Editing San Francisco (section)

==Geography==
[[File:San Francisco Peninsula by Sentinel-2, 2019-03-11 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Satellite view of San Francisco]]
San Francisco is located on the [[West Coast of the United States]], at the north end of the [[San Francisco Peninsula]] and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and [[San Francisco Bay]] within its boundaries. Several picturesque [[islands of San Francisco Bay|islands]]—[[Alcatraz Island|Alcatraz]], [[Treasure Island, San Francisco|Treasure Island]] and the adjacent [[Yerba Buena Island]], and small portions of [[Alameda (island)|Alameda Island]], [[Red Rock Island]], and [[Angel Island, California|Angel Island]]<!--Alameda island is capitalized correctly; "island" is not part of the proper noun and is used here to distinguish the island from the [[municipality]], which also includes of Bay Farm Island, Balena Bay, Coast Guard Island, etc. -->—are part of the city. Also included are the uninhabited [[Farallon Islands]], {{convert|27|mi|km}} offshore in the Pacific Ocean. The mainland within the city limits roughly forms a "seven-by-seven-mile square", a common local colloquialism referring to the city's shape, though its total area, including water, is nearly {{convert|232|sqmi|km2}}.

There are more than 50 hills within the city limits.<ref name=peak_experience>{{cite news|last = Graham |first = Tom|title = Peak Experience|work = San Francisco Chronicle|page = PK-23|publisher = Hearst Communications|date = November 7, 2004|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/11/07/PKGJ99K7KD1.DTL
|access-date =June 13, 2008}}</ref> Some neighborhoods are named after the hill on which they are situated, including [[Nob Hill, San Francisco|Nob Hill]], [[Potrero Hill]], and [[Russian Hill, San Francisco|Russian Hill]]. Near the geographic center of the city, southwest of the downtown area, are a series of less densely populated hills. [[Twin Peaks (San Francisco)|Twin Peaks]], a pair of hills forming one of the city's highest points, forms an overlook spot. San Francisco's tallest hill, [[Mount Davidson (California)|Mount Davidson]], is {{convert|928|ft|m|0}} high and is capped with a {{convert|103|foot|m|0|adj=on}} tall cross built in 1934.<ref>{{cite news|first=Henry K. |last = Lee|title = Mount Davidson Cross Called Landmark by Panel|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/01/16/MN71385.DTL|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date = January 16, 1997|access-date =June 17, 2008}}</ref> Dominating this area is [[Sutro Tower]], a large red and white radio and television transmission tower reaching 1,811&nbsp;ft (552 m) above sea level.
[[File:Lake Merced Park, Fort Funston, and SF Zoo (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[Lake Merced]], located in southwestern San Francisco]]
The nearby [[San Andreas Fault|San Andreas]] and [[Hayward Fault]]s are responsible for much earthquake activity, although neither physically passes through the city itself. The San Andreas Fault caused the earthquakes in 1906 and 1989. Minor earthquakes occur on a regular basis. The threat of major earthquakes plays a large role in the city's infrastructure development. The city constructed an [[San Francisco Fire Department Auxiliary Water Supply System|auxiliary water supply system]] and has repeatedly upgraded its building codes, requiring retrofits for older buildings and higher engineering standards for new construction.<ref>{{cite news|first = Charles |last = Smith
|title = What San Francisco didn't learn from the '06 quake|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/15/HOGQ9I7P2T1.DTL|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date = April 15, 2006|access-date =June 30, 2008}}</ref> However, there are still thousands of smaller buildings that remain vulnerable to quake damage.<ref>{{cite news|first = Robert |last = Selna|title = S.F. leaders ignore weak buildings' quake risk|url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/06/29/MNDD110U2E.DTL|page = A-1 |work=San Francisco Chronicle|date = June 29, 2008|access-date =June 30, 2008}}</ref> USGS has released the [[California]] earthquake forecast which models earthquake occurrence in California.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2015/3009/pdf/fs2015-3009.pdf California Earthquake forecast – UCERF3 – USGS Factsheet (non-technical) Mar, 2015.] predicts Earthquake risk for 30 years in California, [[California earthquake forecast]].</ref>

