1818 the seals diminished rapidly until only about 500 could be taken annually and within the next few years, the fur seal was extirpated from the islands until they began to recolonize the islands in 1996.^[35]

As the oceanic fur industry began to decline, the focus shifted to California's inland fur resources.^[30] The founding of permanent British and American Settlements on the Pacific Coast, took place as part of this inland, rather than coastal fur trade.^[36] After merging with the North West Company in 1821, the British-owned Hudson's Bay Company sent parties out annually from Fort Astoria and Fort Vancouver into the Sacramento and the San Joaquin valleys as far south as French Camp on the San Joaquin River, with the goal of denuding the lands of modern day Oregon and California of all fur bearers, so that the Americans would "have no inducement to proceed thither".^[37]

Although twentieth century naturalists were skeptical that beaver were historically extant in coastal streams or the Bay itself,^[38] earlier records show that the California Golden beaver (Castor canadensis ssp. subauratus) was one of the most valued of the animals taken, and apparently was found in great abundance.^[30] Thomas McKay reported that in one year the Hudson's Bay Company took 4,000 beaver skins on the shores of San Francisco Bay. At the time, these pelts sold for $2.50 a pound or about $4 each. Historical evidence of Bay Area beaver includes reference by Captain John Sutter who around 1840 recorded that 1,500 beaver pelts were sold "at a trifling value" by the Indians to Mission San José, the latter only 25 miles from the town of Los Gatos.^[39] In addition, in 1828 fur trapper Michel La Framboise travelled from the Bonaventura River to San Francisco and then the missions of San José, San Francisco Solano and San Rafael Arcángel. La Framboise stated that "the Bay of San Francisco abounds in beaver", and that he "made his best hunt in the vicinity of the missions".^[40] In the 1840s Kit Carson was granted rights to trap beaver on Alameda Creek in the East Bay where they "abounded...from the mouth of its canyon to the broad delta on the bay".^[41]^[42] Physical proof of Golden beaver in south San Francisco Bay tributaries is a Castor canadensis subauratus skull in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History collected by zoologist James Graham Cooper in Santa Clara, California on Dec. 31, 1855.^[43] Cooper lived in Mountain View, California from October to December, 1855.^[44] Beaver in the Bay Area were likely wiped out by the end of the nineteenth century.

Beaver have recolonized Kirker Creek in the Dow Wetlands of Pittsburg, Fairfield Creek in Cordelia, Alhambra Creek in Martinez, Southampton Creek in Benicia State Recreation Area, the Napa Sonoma Marsh in north San Pablo Bay, the Napa River, and Sonoma Creek. These beaver likely emigrated from the Delta which possibly once sustained the densest beaver populations in North America. In 1840, explorer Captain Thomas Farnham wrote that beaver were very numerous near the mouths of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and on the hundreds of small "rushcovered" islands. Farnham, who had travelled extensively in North America, said: "There is probably no spot of equal extent in the whole continent of America which contains so many of these muchsought animals."^[45] In addition, beaver were re-introduced in the 1930s in Pescadero Creek and sometime before 1993 in Los Gatos Creek where they continue to thrive.

Ecology

File:Sfestuaryhistorical.gif

San Francisco Bay ca. 1770-1820

Despite its urban and industrial character, San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta remain perhaps California's most important ecological habitats. California's Dungeness crab, Pacific halibut, and Pacific salmon fisheries rely on the bay as a nursery. The few remaining salt marshes now represent most of California's remaining salt marsh, supporting a number of endangered species and providing key ecosystem services such as filtering pollutants and sediments from the rivers. Most famously, the bay is a key link in the Pacific Flyway. Millions of waterfowl annually use the bay shallows as a refuge. Two endangered species of birds are found here: the California least tern and the California clapper rail. Exposed bay muds provide important feeding areas for shorebirds, but underlying layers of bay mud pose geological hazards for structures near many parts of the bay perimeter. San Francisco Bay provided the nation's first wildlife refuge, Oakland's artificial Lake Merritt (constructed in the 1860s) and America's first urban National Wildlife Refuge, the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (SFBNWR) (1972). The Bay is also invaded by non-native species.

Steelhead trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) populations in California have dramatically declined due to human and natural causes. The Central California Coast distinct population segment (DPS) was listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act on August 18, 1997; threatened status was reaffirmed on January 5, 2006. This DPS includes all naturally spawned anadromous steelhead populations below natural and manmade impassable barriers in California streams from the Russian River to Aptos Creek, and the drainages of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bays.^[46]^[47] The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service has a detailed description of threats.

The Central California Coast Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) population is the most endangered of the many troubled salmon populations on the West Coast.^[48] It was listed as threatened on October 31, 1996 and later downgraded to endangered status on June 28, 2005.^[49] The ESU includes all naturally spawned populations of coho salmon from Punta Gorda in northern California south to and including the San Lorenzo River in central California, as well as populations in tributaries to San Francisco Bay. The National Park Service has made major recent investments in restoring the tidal wetlands at the mouths of Lagunitas Creek and Redwood Creek^{[disambiguation needed]} including levee removal and placement of large woody debris in the creeks, which provide shelter to salmonids during heavy stream flows and flooding. Lagunitas Creek's coho population is especially important, as 80% of the ESU depends on this stream draining the north slope of Mount Tamalpais.^[50] This year's coho count dropped to 64 from an average of 600 in previous years.^[48]

Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) were listed as a Species of Special Concern (a pre-listing category under the Endangered Species Act) by the California Department of Fish and Game in 1979. California's population declined 60% from the 1980s to the early 90's, and continues to decline at roughly 8% per year.^[51] In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service nominated the Western Burrowing Owl as a Federal Category 2 candidate for listing as endangered or threatened, but loss of habitat continues due to development of the flat, grassy lands used by the owl. A 1992-93 survey reported no breeding burrowing owls in Napa, Marin, and San Francisco counties, and only a few in San Mateo and Sonoma. The Santa Clara County population is declining and restricted to a few breeding locations, leaving only Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties as the remnant breeding range.^[52] Despite organized protests at Kiper Homes' Blue Ridge property in Antioch, California by Friends of East Bay Owls, one-way doors were installed in the birds' burrows so that the owl families could not return to their nests in early 2010.^[53] In addition, in 2008, Mountain View, California evicted a pair of burrowing owls so that it could sell a parcel of land to Google to build a hotel at Shoreline Boulevard and Charleston Road.^[54] Eviction of the owls is controversial because the birds regularly reuse burrows for years, and there is no requirement that suitable new habitat be found for the owls.

Tellingly, much of the SFBNWR consists of salt evaporation ponds purchased or leased from Leslie Salt Company and its successor, Cargill Corporation. These salt ponds produce salt for a variety of industrial purposes, including chlorine bleach and plastics manufacture, as well as supporting dense populations of brine shrimp, and therefore serving as feeding areas for waterfowl. In 2003, California and Cargill entered one of the largest private land purchases in American history, with the state and federal governments paying about $200 million for 16,000 acres (65 km²) of salt ponds in the south bay. SFBNWR and state biologists hope to restore some of the recently purchased ponds as tidal wetlands.

The seasonal range of water temperature in the Bay is from about 8 °C (46 °F) to about 23 °C (73 °F).

Humphrey the Whale, a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), entered San Francisco Bay twice on errant migrations, and was successfully rescued and redirected each time in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This occurred again with Dawn and Delta a mother and calf in 2007.

Industrial, mining, and other uses of mercury have resulted in a widespread distribution in the bay, with uptake in the bay's phytoplankton and contamination of its sportfish.^[55] In November 2007, a ship named Cosco Busan collided with the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and spilled over 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel, creating the largest oil spill in the region since 1996.^[56]

Geology and landforms

Multiple terrains

The area is well known worldwide for the complexity of its landforms, the region being composed of at least six terranes (continental, seabed, or island arc fragments with distinct characteristics) pushed together over millions of years by the forces of plate tectonics. As a consequence, many types of rock and soil are found in the region. Formations include the sedimentary rocks of sandstone, limestone, and shale in uplifted seabeds, metamorphic serpentine rock, coal deposits, and igneous forms as the basalt flows and ash deposits of extinct volcanos. Pleistocene-era fossils of mammals are abundantly present in some locations.

Vertical relief

The region has considerable vertical relief in its landscapes that are not in the alluvial plains leading to the bay or in inland valleys. In combination with the extensive water regions this has forced the fragmented development of urban and suburban regions and has led to extensive building on poor soils in the limited flatland areas and considerable expense in connecting the various subregions with roads, tunnels, and bridges.

USGS satellite photo of the Bay Area taken in 1999.

