San Francisco map explained

publish #mediareview Opened 2022-04-27 . Belongs in Musings on everything else I guess, until I make a media review metanote.

Video on YouTube outlining San Francisco’s development chronologically: https://youtu.be/xWmMEZaQ5mM

(I subscribed in the hope they make one of these for Boston)

Interesting points that stood out + my thoughts

• SF was where sailors during WWII would be discharged for homosexuality, hence why SF has such a vibrant LGBT community.
• In 1906 a massive earthquake struck, leaving thousands homeless and the city burning for 4 days. The displaced homeless took shelter in Golden Gate Park, then rapidly built new homes in the adjacent Richmond District. That’s why it’s all residential.
• Soma was planned by a single planner who made the Market St road extra wide, much to the displeasure of the rich business owners who would live there.
• The business owners existed because a lot of profit from the gold rush came from industry supporting the rushers, not the gold itself.
• Mission Dolores Church was built by the Spanish, then taken over by the Americans in the Mexican war. It’s the oldest building in SF.
• SF Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in the US.
• The gold rush brought an insane amount of people, hence why the city expanded so quickly. In 1846 the population was 200; in 1852 it was 36000.