San Francisco's shoreline has grown beyond its natural limits. Entire neighborhoods such as the [[Marina District, San Francisco|Marina]], [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]], and [[Hunters Point, San Francisco|Hunters Point]], as well as large sections of the [[Embarcadero (San Francisco)|Embarcadero]], sit on areas of [[Land reclamation|landfill]]. Treasure Island was constructed from material dredged from the bay as well as material resulting from the excavation of the [[Yerba Buena Tunnel]] through [[Yerba Buena Island]] during the construction of the Bay Bridge. Such land tends to be unstable during earthquakes. The resulting [[soil liquefaction]] causes extensive damage to property built upon it, as was evidenced in the Marina district during the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Liquefaction Damage in the Marina District during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|publisher=California Geological Survey|url = http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/information/outreach/Documents/Marina%20Poster%2011x17rw2b.pdf|access-date =June 17, 2008}}</ref> A few natural lakes and creeks ([[Lake Merced]], [[Mountain Lake Park|Mountain Lake]], [[Pine Lake (San Francisco)|Pine Lake]], [[Lobos Creek]], [[El Polin Spring]]) are within parks and remain protected in what is essentially their original form, but most of the city's natural watercourses, such as [[Islais Creek]] and [[Mission Creek]], have been partially or completely [[culvert]]ed and built over. Since the 1990s, however, the [[San Francisco Public Utilities Commission|Public Utilities Commission]] has been studying proposals to daylight or restore some creeks.<ref>{{cite web|title = The Lure of the Creeks Buried Beneath San Francisco's Streets|publisher = Streetsblog San Francisco|first1=Matt|last1=Baume|author-link= Matt Baume|url = http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/04/14/the-lure-of-the-creeks-buried-beneath-san-franciscos-streets/|date = April 14, 2010|access-date = January 31, 2013}}</ref>

===Neighborhoods===
{{Main|Neighborhoods in San Francisco|List of Landmarks and Historic Places in San Francisco}}
{{See also|List of tallest buildings in San Francisco}}
[[File:San Francisco in 2018.jpg|thumb|right|View of the city's central districts along its northeastern coastline]]

An ''Historical Center of San Francisco'' monument,<ref name="sfG/rs/unP">{{cite news |last1=Solnit |first1=Rebecca |title=The heart of the city / U.N. Plaza: the beating pulse of public space in San Francisco, from protests to pomegranates |url=https://www.sfgate.com/living/article/The-heart-of-the-city-U-N-Plaza-the-beating-2831385.php |access-date=8 October 2024 |work=[[sfgate.com]] |date=Jan 11, 2004}}</ref> where the [[San Francisco City Hall#History|1899–1906 City Hall]] was once located,<ref name="a&A/Csf">{{cite web |title=Center of San Francisco |url=https://artandarchitecture-sf.com/center-of-san-francisco.html |website=artandarchitecture-sf.com – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World |access-date=8 October 2024}}</ref> is in [[United Nations Plaza (San Francisco)|United Nations Plaza]], at {{coord|37.7800397|-122.4135943|display=inline}}

The earliest center of San Francisco is [[Portsmouth Square]], in the northeast quadrant of the city anchored by [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]] and the waterfront. Here in the northeast quadrant, the [[Financial District, San Francisco|Financial District]] is centered, with [[Union Square (San Francisco)|Union Square]], the principal shopping and hotel district, and the [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]] nearby. [[Cable car (railway)|Cable cars]] carry riders up steep inclines to the summit of [[Nob Hill]], once the home of the city's business tycoons, and down to the waterfront tourist attractions of [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]], and [[Pier 39]], where many restaurants feature [[Dungeness crab]] from a still-active fishing industry. Also in this quadrant are [[Russian Hill, San Francisco|Russian Hill]], a residential neighborhood with the famously crooked [[Lombard Street (San Francisco)|Lombard Street]]; [[North Beach, San Francisco|North Beach]], the city's [[Little Italy]] and the former center of the [[Beat Generation]]; and [[Telegraph Hill, San Francisco|Telegraph Hill]], which features [[Coit Tower]]. Abutting Russian Hill and North Beach is San Francisco's [[Chinatown, San Francisco|Chinatown]], the oldest [[Chinatown]] in North America.<ref>[http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/history/index.html The Official San Francisco Chinatown Website]. Sanfranciscochinatown.com. Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/101102/chinatown.shtml Depicting Otherness: Images of San Francisco's Chinatown]. College Street Journal (October 11, 2002). Retrieved February 16, 2012.</ref><ref name="Bacon, Daniel pages 52-53">Bacon, Daniel: Walking the Barbary Coast Trail 2nd ed., pp. 52–53, Quicksilver Press, 1997</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanfranciscodays.com/chinatown/ |title=Chinatown/Grant Avenue |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615053119/http://www.sanfranciscodays.com/chinatown/ |archive-date=June 15, 2011 }}. San Francisco Days</ref> The [[South of Market, San Francisco|South of Market]], which was once San Francisco's industrial core, has seen significant redevelopment following the construction of [[Oracle Park]] and an infusion of [[Startup company|startup companies]]. New skyscrapers, live-work lofts, and condominiums dot the area. Further development is taking place just to the south in [[Mission Bay, San Francisco|Mission Bay]] area, a former railroad yard, which now has a second campus of the [[University of California, San Francisco]] and [[Chase Center]], which opened in [[2019–20 Golden State Warriors season|2019]] as the new home of the [[Golden State Warriors]].<ref>{{cite web|title = S.F. supervisors OK Warriors arena for Mission Bay|url = http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-supervisors-OK-Warriors-arena-for-Mission-Bay-6685450.php|work = SFGATE|publisher=Hearst Communications, Inc|access-date = February 8, 2016|date = December 9, 2015|first1=J.K.|last1=Dineen}}</ref>

