Tale of the Tape:
San Francisco Population 2008: 808,976 (City); 4,274,531 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1850)
Jacksonville Pop. 2008: 807,815 (City); 1,313,228 (Metro) - (incorporated in 1832)
City population 1950: Jacksonville (204,517); San Francisco (775,357)
Metropolitan Area Growth rate (2000-2008)
San Francisco: +3.66%
Jacksonville: +15.86%
Urban Area Population (2000 census)
San Francisco: 3,228,605 (ranked 12 nationwide)
Jacksonville: 882,295 (ranked 43 nationwide)
Urban Area Population Density (2000 census)
San Francisco: 6,130.4
Jacksonville: 2,149.2
City Population Growth from 2000 to 2008
San Francisco: +32,243
Jacksonville: +72,312
Convention Center Exhibition Space:
San Francisco: Moscone Center (1981) - 900,000 square feet
Jacksonville: Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center (1986) - 78,500 square feet
Adjacent to Convention Center:
San Francisco: The InterContinental San Francisco Hotel (550 guest rooms)
Jacksonville: N/A
Tallest Building:
San Francisco: Transamerica Pyramid - 853 feet
Jacksonville: Bank of America Tower - 617 feet
Fortune 500 companies 2009 (City limits only):
San Francisco: Mckesson (15), Wells Fargo (41), PG&E Corp. (176), Gap (178), URS (264), Visa (394), Charles Schwab (440)
Jacksonville: CSX (240), Winn-Dixie (340)
Urban infill obstacles:
San Francisco: None
Jacksonville: State & Union Streets cut off Downtown Jacksonville from Springfield.
Downtown Nightlife:
San Francisco: Downtown/Union Square, Mission District, SOMA, Castro District, North Beach, Portrero Hill
Jacksonville: East Bay Street, located between Main Street and Liberty Street.
Common Downtown Albatross:
N/A
Who's Downtown is more walkable?
San Francisco: 98 out of 100, according to walkscore.com*
Jacksonville: 88 out of 100, according to walkscore.com
*- San Francisco is rated as the country's most walkable city by Walkscore.com. Jacksonville is rated as the worst.
Unique San Francisco
- There are five skyscrapers in San Francisco that are taller than Jacksonville's BOA Tower.
- With over 17,000 people per square mile, San Francisco is the second-most densely populated major American city.
- San Francisco was originally named Yerba Buena.
- San Francisco's population exploded during the California Gold Rush, growing from 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 in 1849.
- The city was destroyed by a major earthquake and fire in 1906.
- Not a single San Francisco bank failed in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash.
- The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake destroyed the Embarcadero Freeway, allowed the city to reclaim its historic waterfront.
- San Francisco was the center of the late 1990s dot-com boom, which resulted in the gentrification of many neighborhoods.
- There are more than 50 hills within city limits.
- Tourism is the backbone of the San Francisco economy. More than 16 million visitors arrived in San Francisco in 2007, injecting nearly $8.2 billion into the economy.
- San Francisco is designated as one of the ten Beta World Cities.
- Cycling is a popular mode of transportation in San Francisco, with about 40,000 residents commuting to work regularly by bicycle.
- San Francisco is a consolidated city-county, a status it has held since 1856. It is the only such consolidation in California.
- Homelessness has been a chronic and controversial problem for San Francisco since the early 1980s. The city is believed to have the highest number of homeless inhabitants per capita of any major U.S. city.
- Because of its unique geography—making beltways somewhat impractical—and the results of the freeway revolts of the late 1950s, San Francisco is one of the few American cities that has opted for European-style arterial thoroughfares instead of a large network of freeways. This trend continued following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, when city leaders decided to demolish the Embarcadero Freeway, and voters approved demolition of a portion of the Central Freeway, converting them into street-level boulevards.
- The Port of San Francisco was once the largest and busiest seaport on the West Coast. The advent of container shipping made pier-based ports obsolete, and most commercial berths moved to the Port of Oakland. 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 Ferry Building, while still receiving commuter ferry traffic, has been restored and redeveloped as a gourmet marketplace. The port's other activities now focus on developing waterside assets to support recreation and tourism.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco
South of Market (SoMa)
While most San Franciscans refer to the neighborhood by its full name, South of Market, there is a trend to shorten the name to SOMA or SoMa, probably in reference to SoHo (South of Houston) in New York City, and, in turn, Soho in London.