Several mountains are associated with some of the many ridge and hill structures created by compressive forces between the Pacific Plate and the North American plate. These provide spectacular views (in appropriate weather) of large portions of the Bay Area and include Marin County's Mount Tamalpais at 2,571 feet (784 m). Contra Costa County's Mount Diablo at 3,849 feet (1,173 m), Alameda County's Mission Peak at 2,517 to 2,604 feet (767 to 776 m), and Santa Clara County's Mount Hamilton at 4,213 ft (1,284 m), the latter with significant astronomical studies performed at its crowning Lick Observatory. Though Tamalpais and Mission Peak are quite lower than the others, Tamalpais has no other peaks and few hills nearby. Mission Peak is coast facing and is an interior mountain (part of the Diablo Range, all of which are interior) and therefore has excellent views of both sides.

The three major ridge structures (part of the Pacific Coast Range) which are all roughly parallel to the major faultlines:

The various ranges which form the spine of the San Francisco Peninsula and Marin County (San Andreas Fault)
The Berkeley Hills, San Leandro Hills and their southern ridgeline extension through Mission Peak (Hayward Fault)
The Diablo Range, which includes Mount Diablo, Mission Ridge, and Mount Hamilton (Calaveras Fault)

Major waterways

Earthquake faults

File:Flat eq map anotated.png

Map showing some of the major faults in the Bay Area. Numerous minor faults are also capable of generating locally destructive earthquakes.

The region is also traversed by six major slip-strike fault systems with hundreds of related faults, many of which are "sister faults" of the infamous San Andreas Fault, all of which are stressed by the relative motion between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate or by compressive stresses between these plates. Significant blind thrust faults (faults with near vertical motion and no surface ruptures) are associated with portions of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the northern reaches of the Diablo Range and Mount Diablo.

Natural hazards

Earthquakes

File:ShakeSuseptBayamateMod.gif

Map showing earthquake amplification due to soil type.

The region is particularly exposed to hazards associated with large earthquakes,^[57]^[58] owing to a combination of factors:

Numerous major active faults in the region.
A combined thirty year probability of a major earthquake in excess of seventy percent.
Poorly responding native soil conditions in many places near the bay and in inland valleys, soils which amplify shaking as shown in the map to the right.
Large areas of filled marshlands and bay mud that are significantly urbanized, with most subject to liquefaction, becoming unable to support structures.
A large inventory of older buildings, many of which are expected to perform poorly in a major earthquake.
Extensive building in areas subject to landslide, mudslide, and in some locations directly over active fault surface rubble zones.
Most lowrise construction is not fireproof and water systems are likely to be extensively damaged and so large areas are subject to destruction by fire after a large earthquake.
The coastal location makes the region vulnerable to Pacific Ocean tsunamis.^[59]

Some of these hazards are being addressed by seismic retrofitting, education in household seismic safety, and even complete replacement of major structures such as the eastern span of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge.

For an article concerning a typical fault in the region and its associated hazards see Hayward Fault Zone. For projected ground movement after selecting a locality and a generating fault see this ABAG web page

Flooding

Some flooding occurs on local drainages under sustained wet conditions when the ground becomes saturated, more frequently in the North Bay area, which tends to receive substantially more rainfall than the South Bay. In one case, the Napa River drainage, floodplain developments are being purchased and removed and natural wetlands restored in the innovative Napa River Flood Project as the previous channelization of insufficient capacity around such developments was causing flooding problems upstream. Many of the local creeks have been channelized, although modern practice and some restoration work includes returning the creeks to a natural state with dry stormwater bypasses constructed to handle flooding. While quite expensive, the restoration of a natural environment is of high priority in the intensively urbanized areas of the region.

Windstorms and wildfires

Typically between late November and early March, a very strong Pacific storm can bring both substantial rainfall (saturating and weakening soil) and strong wind gusts that can cause trees to fall on power lines. Owing to the wide area involved (sometimes hundreds of miles of coast), service can be interrupted for up to several days in some more remote localities, but service is usually restored quickly in urban areas. These storms occasionally bring lightning & thunder. More rarely they even spawn tornadoes. For example, during the abnormal hurricane-like storm in early 2010, a funnel cloud sparked an extremely rare Tornado Warning in Morgan Hill.

In the spring and fall, strong offshore winds periodically develop. These winds are an especially dangerous fire hazard in the fall when vegetation is at its driest, as exemplified historically by the 1923 Berkeley Fire and the 1991 Oakland Firestorm.

Mudslides and landslides

Some geologically unstable areas have been extensively urbanized, and can become mobile due to changes in drainage patterns and grading created for development. These are usually confined to small areas, but there have been larger problems in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Transportation

**(1)** Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, **(2)** Golden Gate Bridge, **(3)** San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, **(4)** San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, **(5)** Dumbarton Bridge, **(6)** Carquinez Bridge, **(7)** Benicia-Martinez Bridge

The Bay Area is served by many public transportation systems, including three international airports (SFO, OAK, SJC), six major overlapping bus transit agencies (AC Transit, Muni, SamTrans, VTA, Golden Gate Transit, County Connection), in addition to dozens of smaller ones. There are four rapid transit and regional rail systems including BART and CalTrain and two light rail systems (San Francisco Muni Metro and VTA Light-rail). There are also several regional rail lines provided by Amtrak, notable the Capitol Corridor. In addition to rail lines, there are multiple public and private ferry services (notably Golden Gate Ferry and Blue and Gold Fleet), which are being expanded by the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority. The regional ferry hub is San Francisco Ferry Building. AC Transit and some other agencies provide an extensive network of express "transbay" commuter buses from the suburbs to San Francisco Transbay Terminal.

The freeway and highway system is very extensive; however, many freeways are heavily congested during rush hour, especially the trans-bay bridges (Golden Gate and Bay Bridge). Furthermore there are some large gaps in the highways which run onto city streets in San Francisco, partially due to the Freeway Revolt (SF Board of Supervisors decisions made in 1959, 1964 and 1966), which prevented completion of freeways connecting the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge western terminus (Interstate 80) with the southern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge, and U.S. 101 through San Francisco, and additionally due to the destruction of several of those very freeway structures that sparked the revolt, which were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and subsequently removed rather than being reinforced or rebuilt.

Higher education

The region is home to many colleges and seminaries, most notably Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco. In addition, the Bay Area is home to two of the twenty-eight Jesuit universities in the United States, Santa Clara University (founded in 1851), and University of San Francisco (1855), which also hold the distinction of being the two oldest institutions of higher learning in the state of California. Saint Mary's College of California, built in 1863 is also a private college and is administered by the Christian Brothers. In 2003, there were approximately 545,000 students enrolled in college or graduate school.^[60] The San Francisco Bay Area population is near the top in the Nation for overall education level with approximately 41 percent of residents aged 25 years and over having a bachelors degree or higher. The San Francisco and San Jose PMSAs^{[disambiguation needed]} rank third and fourth in college graduates, ahead of Boston and behind only Boulder–Longmont, Co PMSA and Stamford–Norwalk, CT PMSA. Santa Cruz PMSA ranks eighth and the Oakland PMSA eleventh.^[61]

Public

Seminaries

Zaytuna Institute

Private

File:Santa Clara Univsity Benjamin Frazier.JPG

Santa Clara University

Academy of Art University
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Argosy University
The Art Institute of California — San Francisco
The Arts Institute International
California College of the Arts
California Culinary Academy
California Institute of Integral Studies
Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley
Cogswell Polytechnical College
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
DeVry University
Dominican University
Ex'pression College for Digital Arts
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
Five Branches Institute
Golden Gate University
Holy Names University
Herguan University
Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
International Technological University
John F. Kennedy University
Lincoln Law School of San Jose
Menlo College
Mills College
National Hispanic University
New College of California
Northwestern Polytechnic University
Notre Dame de Namur University
Palo Alto University (Formerly known as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology)
Pacific Union College
Patten University
Presidio School of Management
Saint Mary's College of California
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Law School
Santa Clara University
Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center
Silicon Valley University
Stanford University
Touro University
University of Northern California
University of Phoenix San Jose Campus
University of San Francisco
University of Silicon Valley Law School
Silicon Valley Technical Institute

Sports

Team	Sport	League	Venue
San Francisco 49ers	Football	National Football League - National Conference	Candlestick Park
Oakland Raiders	Football	National Football League - American Conference	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
San Francisco Giants	Baseball	Major League Baseball - National League	AT&T Park
Oakland Athletics	Baseball	Major League Baseball - American League	Oakland Coliseum
Golden State Warriors	Basketball	National Basketball Association	Oracle Arena
San Jose Sharks	Ice hockey	National Hockey League	HP Pavilion at San Jose
San Jose SaberCats	Football	Arena Football League	HP Pavilion at San Jose
San Jose Wolves	Football	American Indoor Football League - Western Division	Cow Palace & Oracle Arena
San Jose Earthquakes	Soccer	Major League Soccer	Buck Shaw Stadium
San Francisco Nighthawks	Soccer	Women's Premier Soccer League	Kezar Stadium
FC Gold Pride	Soccer	Women's Professional Soccer	Pioneer Stadium
San Jose Giants	Baseball	Minor League Baseball - California League	San Jose Municipal Stadium

NCAA Division I College Sports

In addition to professional and collegiate sports, the Bay Area is also home to the private Christian Brothers De La Salle High School, which holds the record for longest football winning streak in any level. Also, Infineon Raceway is a motorsport track which currently hosts NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and IndyCar Series races.