West of downtown, across [[Van Ness Avenue (San Francisco)|Van Ness Avenue]], lies the large [[Western Addition, San Francisco|Western Addition]] neighborhood, which became established with a large African American population after [[World War II]]. The Western Addition is usually divided into smaller neighborhoods including [[Hayes Valley, San Francisco|Hayes Valley]], [[Fillmore District, San Francisco|the Fillmore]], and [[Japantown, San Francisco|Japantown]], which was once the largest Japantown in North America but suffered when its [[Japanese American]] residents were [[Japanese American internment|forcibly removed and interned]] during World War II. The Western Addition survived the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] with its [[Victorian house|Victorians]] largely intact, including the famous "[[Painted Ladies]]", standing alongside [[Alamo Square]]. To the south, near the geographic center of the city is [[Haight-Ashbury]], famously associated with 1960s [[hippie]] culture.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Haight-Ashbury's Hippie House: Preserving San Francisco's 1960s Counterculture |url=https://savingplaces.org/stories/haight-ashburys-hippie-house-preserving-san-franciscos-1960s-counterculture|access-date=August 5, 2021|website=savingplaces.org|language=en-US|date=25 July 2013|author-first=Aria|author-last=Danaparamita|publisher=National Trust for Historic Preservation}}</ref>
[[File:SF Chinatown CA (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Chinatown, San Francisco|San Francisco Chinatown]], the oldest in North America and one of the world's largest.]]
North of the Western Addition is [[Pacific Heights, San Francisco|Pacific Heights]], an affluent neighborhood that features the homes built by wealthy San Franciscans in the wake of the 1906 earthquake. Directly north of Pacific Heights facing the waterfront is the [[Marina District, San Francisco|Marina]], a neighborhood popular with young professionals that was largely built on reclaimed land from the Bay.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Marina|work=SFGate San Francisco Neighborhood Guide|url=http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/marina/|access-date=August 20, 2013|date=October 27, 2011}}</ref>

In the southeast quadrant of the city is the [[Mission District]]—populated in the 19th century by [[Californios]] and working-class immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Scandinavia. In the 1910s, a wave of Central American immigrants settled in the Mission and, in the 1950s, immigrants from [[Mexican American|Mexico]] began to predominate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qualityoflife-themovie.com/website/mission.html |title=Quality of Life (film website) |work=Mission District History |author=Morgan, Benjamin (Director) |year=2007 |access-date=July 25, 2010}}</ref> In recent years, gentrification has changed the demographics of parts of the Mission from Latino, to [[Twentysomething (term)|twenty-something]] professionals. [[Noe Valley, San Francisco|Noe Valley]] to the southwest and [[Bernal Heights, San Francisco|Bernal Heights]] to the south are both increasingly popular among young families with children. East of the Mission is the [[Potrero Hill]] neighborhood, a mostly residential neighborhood that features sweeping views of downtown San Francisco. West of the Mission, the area historically known as [[Eureka Valley, San Francisco|Eureka Valley]], now popularly called [[The Castro, San Francisco|the Castro]], was once a working-class Scandinavian and Irish area. It has become North America's first [[gay village]], and is now the center of [[homosexuality|gay]] life in the city.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Castro |url=http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/castro/ |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=August 3, 2009}}</ref> Located near the city's southern border, the [[Excelsior District, San Francisco|Excelsior District]] is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco. The [[Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco|Bayview-Hunters Point]] in the far southeast corner of the city is one of the poorest neighborhoods, though the area has been the focus of several revitalizing and [[urban renewal]] projects.