Before being called South of Market this area was called "South of the Slot", a reference to the cable cars that ran up and down Market along a slot through which they attached to the cables. While the cable cars have long since disappeared from Market Street, some "old timers" still refer to this area as "South of the Slot".
The neighborhood is a diverse stretch of warehouses, auto repair shops, nightclubs, residential hotels, art spaces, loft apartments, furniture showrooms, condominiums, and technology companies. Many major software and technology companies have headquarters here, including Wired, Sega of America Inc., CNET Networks, Twitter, BitTorrent Inc., and Advent Software.
Union Square
Today, Union Square retains its role as the ceremonial "heart" of San Francisco, serving as the site of many public concerts & events, art shows, impromptu protests, private parties and events, and the annual Christmas tree and Menorah lighting. Public views of the square can be seen from surrounding high places as the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, Macy's top floor, and the Grand Hyatt hotel.
Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights is located in one of the most scenic and park-like settings in Northern California, offering panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz and the Presidio.
It is home to young urban professionals and some of San Francisco's wealthiest citizens.
Chinatown
Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and used to be "the largest Chinese community outside Asia" until being likely eclipsed by the Manhattan and Flushing, Queens Chinatowns in New York City. It is likely therefore now the third largest Chinatown in North America. Established in the 1850s, it has featured significantly in popular culture venues such as film, music, photography and literature, and is one of the largest and most prominent centers of Chinese activity outside of China.
Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf is best known for being the location of Pier 39, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the Cannery Shopping Center, Ghirardelli Square, a Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, the Musée Mécanique, the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf, Forbes Island and restaurants and stands that serve fresh seafood, most notably dungeness crab and clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl.
Dungeness Crab is locally caught and served everywhere.
North Beach and The Embarcadero
The American Planning Association (APA) has named North Beach as one of ten 'Great Neighborhoods in America':
Mention North Beach and what comes to mind is a mix of images and contrasts: arts, crafts, and jazz festivals; and a storied history involving known writers and musicians, movie sets and nightclubs. Added to this are several historical landmarks; a compact layout that makes walking enjoyable and easy; and a strong commitment to keeping businesses and stores independently owned and operated. Residents have fought to keep North Beach this way, and will continue to play an essential role in preserving this character.
Russian Hill
Russian Hill is an affluent, largely residential neighborhood of San Francisco. Views from the top of the hill extend in several directions around the Bay Area, including the Bay Bridge, Marin County, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz. Russian Hill is home to the prestigious San Francisco Art Institute.
Because of the steepness of the hill, many streets, portions of Vallejo and Green streets, for example, are staircases. Another famous feature of Russian Hill are the many pedestrian-only lanes such as Macondray Lane and Fallon Place, both with beautiful landscaping and views.
San Francisco is a city that truly values quality mass transit. Citizen efforts saved the cable cars from being removed, and has restored streetcar service in the form of the F Line.
CalTrain
MUNI Light Rail
San Francisco Municipal Railway - Cable Car
Market Street Railway - F Line Historic Streetcars
BART
MUNI Electric Trolley Bus
Lombard Street
Lombard Street is best known for the one-way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being "the crookedest street in the world."
Photos by Daniel Herbin
Share this article
RSS
thelakelander
August 31, 2009, 07:09:19 AMGreat article and photographs. Those hills are insane. How many people out there believe that San Francisco and Jacksonville are really the "same size."
vicupstate
August 31, 2009, 07:57:25 AMI recently visited SF for the first time. It is definitely one of America's most unique cities. Coit Tower is a must-see, as it gives a 360 view of the entire city.
Great pics and article.
David
August 31, 2009, 08:06:14 AMYeah speaking of, how about including the square milage of city proper on the elements of urbanism articles?
ie:
Jacksonville 885 sq miles
San Francisco 231 sq miles.
I know the population density is already included, but it puts Jax in perspective when compared to other cities.
David
August 31, 2009, 08:07:12 AMand yes, very cool article. I'm jealous! SF is my next destination on the west coast.
thelakelander
August 31, 2009, 08:08:52 AMGood suggestion. That is something we can add.