Music

Classic rock

San Francisco proper was headquarters for the hippie counterculture of the 1960s and the music scene that became associated with it. One of the area's most notable acts was The Grateful Dead, formed in 1965, who played regularly at the legendary venue The Fillmore Auditorium. Other local artists in that movement included Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin; all three would be closely associated with the 1967 Summer of Love. Jimi Hendrix, although born in Seattle and later a resident of London, England, had strong connections to the movement and the metropolitan Bay area, as he lived in Berkeley for a brief time as a child and played many local venues in that decade. Creedence Clearwater Revival (of El Cerrito) would gain traction as an associated band of the anti-Vietnam war movement. Carlos Santana from San Francisco became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his Santana band which pioneered a blend of rock, salsa, and jazz fusion. The Doobie Brothers, from San Jose, had a successful career with several albums earning RIAA gold certification.

Heavy metal

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Bay Area was home to one of the largest and most influential thrash metal scenes in the world, containing acts like Exodus, Death Angel, Vio-lence, Megadeth, Forbidden, Testament and Metallica (although Metallica had initially formed in Los Angeles, it wasn't until their relocation to El Cerrito in 1983 that Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett joined as bassist and lead guitarist). Many death metal bands had also formed in the area, including Possessed (considered one of the first in the genre), and in the 90's, bands Impaled, Exhumed and Vile.

Sludge and groove metal bands Machine Head, Neurosis and Skinlab formed in Oakland. In the alternative metal and nu-metal scenes worldwide, Faith No More (from San Francisco) and Primus (from El Sobrante, and featuring former Possessed guitarist Larry LaLonde) have been considered progenitors to both subgenres.^[62]^[63]

Alternative rock

Many bands of the 1990s post-grunge era started and still reside in the Bay Area, including Third Eye Blind (of San Francisco), Counting Crows (of Berkeley) and Smash Mouth (of San Jose), all of whom have received extensive radio play across the world and released multi-platinum records during their career.

Punk

The Bay Area saw a large punk movement from the 70s to the present. Bands such as the Dead Kennedys, The Avengers, Flipper, D.R.I., M.D.C. and Operation Ivy were popular in the '70s and '80s, with later bands such as Rancid, Green Day and AFI all coming out of Berkeley. The Dwarves are residents of San Francisco, and are considered to be pioneers of the punk and hardcore movement. Singer Blag Dahlia is also a solo artist and has dabbled in other genres

Rap and hip hop

The Bay Area is the home of the hyphy movement, which started in the early to mid-'90s. The genre which was pioneered by rappers Andre "Mac Dre" Hicks, Too Short, Keak Da Sneak, Mistah Fab and E-40, is now becoming more popular throughout the world. Hyphy themes such as ghost riding, thizzin' and going dumb are now common in other parts of the country. The Bay Area is also home to rap legend Tupac Shakur who lived in Marin City, about 5 miles north of San Francisco, MC Hammer, and the Hieroglyphics hip hop crew, which is composed of local artists including the Souls of Mischief and Del tha Funkee Homosapien.

Regional counties, cities and suburbs

Counties

Note: San Benito County and Santa Cruz County are sometimes considered part of the greater Bay Area.

Alameda County (737 sq. mi., excluding water)
Contra Costa County (720 sq. mi., excluding water)
Marin County (520 sq. mi., excluding water)
Napa County (754 sq. mi., excluding water)
San Benito County (1389 sq. mi., excluding water)
San Francisco County (47 sq. mi., excluding water)
San Mateo County (449 sq. mi., excluding water)
Santa Clara County (1,291 sq. mi., excluding water)
Santa Cruz County (445 sq. mi., excluding water)
Solano County (829 sq. mi., excluding water)
Sonoma County (1,576 sq. mi., excluding water)

Cities and municipalities

List of cities and municipalities in the San Francisco Bay Area

References

^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
^ "Geographic Boundaries, Political Jurisdictions and Infrastructure". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
^ San Francisco Bay Area Vision Project
^ The Association of Bay Area Governments
^ http://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/lists/2008/List6.txt
^ DelVecchio, Rick (2003-10-01). "Bay Area living costs up 14%". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009" (CSV). 2009 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 23, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
^ http://www.demographia.com/db-2000city50kdens.htm
^ "Fortune 500 2010: Annual ranking of America's largest corporations from Fortune Magazine". CNN. Retrieved 2010-08-11.
^ "North American Container Traffic, 2009 Port Ranking" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-08-11.
^ "US Census Bureau, household and per capita income during the 2000 Census in metro areas". Retrieved 2007-06-01.
^ "SF Chronicle, most democratic voting bloc in the state, 2003". The San Francisco Chronicle. 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
^ http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/estimates/e-1/2008-09/documents/E-1_2009%20Press%20Release.pdf
^ http://www.vta.org/bart/index.html
^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nx8rNysZSI&fmt=18
^ Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region (2) Boundaries Accessed 2007-02-20
^ "Find a park - San Francisco Bay Area Region". California State Parks. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
^ http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/bayarea.htm
^ Raleigh-Durham area ranks third in U.S. for college degrees
^ CSA Median household income
^ 2008 California Presidential Election Results by Congressional District
^ ^a ^b "US Census Bureau, 2000 Census income data by congressional district". Retrieved 2008-01-03.
^ Zuckerman, Sam (2008-06-26). "Ranks Of Millionaires Still Swelling". The San Francisco Chronicle.
^ "Pleasanton tops county in median household income". Inside Bay Area. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-11-06. Cite error: The named reference "Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c "US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data". Retrieved 2006-06-29. Cite error: The named reference "US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ [1]
^ DeBare, Ilana (2008-03-06). "47 Bay Area billionaires on Forbes list". The San Francisco Chronicle.
^ [2] "Assets".
^ ^a ^b ^c Skinner, John E. (1962). An Historical Review of the Fish and Wildlife Resources of the San Francisco Bay Area (The Mammalian Resources). California Department of Fish and Game, Water Projects Branch Report no. 1. Sacramento, California: California Department of Fish and Game.
^ Thompson, R. A. (1896). The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross, Founded 1812...Abandoned 1841: Why They Came and Why They Left. Santa Rosa, California: Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company. p. 3. ISBN 0559893426. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2010. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ ^a ^b Adele Ogden (1975). The California sea otter trade, 1784-1848. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780520028067. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
^ Suzanne Stewart and Adrian Praetzellis (November, 2003). Archeological Research Issues for the Point Reyes National Seashore - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (PDF) (Report). Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University. p. 335. Retrieved Jan. 10, 2010. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ Thompson, R. A. (1896). The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross, Founded 1812...Abandoned 1841: Why They Came and Why They Left. Santa Rosa, California: Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company. p. 7. ISBN 0559893426.
^ White, Peter (1995). The Farallon Islands: Sentinels of the Golden Gate. San Francisco, California: Scottwall Associates. ISBN 0-942087-10-0.
^ Martin Hall & Stephan Silliman (2006). Historical Archaeology. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 275. ISBN 1405107510. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ John Scaglione and Peter Skene Ogden (June, 1949). "Ogden's Report of His 1829-1830 Expedition". California Historical Society Quarterly. California Historical Society: 118. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ Tappe, Donald T. (1942). "The Status of Beavers in California". Game Bulletin No. 3. California Department of Fish & Game.
^ Kat Anderson (2006). Tending the wild: Native American knowledge and the management of California. University of California Press. p. 79. ISBN 0520248511.
^ Alice Bay Maloney and John Work (June, 1944). "Fur Brigade to the Bonaventura: John Work's California Expedition of 1832-33 for the Hudson's Bay Company (Concluded)". California Historical Society Quarterly: 343. Retrieved Jan. 21, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ Bruce A. MacGregor (1976). The Centennial History of Newark. Newark Days Bi-Centennial Committee. p. 13.
^ California Coastal Conservancy. Rasa Gustaitis (ed.). San Francisco Bay Shoreline Guide. University of California Press. p. 69. ISBN 9780520088788. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
^ "Castor canadensis subauratus". Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
^ Coan, E. (1982). James Graham Cooper, Pioneer Western Naturalist. Moscow, Idaho: Univ. Press Idaho. ISBN 978-0893010713.
^ Thomas Jefferson Farnham (1857). Life, adventures, and travels in California. Blakeman & Co. p. 383.
^ Central California Coast Steelhead DPS (Report). NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ "Map showing endangered species status of west coast steelhead". Alameda Creek Alliance. Retrieved Feb. 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ ^a ^b Greg Miller (January 2010). "In Central California, Coho Salmon Are on the Brink". Science. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ [ttp://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ESA-Salmon-Listings/Salmon-Populations/Coho/COCCA.cfm Central California Coast Coho ESU] (Report). NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ Donna Whitmarsh (Jan. 2010). "California Coho Salmon In Dire Straits". Bay Nature. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ Rendon, JIm (Nov.-Dec., 1999). "Owl Be Damned:Developers plow into the homes of the burrowing owl". Metro, Silicon Valley's Weekly Newspaper. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ Joe Eaton (Jan. 14, 2010). "Wild Neighbors: Antioch Owls Face Evicition". Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved Jan. 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ Katherine Tam (Jan. 3, 2010). "Owl advocates protest birds relocation". Contra Costa Times. Retrieved Jan. 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
^ DeBolt, Daniel (January 10, 2008). "Burrowing Owls vs. Google:Pair of birds found on Google's hotel site will cost city $150,000". Mountain View Voice.
^ Conaway CH, Black FJ, Grieb TM, Roy S, Flegal AR (2008). "Mercury in the San Francisco Estuary". Rev Environ Contam Toxicol. 194: 29–54. PMID 18069645.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Eric Bailey. "Oil oozes in S.F. Bay after ship hits bridge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
^ http://quake.abag.ca.gov/ - Maps and information about Bay Area threats including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis.
^ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1868virtualtour/bayarea.php/ USGS site with Google Earth KMZ files related to geology and seismic activity
^ Describes Bay Area damage from 1960 tsunami.
^ U.S. Census Bureau, 2003 American Community Survey, accessed November 5, 2007
^ 2002 American Community Survey, SELECTED POPULATION CHARACTERISTICIS FOR LARGE METROPOLITAN AREAS, accessed November 5, 2007
^ Essi Berelian (2005), The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal, p. 259, "Faith No More must be counted among the pioneers [of nu metal]"
^ Joel McIver (2002), NU-METAL- The Next Generation Of Rock & Punk