[[File:FerryBuildingEmbarcaderoBayBridge.JPG|thumb|The [[San Francisco Ferry Building|Ferry Building]], located in the [[Embarcadero (San Francisco)|Embarcadero]], the city's eastern waterfront along San Francisco Bay]]

The [[West Side (San Francisco)|West Side]] of the city remained largely undeveloped until the early 20th century, due to the region being isolated from downtown because of the rugged terrain of Twin Peaks, Mount Sutro and Mount Davidson. Vast sand dunes made up the costal plain with the uninhibited area being dubbed the [[Outside Lands]]. The creation of Golden Gate Park in 1870–1900 contributed to the area being developed. The construction of the [[Twin Peaks Tunnel]] in 1918 connected southwest neighborhoods to downtown via streetcar, hastening the development of [[West Portal, San Francisco|West Portal]], and nearby affluent [[Forest Hill, San Francisco|Forest Hill]] and [[St. Francis Wood, San Francisco|St. Francis Wood]]. Further west, stretching all the way to the Pacific Ocean and north to [[Golden Gate Park]] lies the vast [[Sunset District, San Francisco|Sunset District]], a large middle-class area with a predominantly Asian population.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chow|first=Andrew|title=Dismal APA Turnout at First Redistricting Meetings|work=Asian Week|date=March 22, 2002}}</ref>

The northwestern quadrant of the city contains the [[Richmond District, San Francisco|Richmond]], a mostly middle-class neighborhood north of Golden Gate Park, home to immigrants from other parts of Asia as well as many [[Russian people|Russian]] and [[Ukrainian people|Ukrainian]] immigrants. Together, these areas are known as [[Neighborhoods in San Francisco|The Avenues]].

Many piers remained derelict for years until the demolition of the [[Embarcadero Freeway]] reopened the downtown waterfront, allowing for redevelopment. The centerpiece of the port, the [[San Francisco Ferry Building|Ferry Building]], while still receiving commuter ferry traffic, has been restored and redeveloped as a gourmet marketplace.

===Climate===
[[File:San francisco in fog with rays.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|[[San Francisco fog]] is a regular phenomenon in the summer.]]
San Francisco has a [[warm-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Csb'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]: Csll), characteristic of California's coast, with moist winters and dry summers.<ref>[http://ggweather.com/sf/narrative.html Climate of San Francisco: Narrative Description] Golden Gate Weather Services. Retrieved September 5, 2006.</ref> San Francisco's weather is strongly influenced by the [[California Current|cool currents]] of the Pacific Ocean on the west side of the city, and the water of [[San Francisco Bay]] to the north and east. This moderates temperature swings and produces a remarkably mild year-round climate with little seasonal temperature variation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=San Francisco climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, San Francisco water temperature - Climate-Data.org|url=https://en.climate-data.org/north-america/united-states-of-america/california/san-francisco-385/|access-date=August 5, 2021|website=en.climate-data.org}}</ref>

Among major U.S. cities, San Francisco has the coolest daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures for June, July, and August.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coolest US Cities in Summer|url=http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/coldest-cities-summer.php|last1=Osborn|first1=Liz|work=Weather Extremes|publisher=Current Results Nexus|access-date=July 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724192713/http://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/US/coldest-cities-summer.php |archive-date = July 24, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> During the summer, rising hot air in California's interior valleys creates a low-pressure area that draws winds from the [[North Pacific High]] through the [[Golden Gate]], which creates the city's [[San Francisco fog|characteristic cool winds and fog]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gilliam|first=Harold|author-link=Harold Gilliam|title=Cutting Through the Fog: Demystifying the Summer Spectacle|journal=Bay Nature|date=July–September 2002|url=http://baynature.org/articles/jul-sep-2002/cutting-through-the-fog}}</ref> The fog is less pronounced in eastern neighborhoods and during the late summer and early fall. The year's warmest month, on average, is September, and on average, October is warmer than July, especially in daytime.