Overstreet
August 31, 2009, 08:21:32 AMThey don't seem to worrry about the fault lines crossing the city. Modern buildings can be improved to withstand earthquake.
But the old masonry buildings in the Marina district are just waiting for another quake to colaspe. Marina district was built on fill that turns "plastic" during a quake and does not support the shallow footings the unreinforced brick buildings were built with.
Tripoli1711
August 31, 2009, 09:18:30 AMSan Francisco is one of my favorite places on Earth. Amazing city that is really what I think about when I think of an urban area. Atlanta might be "bigger" but it cannot shake a stick at San Francisco in terms of urban feel. Love San Francisco.
Oh yeah.. when were those photos taken? I have probably spent 7 or 8 days in San Francisco and I have never seen the weather that beautiful. I asked locals when the weather actually got beautiful like you see on TV.. they told me it was a secret they keep from the tourists.
Deuce
August 31, 2009, 09:50:53 AMTruly spectacular city! I've been several times as my sis used to live in Mill Valley.
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 10:46:48 AMnot just square mileage bus also density.
San Francisco is one of the truly amazing towns. Its beautiful, defined, dense quirky, Having a car is a liability not a necessity, the various groups are committed to getting along with each other, Its port is magnificant.
But above all, the citizens are engaged. San Francisco is one of the most political towns Ive ever lived in in my life. Its not all that apparent for the tourists. There are a few hundred thousand of them ----they can talk amongst themselves.
But the homeowners, renters and residents. omg.
Metrojacksonville is the only place where you find that kind of mass interest in the workings of the city.
City Council meetings are town hall experiences, and protests, demonstrations and shoutfests are just part of the way the city does its business.
To me there are two reasons why san francisco is as awesome as it is.
1. Its a hill town. Every neighborhood is visible to every other neighborhood
2. Citizen Passion.
Metrojacksonvillers are getting to the size and consensus that shortly we will be able to do the same thing.
If only half of our posters start showing up at council meetings, we would be a force to be reckoned with on the issues we are all so passionate about.
Ocklawaha
August 31, 2009, 11:18:48 AMOnce upon a time, I floated from my perch in Yosemite and woke up in San Francisco... I have no recall of how the hell I got there. Those were the days, long haired, maggot infested, leaping gnome. Not that I ever did drugs, but I've read about it, seen the video... You understand.
OCKLAWAHA
heights unknown
August 31, 2009, 11:54:54 AMBecause of the population equity between "SanFran" and "Jax," San Francisco is where Jax should be in appearance, amenities, even population of the metro/MSA. The convention Center is huge and is probably a little large for Jax, but we should have a much larger convention center. SF is on a peninsula and is basically built out but the density is very compact relative to buildings, people, houses, etc., and Jax can only dream of being that way. Looking at downtown pics, notice all of the people on the very wide sidewalks; I'll lay a bet that it is that way on weekends as well. Great pics. Wouldn't want to live there though.
I'll take Jax over SF any day of the week, month or year!
Heights Unknown
lindab
August 31, 2009, 12:09:49 PMThe few times I have visited, I couldn't help notice what a diverse community SF is. What is the ethnic make-up of SF?
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 12:19:49 PMGiven the choice between the two, Im afraid I would choose San Francisco, Heights.
Although obviously my top three would be Boston, Seattle, Paris.
When I was in San Francisco, I missed southern manners, southern closeness and intimacy, southern food, magnolias, sweet tea, reverence for oak trees, and african american southron culture. Those things arent portable apparently.
Linda B. here is the answer to your question
Like many larger U.S. cities, San Francisco is a minority-majority city, as non-Hispanic whites comprise less than half of the population. The 2005-2007 American Community Survey estimated that 45.0% of the population was made up of non-Hispanic whites.[116] Asians make up 33.1% of the population; people of Chinese descent constitute the largest single ethnic group in San Francisco at about one fifth of the population. Hispanics of any race make up 14.0% of the population. San Francisco's black population has declined in recent decades, from 13.4% of the city in 1970 to 7.3% of the population in 2007.[116] The current percentage of blacks in San Francisco is similar to that of the state of California[116]; conversely, the city's percentage of Hispanic residents is less than half of that of the state.