External links

Bay Area Hiker Bay Area Hiker explores the diverse and wonderful spectrum of hiking in the San Francisco bay area
sfbaywildlife.info Guide to wildlife-watching in the San Francisco Bay Area
limuguide.com/sfbay Live Music in San Francisco Bay Area
Bay Area Experiences.com Community-built site with non-touristy things to do in San Francisco and surrounding areas.

Travel

Template:USLargestMetros

37°45′N 122°17′W / 37.750°N 122.283°W / 37.750; -122.283

[1] "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2010-08-07.

[2] "Geographic Boundaries, Political Jurisdictions and Infrastructure". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-08-29.

[bayareavision.org-3] San Francisco Bay Area Vision Project

[4] The Association of Bay Area Governments

[5] ttp://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/lists/2008/List6.txt

[Bay_Area_living_costs_up_14%-6] DelVecchio, Rick (2003-10-01). "Bay Area living costs up 14%". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-08-11.

[PopEstCSA-7] "Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009" (CSV). 2009 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 23, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.

[8] ttp://www.demographia.com/db-2000city50kdens.htm

[The_Fortune_500,_2010-9] "Fortune 500 2010: Annual ranking of America's largest corporations from Fortune Magazine". CNN. Retrieved 2010-08-11.

[North_America_Container_Traffic_Rankings-10] "North American Container Traffic, 2009 Port Ranking" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-08-11.

[US_Census_Bureau,_household_and_per_capita_income_during_the_2000_Census_in_metro_areas-11] "US Census Bureau, household and per capita income during the 2000 Census in metro areas". Retrieved 2007-06-01.

[SF_Chronicle,_most_democratic_voting_bloc_in_the_state,_2003-12] "SF Chronicle, most democratic voting bloc in the state, 2003". The San Francisco Chronicle. 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2007-06-12.

[13] ttp://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/estimates/e-1/2008-09/documents/E-1_2009%20Press%20Release.pdf

[14] ttp://www.vta.org/bart/index.html

[15] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nx8rNysZSI&fmt=18

[16] Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region (2) Boundaries Accessed 2007-02-20

[parks-17] "Find a park - San Francisco Bay Area Region". California State Parks. Retrieved 2006-06-20.

[18] ttp://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/bayarea.htm

[19] Raleigh-Durham area ranks third in U.S. for college degrees

[20] CSA Median household income

[21] 2008 California Presidential Election Results by Congressional District

[US_Census_Bureau,_2000_Census_income_data_by_congressional_district-22] "US Census Bureau, 2000 Census income data by congressional district". Retrieved 2008-01-03.

[23] Zuckerman, Sam (2008-06-26). "Ranks Of Millionaires Still Swelling". The San Francisco Chronicle.

[affluence-24] "Pleasanton tops county in median household income". Inside Bay Area. Retrieved 2006-10-15.

[Stanford_University,_study_of_US_Department_of_Commerce_statistics_concerning_income_in_California-25] "Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-11-06. Cite error: The named reference "Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).

[US_Census_2005_Economic_Survey,_income_data-26] "US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data". Retrieved 2006-06-29. Cite error: The named reference "US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).

[27] [1]

[28] DeBare, Ilana (2008-03-06). "47 Bay Area billionaires on Forbes list". The San Francisco Chronicle.

[29] [2] "Assets".

[Skinner-30] Skinner, John E. (1962). An Historical Review of the Fish and Wildlife Resources of the San Francisco Bay Area (The Mammalian Resources). California Department of Fish and Game, Water Projects Branch Report no. 1. Sacramento, California: California Department of Fish and Game.

[31] Thompson, R. A. (1896). The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross, Founded 1812...Abandoned 1841: Why They Came and Why They Left. Santa Rosa, California: Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company. p. 3. ISBN 0559893426. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2010. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[Ogden-32] Adele Ogden (1975). The California sea otter trade, 1784-1848. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780520028067. Retrieved 2010-07-03.

[33] Suzanne Stewart and Adrian Praetzellis (November, 2003). Archeological Research Issues for the Point Reyes National Seashore - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (PDF) (Report). Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University. p. 335. Retrieved Jan. 10, 2010. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[34] Thompson, R. A. (1896). The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross, Founded 1812...Abandoned 1841: Why They Came and Why They Left. Santa Rosa, California: Sonoma Democrat Publishing Company. p. 7. ISBN 0559893426.

[35] White, Peter (1995). The Farallon Islands: Sentinels of the Golden Gate. San Francisco, California: Scottwall Associates. ISBN 0-942087-10-0.

[36] Martin Hall & Stephan Silliman (2006). Historical Archaeology. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 275. ISBN 1405107510. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[37] John Scaglione and Peter Skene Ogden (June, 1949). "Ogden's Report of His 1829-1830 Expedition". California Historical Society Quarterly. California Historical Society: 118. Retrieved Jan. 22, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[38] Tappe, Donald T. (1942). "The Status of Beavers in California". Game Bulletin No. 3. California Department of Fish & Game.

[39] Kat Anderson (2006). Tending the wild: Native American knowledge and the management of California. University of California Press. p. 79. ISBN 0520248511.

[40] Alice Bay Maloney and John Work (June, 1944). "Fur Brigade to the Bonaventura: John Work's California Expedition of 1832-33 for the Hudson's Bay Company (Concluded)". California Historical Society Quarterly: 343. Retrieved Jan. 21, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[41] Bruce A. MacGregor (1976). The Centennial History of Newark. Newark Days Bi-Centennial Committee. p. 13.

[42] California Coastal Conservancy. Rasa Gustaitis (ed.). San Francisco Bay Shoreline Guide. University of California Press. p. 69. ISBN 9780520088788. Retrieved 2010-07-14.

[43] "Castor canadensis subauratus". Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved May 10, 2010.

[44] Coan, E. (1982). James Graham Cooper, Pioneer Western Naturalist. Moscow, Idaho: Univ. Press Idaho. ISBN 978-0893010713.

[45] Thomas Jefferson Farnham (1857). Life, adventures, and travels in California. Blakeman & Co. p. 383.