Temperatures reach or exceed {{convert|80|°F|abbr=on}} on an average of only 21 and 23&nbsp;days a year at downtown and [[San Francisco International Airport]] (SFO), respectively.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> The dry period of May to October is mild to warm, with the normal monthly mean temperature peaking in September at {{convert|62.7|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> The rainy period of November to April is slightly cooler, with the normal monthly mean temperature reaching its lowest in January at {{convert|51.3|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> On average, there are 73 rainy days a year, and annual precipitation averages {{convert|23.65|in|mm|0}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> Variation in precipitation from year to year is high. Above-average rain years are often associated with warm [[El Niño]] conditions in the Pacific while dry years often occur in cold water [[La Niña]] periods. In 2013 (a "La Niña" year), a record low {{convert|5.59|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rainfall was recorded at downtown San Francisco, where records have been kept since 1849.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> Snowfall in the city is very rare, with only 10 measurable accumulations recorded since 1852, most recently in 1976 when up to {{convert|5|in|cm}} fell on Twin Peaks.<ref>[http://ggweather.com/sf/snow.html Climate of San Francisco: Snowfall] Golden Gate Weather Services. Retrieved December 3, 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = http://blog.sfgate.com/thebigevent/2012/11/29/blizzard-of-awesome-the-san-francisco-snowfall-of-1976/|title = Blizzard of awesome: The San Francisco snowfall of 1976|first1 = Peter|last1=Hartlaub|work = San Francisco Chronicle|date = November 29, 2012|access-date = February 1, 2013}}</ref>
[[File:View from Mirounga Bay.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Farallon Islands]] are located in the [[Gulf of the Farallones]], off the [[West Coast of the United States|Pacific coast]] of San Francisco.]]
The highest recorded temperature at the official [[National Weather Service]] downtown observation station{{efn|Station currently at the [[San Francisco Mint#Current building|United States Mint]] building<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hoodline.com/2014/05/secretly-awesome-the-lower-haight-weather-station/|title=Secretly Awesome: The Lower Haight Weather Station|author=Dudley, Andrew|date=May 1, 2014|website=hoodline}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2021}} }} was {{convert|106|F|C}} on September 1, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ruberstein |first1=Steve |last2=Asimov |first2=Nanette |last3=Lyons |first3=Jenna |title=San Francisco hits 106 degrees – shatters all-time record |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Hey-San-Francisco-get-ready-for-the-heat-12166706.php |date=September 1, 2017 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref> During that hot spell, the warmest ever night of {{convert|71|F|C}} was also recorded.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA2">{{cite web|url=https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=mtr|title=NOWData for San Francisco, CA forecast office|publisher=[[NOAA]]|access-date=July 26, 2022}}</ref> The lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|27|F|C}} on December 11, 1932.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliGCStT.pl?ca7772|title = San Fran Mission Dolore, California (047772) Period of Record General Climate Summary – Temperature|work=Western Regional Climate Center|publisher=[[Desert Research Institute]]|year = 2010|access-date =July 25, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110513121708/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca7772 |archive-date = May 13, 2011|url-status=live}} ([http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca7772 Main page])</ref>

During an average year between 1991 and 2020, San Francisco recorded a warmest night at {{convert|64|F|C}} and a coldest day at {{convert|49|F|C}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/> The coldest daytime high since the station's opening in 1945 was recorded in December 1972 at {{convert|37|F|C}}.<ref name="San Francisco NOAA"/>

As a coastal city, San Francisco will be heavily affected by [[climate change]]. {{as of|2021}}, sea levels are projected to rise by as much as {{convert|5|ft}}, resulting in periodic flooding, rising groundwater levels, and lowland floods from more severe storms.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tuma |first1=Drew |last2=Didion |first2=Tim |title=UN climate report puts focus on sea level rise threat to San Francisco Bay |url=https://abc7news.com/un-climate-report-bay-area-rising-sea-level-change-ocean/10941431/ |access-date=January 31, 2022 |work=ABC7 San Francisco |date=August 10, 2021}}</ref>

San Francisco falls under the [[USDA]] 10b Plant [[hardiness zone]], though some areas, particularly downtown, border zone 11a.<ref>{{cite web|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#|author=Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University|work=USDA|access-date=February 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|archive-date=February 27, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-california-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php|title=California Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|access-date=December 19, 2016}}</ref>

{{San Francisco weatherbox}}

===Ecology===
[[File:Aerial view - Presidio-whole.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of the [[Presidio of San Francisco]] and the [[Golden Gate]]]]
Historically, [[tule elk]] were present in San Francisco County, based on archeological evidence of elk remains in at least five different [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] shellmounds: at Hunter's Point, Fort Mason, Stevenson Street, Market Street, and Yerba Buena.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Declines in Mammalian Foraging Efficiency during the Late Holocene, San Francisco Bay, California |last1=Broughton|first1=Jack M. |date=1994 |journal=Journal of Anthropological Archaeology |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=371–401 |doi=10.1006/jaar.1994.1019 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278416584710191 |access-date=May 27, 2020|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Paleoecological inferences from a faunal analysis of CA-SFr-07 |last1=McCrossin|first1=M. |year=1982 |journal=Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology |volume=4 |pages=138–141}}</ref> Perhaps the first historical observer record was from the [[De Anza Expedition]] on March 23, 1776. [[Herbert Eugene Bolton]] wrote about the expedition camp at Mountain Lake, near the southern end of today's [[Presidio of San Francisco|Presidio]]: "Round about were grazing deer, and scattered here and there were the antlers of large elk."<ref>{{cite book |title=Anza's California Expeditions|volume=I. An Outpost of Empire. |first1=Herbert Eugene|last1=Bolton |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California |year=1930 |page=393}}</ref>