How well do you really know your beloved San Francisco? With its fascinating history comes plenty of tall tales and urban myths, after all. Do you know what is truly the crookedest street? Or how the Golden Gate came to be that color? Next time you’re tested on your authenticity as a local, use this list of fun facts about San Francisco to prove your worth.
1. Lombard Street is not the crookedest street. Vermont Street, beween 20th and 22nd is. Come on Easter Sunday, BYOWB (bring your own big wheel) and race down the seven sharp curves at your own risk.
2. It’s also not the steepest street: Filbert between Hyde and Leavenworth is the steepest at 31.5% grade.
3. Mark Twain never said “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” The origin of this quote is still a mystery.
4. San Francisco was originally called Yerba Buena (Spanish for “Good Herb”). It was part of Mexico until the Mexican-American War in 1848. Pictured is Yerba Buena Gardens.
5. There are buried abandoned ships from the Gold Rush era underneath parts of downtown and the Embarcadero.
6. SF is built on (arguably) 43 hills.
7. The Chinese fortune cookie was invented by a family who ran the Japanese Tea Garden.
8. It was the fires after the 1906 earthquake that caused the most death and destruction—not the shaking itself.
9. Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco. Levi Strauss sold them to miners during the Gold Rush. His brand is still headquartered in the city.
10. The now ritzy Maiden Lane near Union Square was once called Morton Street, home to San Francisco’s Red Light District.
11. In 1859, San Francisco citizen Joshua Abraham Norton proclaimed himself “Norton I, Emperor of the United States.” He was penniless and had no political power, but he dressed in uniform and was deeply respected throughout the city. He’s perhaps San Francisco’s first true eccentric.
12. Golden Gate Park’s Superintendent John McLaren brought a few bison into Golden Gate Park in 1891 (they were close to extinction at this time). You can still find bison roaming here.
13. The U.S. Navy wanted to paint the Golden Gate Bridge black with yellow stripes for greater visibility (could you imagine?!), but architect Irving Morrow selected the “International Orange” color to blend well with the natural environment. We think it was a good choice.
Somehow this list makes this city even cooler, right? Any other fun facts about San Francisco that you know of? Let’s hear ‘em!
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