[46] Central California Coast Steelhead DPS (Report). NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[47] "Map showing endangered species status of west coast steelhead". Alameda Creek Alliance. Retrieved Feb. 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[Science-48] Greg Miller (January 2010). "In Central California, Coho Salmon Are on the Brink". Science. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[49] [ttp://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ESA-Salmon-Listings/Salmon-Populations/Coho/COCCA.cfm Central California Coast Coho ESU] (Report). NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[50] Donna Whitmarsh (Jan. 2010). "California Coho Salmon In Dire Straits". Bay Nature. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[51] Rendon, JIm (Nov.-Dec., 1999). "Owl Be Damned:Developers plow into the homes of the burrowing owl". Metro, Silicon Valley's Weekly Newspaper. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[52] Joe Eaton (Jan. 14, 2010). "Wild Neighbors: Antioch Owls Face Evicition". Berkeley Daily Planet. Retrieved Jan. 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[53] Katherine Tam (Jan. 3, 2010). "Owl advocates protest birds relocation". Contra Costa Times. Retrieved Jan. 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

[54] DeBolt, Daniel (January 10, 2008). "Burrowing Owls vs. Google:Pair of birds found on Google's hotel site will cost city $150,000". Mountain View Voice.

[55] Conaway CH, Black FJ, Grieb TM, Roy S, Flegal AR (2008). "Mercury in the San Francisco Estuary". Rev Environ Contam Toxicol. 194: 29–54. PMID 18069645.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[56] Eric Bailey. "Oil oozes in S.F. Bay after ship hits bridge". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

[57] ttp://quake.abag.ca.gov/ - Maps and information about Bay Area threats including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis.

[58] ttp://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/1868virtualtour/bayarea.php/ USGS site with Google Earth KMZ files related to geology and seismic activity

[59] Describes Bay Area damage from 1960 tsunami.

[60] U.S. Census Bureau, 2003 American Community Survey, accessed November 5, 2007

[61] 2002 American Community Survey, SELECTED POPULATION CHARACTERISTICIS FOR LARGE METROPOLITAN AREAS, accessed November 5, 2007

[62] Essi Berelian (2005), The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal, p. 259, "Faith No More must be counted among the pioneers [of nu metal]"