Native San Franciscans form a relatively small percentage of the city's population: only 37.4% of its residents were born in California, while 26.9% were born in a different U.S. state. More than a third of city residents (35.7%) were born outside the United States.[116]
BridgeTroll
August 31, 2009, 12:28:14 PMSan Fran is one of my favorite places on earth... I have spent alot of time there and still have not seen every thing I would like...
I would suggest however that the
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 12:34:36 PMSan Francisco deals with it though.
I ended up volunteering for a homeless outreach mission for the Church of God when I was out there.
I was doing consulting work in the food industry for one of San Francisco's corporate home growns, and was able to funnel our extras and day olds straight to the church (and to a few awesome hostels)
What was amazing about San Francisco is that there are over 21,000 homeless people in the same land mass as downtown and the historic core. (ten times our own numbers), but its not the same scale of problem for the San Franciscans as it is for the Jacksonvillians.
All restaurants are expected to donate their waste food to the homeless btw. It would be unthinkable to force the rest of the city to pay for disposal of food trash, as well as figuring out food sources for the homeless.
At the end of the night, most san franciscans are at least well fed.
BridgeTroll
August 31, 2009, 12:43:31 PMI dont disagree... San Franciscans handle the problem well. Tourists not accustomed to the aggressiveness of panhandlers can be easily intimidated... It could easliy be described as a Common downtown albatross.
thelakelander
August 31, 2009, 01:15:58 PMYou're right. That is a common downtown albatross.
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 01:17:50 PMdefine albatross?
It certainly hasnt prevented a single business from opening in the Bay Area and isnt being blamed for the unbelievable vibrancy of the urban core in SF.
San Franciscans are proud of their Homeless policies. You hear this on the streets everywhere you go.
The homeless and panhandling is really only a problem for the tourists, of which jacksonville has none.
Its apples and oranges.
It has a whole lot to do with leadership.
I can guaranbygumtee you that if you took our fatheaded leadership here and switched them with the San Franciscan Leadership, within two years, The Financial district would be a ghost town, and Jacksonville would be the Athens of the South.
thelakelander
August 31, 2009, 01:26:06 PMstephendare
August 31, 2009, 01:27:32 PMSan Francisco definitely deals with homelessness better.
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 01:30:25 PMRoads and highways
Because of its unique geography—making beltways somewhat impractical—and the results of the freeway revolts of the late 1950s, San Francisco is one of the few American cities that has opted for European-style arterial thoroughfares instead of a large network of freeways. This trend continued following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, when city leaders decided to demolish the Embarcadero Freeway, and voters approved demolition of a portion of the Central Freeway, converting them into street-level boulevards.
Interstate 80 begins at the approach to the Bay Bridge and is the only direct automobile link to the East Bay. U.S. Route 101 extends Interstate 80 to the south along the San Francisco Bay toward Silicon Valley. Northbound, 101 uses arterial streets Van Ness Avenue and Lombard Street to the Golden Gate Bridge, the only direct road access from San Francisco to Marin County and points north. Highway 1 also enters San Francisco at the Golden Gate Bridge, but diverts away from 101, bisecting the west side of the city as the 19th Avenue arterial thoroughfare, and joining with Interstate 280 at the city's southern border. Interstate 280 continues this route along the central portion of the Peninsula south to San Jose. Northbound, 280 turns north and east and terminates in the South of Market area. State Route 35, which traverses the majority of the Peninsula along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, enters the city from the south as Skyline Boulevard, following city streets until it terminates at its intersection with Highway 1. State Route 82 enters San Francisco from the south as Mission Street, following the path of the historic El Camino Real and terminating shortly thereafter at its junction with 280. The cross-country Lincoln Highway's western terminus is in Lincoln Park. Major east–west thoroughfares include Geary Boulevard, the Lincoln Way/Fell Street corridor, and Market Street/Portola Drive.
Cycling is a popular mode of transportation in San Francisco, with about 40,000 residents commuting to work regularly by bicycle.