[63] Joel McIver (2002), NU-METAL- The Next Generation Of Rock & Punk

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Refimprove|date=August 2009}}
 {{Infobox Metropolitan Area
-| MSA_name = Location of the San Francisco Bay Area, CA CSA|San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA
+| MSA_name = Location of the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland CSA
-| name     = San Francisco Bay Area or Bay Area
+| name     = Bay Area or The Bay Area
 | map      = California Bay Area county map.svg
 | file     = Airbayarea.JPG
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ]]
-The '''San Francisco Bay Area''', known locally as '''the Bay Area''' or '''the Bay''', is an extensive, mostly urbanized region that primarily surrounds the [[San Francisco Bay|San Francisco]] and [[San Pablo Bay|San Pablo]] [[estuary|estuaries]] in [[Northern California]].  The Bay Area is generally considered to consist of the nine counties which have coastline along the San Francisco Bay and several, smaller bays closer to the Sacramento River delta.<ref name="bayareavision.org">[http://www.bayareavision.org/bayarea/index.html San Francisco Bay Area Vision Project<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.abag.ca.gov/ The Association of Bay Area Governments]</ref>  This area encompasses the [[United States metropolitan area|metropolitan areas]] of San Francisco and San Jose, as well as four other smaller metropolitan areas.<ref>http://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/lists/2008/List6.txt</ref>  The region is well known for its wealth and high cost of living,<ref name="Bay Area living costs up 14%">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/01/BA14211.DTL|title=Bay Area living costs up 14%|accessdate=2010-08-11 | date=2003-10-01 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | first=Rick | last=DelVecchio}}</ref> and includes the five [[California locations by per capita income|wealthiest counties in California]]. It is home to many cities, towns, [[military base]]s, [[airport]]s, and associated regional, state, and [[national park]]s, and is interconnected by a massive network of roads, [[highway]]s, [[rail transport|railroads]], [[bridge]]s, [[tunnels]] and [[commuter rail]] that form the Pacific coastal hub of transportation for the northern two-thirds of California.  The San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland [[Combined Statistical Area]] (CSA), which includes all of the Bay Area and also all of [[San Benito County, California|San Benito]] and [[Santa Cruz County, California|Santa Cruz]] counties has 7.4 million people.<ref name=PopEstCSA>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2009/CBSA-EST2009-02.csv|title=Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2009 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=March 23, 2010|accessdate=March 29, 2010}}</ref> The combined San Francisco-San Jose [[urban area]] is the [[List of urban areas by population|50th largest urban area in the world]].
+The '''Bay Area''', or known locally as the '''the Bay''', is an extensive, mostly urbanized region that primarily surrounds the [[San Francisco Bay|San Francisco]] and [[San Pablo Bay|San Pablo]] [[estuary|estuaries]] in [[Northern California]].  The Bay Area is generally considered to consist of the nine counties which have coastline along the San Francisco Bay and several, smaller bays including the Suisun Bay, Antioch Bay, and Grizzly Bay to name a few, that are located closer to the Sacramento River delta.<ref name="bayareavision.org">[http://www.bayareavision.org/bayarea/index.html San Francisco Bay Area Vision Project<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.abag.ca.gov/ The Association of Bay Area Governments]</ref>  This area encompasses the [[United States metropolitan area|metropolitan areas]] of San Jose and San Francisco, as well as four other smaller metropolitan areas.<ref>http://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/lists/2008/List6.txt</ref>  The region is well known for its wealth and high cost of living,<ref name="Bay Area living costs up 14%">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/01/BA14211.DTL|title=Bay Area living costs up 14%|accessdate=2010-08-11 | date=2003-10-01 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | first=Rick | last=DelVecchio}}</ref> and includes the five [[California locations by per capita income|wealthiest counties in California]]. It is home to many cities, towns, [[military base]]s, [[airport]]s, and associated regional, state, and [[national park]]s, and is interconnected by a massive network of roads, [[highway]]s, [[rail transport|railroads]], [[bridge]]s, [[tunnels]] and [[commuter rail]] that form the Pacific coastal hub of transportation for the northern two-thirds of California.  The San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland [[Combined Statistical Area]] (CSA), which includes all of the Bay Area and also all of [[San Benito County, California|San Benito]] and [[Santa Cruz County, California|Santa Cruz]] counties has 7.4 million people.<ref name=PopEstCSA>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2009/CBSA-EST2009-02.csv|title=Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2009 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=March 23, 2010|accessdate=March 29, 2010}}</ref> The combined San Jose-San Francisco [[urban area]] is the [[List of urban areas by population|50th largest urban area in the world]].
-The Bay Area is home to many well-known cities and landmarks.  [[San Francisco]] is the cultural and financial center of the Bay Area, and has the second highest population density of any major city in North America after [[New York City]].<ref>http://www.demographia.com/db-2000city50kdens.htm</ref>  It is internationally famous for its unique landmarks, steep hills, and vibrant cultural history.  The Bay Area is also home to the [[Silicon Valley]], the premier [[high technology]] region of the world.  Ranging from [[Redwood City]] in the north to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] in the south, Silicon Valley is home to many of the industry leaders in technology, including [[Google]], [[Yahoo!]], [[Cisco]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Oracle]], and [[Hewlett-Packard]].  Largely due to Silicon Valley's influence, the Bay Area ranks second to only the larger New York City region in concentration of Fortune 500 companies.<ref name="The Fortune 500, 2010">{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/|title=Fortune 500 2010: Annual ranking of America's largest corporations from Fortune Magazine|accessdate=2010-08-11 | work=CNN}}</ref>  On the east side of the Bay, the city of [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] has the fifth largest container shipping port in the United States and is a major rail terminus.<ref name="North America Container Traffic Rankings">{{cite web|url=http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/Statistics/NORTHAMERICANPORTCONTAINERTRAFFIC2009.pdf|title=North American Container Traffic, 2009 Port Ranking|accessdate=2010-08-11}}</ref>  The region's northern counties also encompass California's famous [[Wine Country (California)|Wine Country]], home to hundreds of vineyards and wineries.  The Bay region is known for leading the [[sustainable agriculture]], [[organic farming]], and [[sustainable energy]] movements and for being a leading producer of high quality food, wine, and innovation in the [[culinary arts]]. The Bay Area is renowned for its natural beauty, [[Richest counties in the United States|affluence]], [[Demographics of California|diversity]], and progressive thinking [[new age]] reputation.<ref name="US Census Bureau, household and per capita income during the 2000 Census in metro areas">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=d&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_P053&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_P082&-tree_id=403&-redoLog=false&-all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=38000US7000&-geo_id=38000US7040&-geo_id=38000US7120&-geo_id=38000US7160&-geo_id=38000US7200&-geo_id=38000US7240&-geo_id=38000US7320&-geo_id=38000US7362&-geo_id=38000US7442&-geo_id=38000US7460&-search_results=01000US&-_showChild=Y&-format=&-_lang=en&-_toggle=|title=US Census Bureau, household and per capita income during the 2000 Census in metro areas|accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref><ref name="SF Chronicle, most democratic voting bloc in the state, 2003">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/08/MN45195.DTL|title=SF Chronicle, most democratic voting bloc in the state, 2003|accessdate=2007-06-12 | date=2003-10-08 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>
+The Bay Area is home to many well-known cities and landmarks.  [[San Francisco]] has the second highest population density of any major city in North America after [[New York City]].<ref>http://www.demographia.com/db-2000city50kdens.htm</ref>  It is internationally famous for its unique landmarks, steep hills, and vibrant cultural history.  The Bay Area is also home to [[San Jose]] and [[Silicon Valley]], the premier [[high technology]] region of the world.  Ranging from [[Redwood City]] in the north to [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] in the south, Silicon Valley is home to many of the industry leaders in technology, including [[Google]], [[Yahoo!]], [[Cisco]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Oracle]], and [[Hewlett-Packard]].  Largely due to San Jose and Silicon Valley's influence, the Bay Area ranks second to only the larger New York City region in concentration of Fortune 500 companies.<ref name="The Fortune 500, 2010">{{cite news|url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/|title=Fortune 500 2010: Annual ranking of America's largest corporations from Fortune Magazine|accessdate=2010-08-11 | work=CNN}}</ref>  On the east side of the Bay, the city of [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] has the fifth largest container shipping port in the United States and is a major rail terminus.<ref name="North America Container Traffic Rankings">{{cite web|url=http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/Statistics/NORTHAMERICANPORTCONTAINERTRAFFIC2009.pdf|title=North American Container Traffic, 2009 Port Ranking|accessdate=2010-08-11}}</ref>  The region's northern counties also encompass California's famous [[Wine Country (California)|Wine Country]], home to hundreds of vineyards and wineries.  The Bay region is known for leading the [[sustainable agriculture]], [[organic farming]], and [[sustainable energy]] movements and for being a leading producer of high quality food, wine, and innovation in the [[culinary arts]]. The Bay Area is renowned for its natural beauty, [[Richest counties in the United States|affluence]], [[Demographics of California|diversity]], and progressive thinking [[new age]] reputation.<ref name="US Census Bureau, household and per capita income during the 2000 Census in metro areas">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=d&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_P053&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_P082&-tree_id=403&-redoLog=false&-all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=38000US7000&-geo_id=38000US7040&-geo_id=38000US7120&-geo_id=38000US7160&-geo_id=38000US7200&-geo_id=38000US7240&-geo_id=38000US7320&-geo_id=38000US7362&-geo_id=38000US7442&-geo_id=38000US7460&-search_results=01000US&-_showChild=Y&-format=&-_lang=en&-_toggle=|title=US Census Bureau, household and per capita income during the 2000 Census in metro areas|accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref><ref name="SF Chronicle, most democratic voting bloc in the state, 2003">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/08/MN45195.DTL|title=SF Chronicle, most democratic voting bloc in the state, 2003|accessdate=2007-06-12 | date=2003-10-08 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>
 ==Subregions==
 ===East Bay===
-{{Main|East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)}}
+{{Main|East Bay (Bay Area)}}
-The eastern side of the bay, consisting of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is known locally as the '''[[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]]'''. The East Bay is split into two regions, the inner East Bay, which sits on the Bay shoreline, and the outer East Bay, consisting of inland valleys separated from the inner East Bay by hills and mountains.
+The eastern side of the bay, consisting of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is known locally as the '''[[East Bay (Bay Area)|East Bay]]'''. The East Bay is split into two regions, the inner East Bay, which sits on the Bay shoreline, and the outer East Bay, consisting of inland valleys separated from the inner East Bay by hills and mountains.