Public transportation
Many people in San Francisco use public transportation, nearly a third of commuters in 2005. Public transit solely within the city of San Francisco is provided predominantly by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). The city-owned system operates both a combined light rail/subway system (the Muni Metro) and a bus network that includes trolleybuses, standard diesel motorcoaches and diesel hybrid buses. The Metro streetcars run on surface streets in outlying neighborhoods but underground in the downtown area. Additionally, Muni runs the highly visible F Market historic streetcar line, which runs on surface streets from Castro Street to Fisherman's Wharf (through Market Street), and the iconic San Francisco cable car system, which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Commuter rail is provided by two complementary agencies. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is the regional rapid transit system which connects San Francisco with the East Bay through the Transbay Tube. The line runs under Market Street to Civic Center, where it turns south to the Mission District, the southern part of the city, and through northern San Mateo County, to the San Francisco International Airport, and Millbrae. The Caltrain rail system runs from San Francisco along the Peninsula down to San Jose. The line dates from 1863, and for many years was operated by Southern Pacific.
The Transbay Terminal serves as the terminus for long-range bus service (such as Greyhound) and as a hub for regional bus systems AC Transit (Alameda County), SamTrans (San Mateo County), and Golden Gate Transit (Marin and Sonoma Counties). Amtrak also runs a shuttle bus from San Francisco to its rail station in Emeryville.
A small fleet of commuter and tourist ferries operate from the Ferry Building and Pier 39 to points in Marin County, Oakland, and north to Vallejo in Solano County.
tufsu1
August 31, 2009, 02:04:49 PMI'll take that bet
Seriously though...Mayor Peyton was quoted recently as saying "Jacksonville is as conservative as San Francisco is liberal"....this was in regards to our aversion to higher taxes and government spending....I know you may not agree Stephen, but he is right!
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 02:20:45 PMIf you think San Francisco is 'liberal' about higher taxes, youve lost your mind.
They are way more traditionally conservative than we are here. Way more.
Here we don't want to be bothered with the details, and the amount of corruption and outright waste is just assumed. One boondoggle after another without a single city official getting nailed for it (unless they were african american) on the large scale since the Haydon Burns Administration.
Even Godbold's administration was left a pretty wide berth to spend the money as they saw fit.
We allow waste by our inability to get informed and then just reject any new spending until our government just magically self corrects.
In San Francisco, you better believe its the exact opposite.
There are whole boards of citizen panels who do nothing except track and analyze how the city money is being spent and who is getting the benefit.
If the City's biggest landowner became Mayor of san Francisco (which would require the reincarnation of Buddha as a Flood Patriarch), you may take it to the bank that his every move would be analyzed with a critical view of whether or not he benefitted.
The difference isnt one of liberal vs conservative. Jacksonville people will vote for tax increases if they see the benefit. San Franciscans are exactly the same. They are just a whole lot more vigilant about the process. None of their money just ends up in a place called "we don't exactly know what they Shipyards project did with the cash....."
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 02:26:58 PMWhere San Francisco is considered 'liberal' is in the social arena.
And most things that start being considered 'liberal' end up being mainstream eventually anyways.
Really? is it liberal to allow marriages between different races?
To pass non discrimination laws that protect gay people?
To not force students to sit through some other religions prayer rituals?
To believe that drug addiction is a medical problem? (for someone besides Rush Limbaugh)
These made San Francisco 'liberal', but now even Middleburg is doing the same thing.
stephendare
August 31, 2009, 03:46:13 PMJacksonville could be really learn from SF.
If you could combine the great parts of southern culture with the brilliant citizen based city mentality of San Francisco, this would be paradise.
BridgeTroll
August 31, 2009, 03:54:30 PMIt would still be too hot and humid... in the summer.
stjr
August 31, 2009, 05:04:01 PMSan Fransisco and all of the northern half of California are among the most "with it" places in this country. We can call Californian's left wing/liberal wackos but their "quality of life", even with their State's current budget struggles, is far advanced in most respects to ours. Especially with regards to the environment, public spaces, historic preservation, cultural and educational resources, architectural and aesthetic design, and mass transit. When you visit San Fran you immediately sense a city of VISION.
SF and Northern California have mostly done a particularly great job preserving their beautiful vistas, redwood forests, and other green spaces. Having steep ridges and hills has been a blessing in discouraging development in many locales. Of course, if this was Jax, we would have probably just let developers level such elevations and build on them.
Like Jax in 1901, the SF quake of 1906 mostly leveled the city (the ensuing fires may have done more destruction than the quake) yet SF still maintains a wonderful sense of character, history, and old world charm. Maybe some one should do a "tale of two cities" to see where they went right and we went wrong.
By the way, although Californians have some of the nations highest taxes and costs of living, it didn't stop such awesome economic engines such as Silicon Valley, running from San Fran to San Jose, from exploding. No place in Florida can compare to this epicenter of high tech.
stjr
August 31, 2009, 05:18:40 PMA couple more comments:
Geographically, due to our expansive water bodies, I have often thought Jax could represent an eastern U.S. incarnation of SF by the Bay, albeit without the hills. Unfortunately, I see no community vision transpiring to get us there.
Second, Silicon Valley is a direct outgrowth of a couple of Stanford guys starting a technology company in their garage .... in 1939. That would be Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard of Hewlett-Packard. From there, all else flowed. No Stanford University, no Silicon Valley. It's why we need universities to be more intergrated into our community.
The HP Garage is California Historic Landmark No. 976 — Birthplace of Silicon Valley. (1939 photo)
In September of 2004, HP announced efforts to preserve for future generations its most famous piece of real estate - the HP garage. The project turned the clock back on the original house, shed and garage at 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, to conditions much as they were in 1939, when the founders established the now legendary Hewlett-Packard partnership. Completion of the project was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on December 6, 2005.
From: http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/
fsu813
August 31, 2009, 05:38:51 PMMr. Herbin,
did you see The Tanner's residence, by chance?
Ocklawaha
August 31, 2009, 05:52:19 PMBehold, the Common Albatross defined!
OCKLAWAHA
Keith-N-Jax
August 31, 2009, 11:23:02 PMVery nice city been there only once. I love the seals. I could never live anywhere the grounds shakes!!
ralpho37
September 01, 2009, 12:18:59 AMI have to ask, how can Jacksonville be the country's LEAST walkable city with a rating of 88/100. 88% seems pretty darn good to me...
thelakelander
September 01, 2009, 06:27:05 AM88 is just for downtown. The average for the entire city is a horrible 36 out of 100.
link: http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/most-walkable-cities.php
With that said, overall a city like Jax who's municipal limits include suburbs and rural areas will never rank high in walkability.
tufsu1
September 01, 2009, 09:57:21 AMand once again for clarity....they only ranked the 49 largest cities....Jax. is last on that list, but other Florida cities like Tampa, Miami, and Oralndo weren't even ranked.
TPC
September 01, 2009, 10:02:38 AMI miss SF, I haven't been there in years but I plan on going next year. It's easy to get around town and there is so much to do and see. Apart from the fog the weather is pretty nice throughout the year also.
If I move anytime soon It will probably be to SF.
jaxlore
September 01, 2009, 11:55:40 AMwent on the honey moon. love it. hands down. would stay forever if it wasn't for the fact i could barely afford a room there.
ralpho37
September 01, 2009, 02:27:19 PMthanks for clearing that up tufsu1, 36/100 sounds much more realistic for Jax. I don't think that's absolutely terrible considering how huge Jacksonville is, as long as we do have areas like downtown, San Marco, Riverside, etc. that are walkable... Now all we need is fast, reliable transportation to unify them... [cough - commuter rail].
north miami
October 16, 2009, 08:41:02 PMOne of the world's favorite cities.Comparison to my beloved Jacksonville would be correctly questioned.There are similar opprtunities here but most not recognized.This is not intended as 'negative';rather an insight.
Thank you San Francisco.You are not "stand alone", but rather a segment of a certain Californian history,outlook and "lifestyle".You cherish every square foot of your existence.It shows. This ethic extends outward.Northern /Central as different to Southern California as Southern Florida is to Northern California....except Northern California enjoys a string of National Forests and Northern Florida enjoys....St.Joe.
It is good for us to look to the San Francisco region.
stjr
October 17, 2009, 10:15:16 AMI love SF also. But, you maybe should visit it sooner than later. Upon the 20th anniversary of the 1989 SF earthquake, the Time Magazine article below says there is a 99% + chance for a strong earthquake in California in the next 30 years.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1930668,00.html