 * The '''inner East Bay''' includes the western portions of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, including the cities of [[Oakland]], [[Hayward, California|Hayward]], [[Fremont, California|Fremont]], [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], and [[Richmond, California|Richmond]], as well as many smaller suburbs such as [[Alameda, California|Alameda]], [[Castro Valley, California|Castro Valley]], [[Newark, California|Newark]], [[Union City, California|Union City]], [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]], [[Albany, California|Albany]], [[San Leandro, California|San Leandro]], [[San Pablo, California|San Pablo]], [[El Sobrante, California|El Sobrante]], [[Pinole]], [[San Lorenzo]], [[Hercules, California|Hercules]], [[Rodeo, California|Rodeo]], [[Piedmont, California|Piedmont]], and [[El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California|El Cerrito]]. The inner East Bay is more urban, more densely populated, has a much older building stock (built before [[World War II]]) and a more ethnically diverse population. Oakland hosts the region's largest [[seaport]] and professional sports franchises in [[Golden State Warriors|basketball]], [[Oakland Raiders|football]], and [[Oakland Athletics|baseball]]. As with many inner urban areas, the Inner East Bay also features a high incidence of crime as well as other socio-economic problems. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, more than 50% of all homicides in the Bay Area in 2002 occurred within the city limits of Oakland and Richmond. The homicide rates have steadily increased, as 2005 had the highest homicide rates for both Richmond and Oakland in many years.
@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 ===North Bay===
-{{Main|North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)}}
+{{Main|North Bay (Bay Area)}}
 [[Image:Lightmatter napa valley.jpg|right|thumb|250px|right|[[Napa Valley]] is most famous for its [[wine]].]]
@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 [[Image:Colma-california-panoramic1w.jpg|thumb|750px|center|View of [[Colma, California]], looking down from [[San Bruno Mountain]] ]]
-The area from San Francisco to the Silicon Valley, geographically part of the [[San Francisco Peninsula]], is known locally as the ''Peninsula''. This area consists of a series of cities and suburban communities in [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]] and the northwestern part of [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]], as well as various towns along the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coast, such as [[Pacifica, California|Pacifica]] and [[Half Moon Bay, California|Half Moon Bay]]. This area is extremely diverse, although it contains significant populations of affluent family households with the exception of [[East Palo Alto]] and some parts of [[Redwood City]]. Many of the cities and towns had originally been centers of rural life until the post-World War II era when large numbers of middle and upper class Bay Area residents moved in and developed the small villages. Since the 1980s the area has seen a large growth rate of middle and upper class families who have settled in cities like [[Palo Alto]], [[Woodside, California|Woodside]], [[Portola Valley]], and [[Atherton, California|Atherton]] as part of the technology boom of Silicon Valley. Many of these families are of foreign background and have significantly contributed to the diversity of the area. The Peninsula is also home to what used to be one of the deadliest cities in the United States, [[East Palo Alto]]. Peninsula cities include: [[Atherton, California|Atherton]], [[Belmont, California|Belmont]], [[Brisbane, California|Brisbane]], [[Burlingame, California|Burlingame]], [[Colma]], [[Daly City]], [[East Palo Alto, California|East Palo Alto]], [[Foster City]], [[Half Moon Bay, California|Half Moon Bay]], [[Hillsborough, California|Hillsborough]], [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]], [[Los Altos Hills, California|Los Altos Hills]], [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]], [[Millbrae]], [[Mountain View]], [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]], [[Pacifica, California|Pacifica]], [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]], [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]], [[Redwood Shores, California|Redwood Shores]], [[San Bruno]], [[San Carlos, California|San Carlos]], [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]], [[South San Francisco]] and [[Woodside, California|Woodside]].
+The area from San Francisco to the Silicon Valley, geographically part of the [[San Francisco Peninsula]], is known locally as the ''Peninsula''. This area consists of a series of cities and suburban communities in [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]] and the northwestern part of [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara County]], as well as various towns along the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coast, such as [[Pacifica, California|Pacifica]] and [[Half Moon Bay, California|Half Moon Bay]]. This area is extremely diverse, although it contains significant populations of affluent family households with the exception of [[East Palo Alto]] and some parts of [[Redwood City]]. Many of the cities and towns had originally been centers of rural life until the post-World War II era when large numbers of middle and upper class Bay Area residents moved in and developed the small villages. Since the 1980s the area has seen a large growth rate of middle and upper class families who have settled in cities like [[Palo Alto]], [[Woodside, California|Woodside]], [[Portola Valley]], and [[Atherton, California|Atherton]] as part of the technology boom of Silicon Valley. Many of these families are of foreign background and have significantly contributed to the diversity of the area. The Peninsula is also home to what used to be one of the deadliest cities in the United States, [[East Palo Alto]]. Peninsula cities include: [[Atherton, California|Atherton]], [[Belmont, California|Belmont]], [[Brisbane, California|Brisbane]], [[Burlingame, California|Burlingame]], [[Colma]], [[Daly City]], [[East Palo Alto, California|East Palo Alto]], [[Foster City]], [[Half Moon Bay, California|Half Moon Bay]], [[Hillsborough, California|Hillsborough]], [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]], [[Los Altos Hills, California|Los Altos Hills]], [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]], [[Millbrae]], [[Mountain View]], [[Palo Alto, California|Palo Alto]], [[Pacifica, California|Pacifica]], [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]], [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]], [[Redwood Shores, California|Redwood Shores]], [[San Bruno]], [[San Carlos, California|San Carlos]], [[San Mateo, California|San Mateo]], [[San Francisco]], [[South San Francisco]] and [[Woodside, California|Woodside]].
-===San Francisco===
-{{Main|San Francisco, California}}
 [[Image:SanFrancisco from TwinPeaks dusk MC.jpg|thumb|800px|center|San Francisco panorama from Twin Peaks.]]
-San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides; the north, east, and west.  The city squeezes approximately 845,000 people in only 46.7 square miles, making it the second most densely populated major city in [[North America]] after New York City.<ref>http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/estimates/e-1/2008-09/documents/E-1_2009%20Press%20Release.pdf</ref> On any given day, there can be as many as 1.2 million people in the city because of the [[commuting]] population and tourism. San Francisco has the largest commuter population of any city in the Bay Area. The limitations of land area make continued population growth challenging, and has resulted in increased real estate prices. Though San Francisco is located at the tip of the Peninsula, when the Peninsula is discussed it always refers to the communities and geographic locations located south of "the City."
+San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides; the north, east, and west.  The city squeezes approximately 845,000 people in only 46.7 square miles, making it the second most densely populated major city in [[North America]] after New York City.<ref>http://www.dof.ca.gov/research/demographic/reports/estimates/e-1/2008-09/documents/E-1_2009%20Press%20Release.pdf</ref> On any given day, there can be as many as 1.2 million people in the city because of the [[commuting]] population and tourism. San Francisco has the largest commuter population of any city in the Bay Area. The limitations of land area make continued population growth challenging, and has resulted in increased real estate prices.
-===South Bay===
+===South Bay/Silicon Valley===
-{{Main|South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)}}
+{{Main|South Bay/Silicon Valley (Bay Area)}}
 [[Image:Panoramic Downtown San Jose.jpg|thumb|800px|center|A panorama over [[Downtown San Jose|Downtown]] [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]]]
-The communities at the southern region of the Bay Area, are primarily located in what is known as the [[Santa Clara Valley]]. These include the major city of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], and its suburbs, including the high-tech hubs of [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]], [[Milpitas, California|Milpitas]], [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]] as well as many other cities like [[Saratoga, California|Saratoga]], [[Campbell, California|Campbell]], [[Los Gatos, California|Los Gatos]] and the [[commuter town|exurbs]] of [[Morgan Hill, California|Morgan Hill]] and [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]]. Some [[San Francisco Peninsula|Peninsula]] and [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]] towns are sometimes recognized as being in the Santa Clara Valley. Generally, the term South Bay refers to Santa Clara County, but the northwest portion of the county (Palo Alto and Mountain View) is considered part of the [[San Francisco Peninsula|Peninsula]] (even though these cities are in Santa Clara County).
+The communities at the southern region of the Bay Area, are primarily located in what is known as the [[Santa Clara Valley]]. These include the major city of [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], and its suburbs, including the high-tech hubs of [[Santa Clara, California|Santa Clara]], [[Milpitas, California|Milpitas]], [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale]] as well as many other cities like [[Saratoga, California|Saratoga]], [[Campbell, California|Campbell]], [[Los Gatos, California|Los Gatos]] and the [[commuter town|exurbs]] of [[Morgan Hill, California|Morgan Hill]] and [[Gilroy, California|Gilroy]]. Some [[Peninsula]] and [[East Bay (Bay Area)|East Bay]] towns are sometimes recognized as being in the Santa Clara Valley. Generally, the term South Bay/Silicon Valley refers to San Jose and Santa Clara County, but the northwest portion of the county (Palo Alto and Mountain View) is considered part of the [[Peninsula]] (even though these cities are in Santa Clara County).
-The South Bay was primarily an agricultural center from the time of California's founding until [[World War II]]. During and after the war, working and middle class families migrated to the area to settle and work in the burgeoning aerospace and electronics industries. The South Bay Area  experienced rapid growth as agriculture was gradually replaced by high-technology. During this period, the Santa Clara Valley became the stereotypical suburban region. Today, the growth continues, fueled primarily by technology jobs, the weather, and immigrant labor. Urbanization is gradually replacing suburbanization as the population density of the valley increases. This trend has resulted in a huge increase in property values, forcing many middle class families out of the area or into lower income neighborhoods in older sections of the region.
+The Silicon Valley was primarily an agricultural center from the time of California's founding until [[World War II]]. During and after the war, working and middle class families migrated to the area to settle and work in the burgeoning aerospace and electronics industries. The South Bay Area  experienced rapid growth as agriculture was gradually replaced by high-technology. During this period, the Santa Clara Valley became the stereotypical suburban region. Today, the growth continues, fueled primarily by technology jobs, the weather, and immigrant labor. Urbanization is gradually replacing suburbanization as the population density of the valley increases. This trend has resulted in a huge increase in property values, forcing many middle class families out of the area or into lower income neighborhoods in older sections of the region.
-The South Bay is also known as [[Silicon Valley]], the premier technology center of the United States. Some [[Silicon Valley#Notable companies|notable tech companies headquartered in the South Bay]] are [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]], [[Intel Corporation|Intel]], [[Cisco Systems]], [[Hewlett-Packard]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Google]], [[eBay]], and [[Yahoo!]]. As a consequence of the rapid growth of these and other companies, the Silicon Valley has gained increasing political and economic influence within California, the U.S., and throughout the world.
+[[San Jose]]/[[Silicon Valley]] is the premier technology center of the United States. Some [[Silicon Valley#Notable companies|notable tech companies headquartered in the South Bay]] are [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]], [[Intel Corporation|Intel]], [[Cisco Systems]], [[Hewlett-Packard]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Google]], [[eBay]], and [[Yahoo!]]. As a consequence of the rapid growth of these and other companies, the Silicon Valley has gained increasing political and economic influence within California, the U.S., and throughout the world.
-San Jose, the tenth largest city in the [[United States]], and the largest city in the Bay Area, is the financial and cultural center of the [[Santa Clara Valley]]. It contains many neighborhoods and a large and diverse demographic comparable to [[San Francisco]]. San Jose prides itself in being an environmentally conscious city. It recycles a greater percentage of its waste than any other large American city.
+San Jose, the tenth largest city in the [[United States]], and the largest city in the Bay Area, is a financial and cultural center. It contains many neighborhoods and a large and diverse demographic comparable to [[San Francisco]]. San Jose prides itself in being an environmentally conscious city. It recycles a greater percentage of its waste than any other large American city.
-Over the past several decades, the South Bay Area has experienced rapid growth. To limit the effects of [[urban sprawl]], planned communities were laid out to control growth. [[Urban growth boundary|Urban growth boundaries]] have been established to protect remaining open space (primarily in the surrounding hills and southern border) from development. Most new growth has been [[urban infill]] in the form of [[high density housing]], further increasing the population density. The growth rate has slowed, but the area continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.
+Over the past several decades, the San Jose and Silicon Valley area has experienced rapid growth. To limit the effects of [[urban sprawl]], planned communities were laid out to control growth. [[Urban growth boundary|Urban growth boundaries]] have been established to protect remaining open space (primarily in the surrounding hills and southern border) from development. Most new growth has been [[urban infill]] in the form of [[high density housing]], further increasing the population density. The growth rate has slowed, but the area continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the United States.
-San Jose and the South Bay have a [[Mediterranean Climate]]. The South Bay hosts many outdoor events
+San Jose and Silicon Valley have a [[Mediterranean Climate]]. The San Jose area hosts many outdoor events
 throughout the year as a result, including concerts, sporting events, and other outdoor activities. San Jose is home to many sports teams both amateur and professional, such as the [[San Jose Sharks]] of the [[NHL]], and the [[San Jose Earthquakes]] of the [[MLS]].
-The South Bay has a large transportation infrastructure that includes many freeways, [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority|VTA]] bus service and light rail, [[Amtrak]], and commuter rail such as [[Caltrain]]. The [[San Jose International Airport]] serves air traffic in the South Bay Area and is conveniently located just north of downtown in the center of [[Silicon Valley]]. The height of buildings in [[Downtown San Jose|Downtown]] is limited (due to [[FAA]] regulations and city ordinance) because it is situated directly under the flight path. The South Bay is poised to have a more efficient transportation network with the completion of the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART]] system to Silicon Valley [[Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion|extension]] and the [[California High-Speed Rail]] system.<ref>http://www.vta.org/bart/index.html</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nx8rNysZSI&fmt=18</ref>
+The San Jose area has a large transportation infrastructure that includes many freeways, [[Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority|VTA]] bus service and light rail, [[Amtrak]], and commuter rail such as [[Caltrain]] and ACE Train (Altamont Commiter Express). The [[Mineta San Jose International Airport]] serves air traffic in the San Jose Bay Area and is conveniently located just north of downtown in the center of [[Silicon Valley]]. The height of buildings in [[Downtown San Jose|Downtown]] is limited (due to [[FAA]] regulations and city ordinance) because it is situated directly under the flight path. The South Bay is poised to have a more efficient transportation network with the completion of the [[Bay Area Rapid Transit|BART]] system to Silicon Valley [[Bay Area Rapid Transit expansion|extension]] and the [[California High-Speed Rail]] system.<ref>http://www.vta.org/bart/index.html</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nx8rNysZSI&fmt=18</ref>
 ===Santa Cruz and San Benito===
@@ Line 227: / Line 225: @@
 ==Affluence==
-The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the wealthiest regions in the [[United States|U.S]], due, primarily, to the economic power engines of [[San Francisco]] and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]. The Bay Area has approximately 123,621 [[millionaire]] households.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/25/BU1611EF3L.DTL | title=Ranks Of Millionaires Still Swelling | first=Sam | last=Zuckerman | date=2008-06-26 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Among medium-sized cities, [[Pleasanton, California|Pleasanton]] has the highest household income in the country, and [[Livermore, California|Livermore]] the third highest. However, discretionary income is very comparable with the rest of the country, primarily because the higher cost of living offsets the increased income.<ref name=affluence>{{cite web | url = http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4259660 | title = Pleasanton tops county in median household income | publisher = Inside Bay Area | accessdate = 2006-10-15}}</ref>
+The Bay Area is one of the wealthiest regions in the [[United States|U.S]], due, primarily, to the economic power engines of [[San Jose]] and [[San Francisco]]. The Bay Area has approximately 123,621 [[millionaire]] households.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/25/BU1611EF3L.DTL | title=Ranks Of Millionaires Still Swelling | first=Sam | last=Zuckerman | date=2008-06-26 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Among medium-sized cities, [[Pleasanton, California|Pleasanton]] has the highest household income in the country, and [[Livermore, California|Livermore]] the third highest. However, discretionary income is very comparable with the rest of the country, primarily because the higher cost of living offsets the increased income.<ref name=affluence>{{cite web | url = http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4259660 | title = Pleasanton tops county in median household income | publisher = Inside Bay Area | accessdate = 2006-10-15}}</ref>
 While only 26% of households nationwide boast [[Household income in the United States|incomes]] of over $75,000 a year, 48% of households in the Bay Area enjoy such incomes.<ref name = "Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California"/> The percentage of households with [[Household income in the United States|incomes]] exceeding the $100,000 mark in the Bay Area was double the nationwide percentage. Roughly one third (31%) of households in the Bay Area had a [[six figure income]], versus less than 16% at the nationwide level.<ref name = "US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data"/> In June 2003, a study by Stanford University reviewing US Census Bureau statistics determined the [[Household income in the United States|median household income]] in the Bay Area to be roughly 60% above national average.<ref name = "Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California"/> Overall the largest [[Household income in the United States|income bracket]] in the Bay Area were households making between $100,000 and $150,000 annually, who constituted roughly 18% of households.<ref name="Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California">{{cite web|url=http://ccsre.stanford.edu/reports/report_13.pdf|title=Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California|accessdate=2006-11-06}}</ref> On a national level the largest [[Household income in the United States|income bracket]] were households with incomes between $30,000 and $40,000 who constituted 13% of all households nationwide.<ref name="US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032005/hhinc/new06_000.htm|title=US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data|accessdate=2006-06-29}}</ref>
 [[Image:SF vs US Income.jpg|thumb|365px|This graph compares the income distribution among Bay Area households to the national level.<ref name="Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California">{{cite web|url=http://ccsre.stanford.edu/reports/report 13.pdf|title=Stanford University, study of US Department of Commerce statistics concerning income in California|accessdate=2006-11-06}}</ref><ref name="US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data">{{cite web|url=http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032005/hhinc/new06 000.htm|title=US Census 2005 Economic Survey, income data|accessdate=2006-06-29}}</ref>]]
-Six of the top ten California places with the highest per capita income are in the Bay Area ([[Belvedere, California|Belvedere]], [[Atherton, California|Atherton]], [[Woodside, California|Woodside]], [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]], [[Diablo, California|Diablo]]). Of the 100 [[Highest income counties in the United States|highest income counties by per capita income in the United States]], six are in the San Francisco Bay Area ([[Marin County, California|Marin]], [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo]], [[San Francisco County, California|San Francisco]], [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara]], [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa]], [[Alameda County, California|Alameda]]). According to ''Forbes Magazine'', published in 2005, 12 of the top 50 most expensive Zip Codes are in the Bay Area ([[Atherton, California|Atherton]], [[Ross, California|Ross]], [[Diablo, California|Diablo]], [[Belvedere, California|Belvedere]]-[[Tiburon, California|Tiburon]], [[Nicasio, California|Nicasio]], [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]], [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]]-[[Los Altos Hills, California|Los Altos Hills]], [[Los Gatos, California|Los Gatos]]-[[Monte Sereno, California|Monte Sereno]], the [[Cow Hollow]]-[[Marina District, San Francisco, California|Marina District]] of [[San Francisco]], [[Alamo, California|Alamo]], and [[Burlingame, California|Burlingame]]-[[Hillsborough, California|Hillsborough]]).<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2005/04/22/cx_sc_0426homep.html]</ref>
+Six of the top ten California places with the highest per capita income are in the Bay Area ([[Belvedere, California|Belvedere]], [[Atherton, California|Atherton]], [[Woodside, California|Woodside]], [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]], [[Diablo, California|Diablo]]). Of the 100 [[Highest income counties in the United States|highest income counties by per capita income in the United States]], six are in the Bay Area ([[Marin County, California|Marin]], [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo]], [[San Francisco County, California|San Francisco]], [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara]], [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa]], [[Alameda County, California|Alameda]]). According to ''Forbes Magazine'', published in 2005, 12 of the top 50 most expensive Zip Codes are in the Bay Area ([[Atherton, California|Atherton]], [[Ross, California|Ross]], [[Diablo, California|Diablo]], [[Belvedere, California|Belvedere]]-[[Tiburon, California|Tiburon]], [[Nicasio, California|Nicasio]], [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]], [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]]-[[Los Altos Hills, California|Los Altos Hills]], [[Los Gatos, California|Los Gatos]]-[[Monte Sereno, California|Monte Sereno]], the [[Cow Hollow]]-[[Marina District, San Francisco, California|Marina District]] of [[San Francisco]], [[Alamo, California|Alamo]], and [[Burlingame, California|Burlingame]]-[[Hillsborough, California|Hillsborough]]).<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2005/04/22/cx_sc_0426homep.html]</ref>
 Forty-seven Bay Area residents made the [[Forbes]] magazine's 400 richest Americans list, published in 2007.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/06/BUS1VEBPS.DTL | title=47 Bay Area billionaires on Forbes list | first=Ilana | last=DeBare | date=2008-03-06 | work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Thirteen live within San Francisco proper, placing it seventh among cities in the world. Among the forty-two were several well-known names such as [[Steve Jobs]], [[George Lucas]], and [[Charles R. Schwab|Charles Schwab]]. The highest-ranking resident is [[Larry Ellison]] of [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] at No. 4. He is worth $19.5 billion. Additionally, a ''[[Forbes Magazine]]'' survey of the super wealthy concluded that the Bay Area had the highest concentration of the super wealthy relative to other locations such as [[New York City]] and [[Dallas]]. {{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/30/greediest-cities-billionaires-forbeslife-cx_ee_1203greed.html|title=America's Greediest Cities}} (Forbes Magazine, 12/03/07)

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