San Francisco Bay Area

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The San Francisco Bay Area (referred to locally as the Bay Area) is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses the major cities and metropolitan areas of San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland, along with smaller urban and rural areas. [4] The Bay Area's nine counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. [4] [5] Home to approximately 7.65 million people, [2] the nine-county Bay Area contains many cities, towns, airports, and associated regional, state, and national parks, connected by a network of roads, highways, railroads, bridges, tunnels and commuter rail. The combined statistical area of the region is the second-largest in California (after the Greater Los Angeles area), the fifth-largest in the United States, and the 43rd-largest urban area in the world.

The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) does not use the nine-county definition of the Bay Area. The OMB has designated a more extensive 12-county Combined Statistical Area (CSA) titled the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area [6] which also includes the three counties of San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, and San Benito that do not border the San Francisco or San Pablo Bays, but are economically tied to the nine counties that do.

The Bay Area has the 2nd most Fortune 500 Companies in the United States, and is known for its natural beauty, liberal politics, entrepreneurship, and diversity. [7] [8] The area ranks second in highest density of college graduates, [9] [10] and performs above the state median household income in the 2010 census; [11] it includes the five highest California counties by per capita income and two of the top 25 wealthiest counties in the United States. Based on a 2013 population report from the California Department of Finance, the Bay Area is the only region in California where the rate of people migrating in from other areas in the United States is greater than the rate of those leaving the region, led by Alameda and Contra Costa counties. [12]


East Bay


North Bay



The North Bay is the only section of the Bay Area that is not currently served by a commuter rail service, however the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is scheduled to open in 2016. 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.



Whereas the term peninsula technically refers to the entire geographical San Franciscan Peninsula, in local terms, The Peninsula does not include the city of San Francisco itself. [13] [14] [15]

San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides; the north, east, and west. The city squeezes approximately 805,000 people in under 46.9 square miles (121 km 2 ), making it the second-most densely populated major city in North America after New York City. [16] On any given day, there can be as many as 1 million people in the city because of the commuting population and tourism. San Francisco also has the largest commuter population of the Bay Area cities. The limitations of land area, however, make continued population growth challenging, and also has resulted in increased real estate prices. Though San Francisco is located at the tip of the peninsula, when the peninsula is discussed, it usually refers to the communities and geographic locations south of the city proper.

South Bay

The communities at the southern region of the Bay Area are primarily located in what is known as Silicon Valley, or the Santa Clara Valley. These include the city of San Jose, and surrounding municipalities, including the high-tech hubs of Santa Clara, Milpitas, Cupertino, Mountain View, 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 Silicon Valley. Generally, the term South Bay refers to Santa Clara County, but the northwest portion of the county (Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills) may be considered part of the peninsula as well.



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 MLS. The San Francisco 49ers moved to a new stadium in Santa Clara in 2014.


Outer Bay

Whether Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Joaquin counties are considered part of the San Francisco Bay Area depends on the observer. For example, 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 (BAAQMD), and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) 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.) [21] However, the Office of Management and Budget defines the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Consolidated Statistical Area as a twelve-county region, including the nine counties above plus Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Joaquin counties. Although, the San Francisco television market excludes half of Solano, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and San Joaquin counties; but includes Mendocino and Lake counties. Meanwhile, the California State Parks Department defines the Bay Area as including ten counties, [22] including Santa Cruz but excluding San Benito and San Joaquin. 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. Local media in the San Francisco Bay Area and travel guides often consider these two counties as part of the South Bay subregion, as they are greatly connected geographically, economically, and historically. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] Santa Cruz County, along with San Benito County are usually regarded as being part of the California Central Coast and San Joaquin County is usually regarded as part of the California Central Valley, but has seen recent growth as several of its cities and communities have become exurbs of the Bay Area.



In 2015, the Bay Area had a GDP of $785.5 billion, which would rank 19th among countries.

Silicon Valley is located within the southern reaches of the Bay Area. The leading high technology region in the world, Silicon Valley covers San Jose and several cities of South Bay. The Valley is home to many of the industry leaders in technology such as Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, eBay, PayPal, Cisco, Apple, Oracle, Marvell, Intel, Uber and Hewlett-Packard. Major corporations in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and the surrounding cities help make the region second in the nation in concentration of Fortune 500 companies, after New York. [28] The region's northern counties encompass California's famous Wine Country, home to hundreds of vineyards and wineries. The Bay Area is a leader in sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and sustainable energy and a leading producer of high quality food, wine, and innovation in the culinary arts. California Cuisine was developed primarily in the Bay Area, as was the organic farming movement. The area is renowned for its natural beauty. It is also known as being one of the most expensive regions to live in the country. [7]

Oakland, on the east side of the bay, has the fifth-largest container shipping port in the United States. The city is also a major rail terminus. [29]



A 2016 poll of 1,000 people, by the Bay Area Council, showed that 34 percent are considering leaving the area, due primarily to the high costs of living and housing, and traffic. [31]

Metropolitan area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated seven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and one Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the Bay Area and nearby counties. [6] These comprise:

  1. The San Francisco–Oakland–Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area comprising Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties
  7. The Napa, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area comprising Napa County

The United States Census Bureau estimates the population for these areas as of July 1, 2015 as follows: [3] [32]

OMB designated statistical areas for the Bay Area and outlying counties
Statistical area 2015 Estimate 2010 Census Change
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 4,656,132 4,335,391 7000739820237667140♠ +7.40%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 1,976,836 1,836,911 7000761740770238730♠ +7.62%
Stockton-Lodi, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 726,106 685,306 7000595354483982340♠ +5.95%
Santa Rosa, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 502,146 483,878 7000377533179851120♠ +3.78%
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 436,092 413,344 7000550340636370670♠ +5.50%
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 274,146 262,382 7000448353926717530♠ +4.48%
Napa, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area 142,456 136,484 7000437560446645760♠ +4.38%
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA Combined Statistical Area 8,713,914 8,153,696 7000687072463824990♠ +6.87%


The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of the less extensive nine-county Bay Area as of July 1, 2015 as follows: [2]

Nine county San Francisco Bay Area
County 2015 Estimate 2010 Census Change
Santa Clara County 1,918,044 1,781,642 7000765597128940610♠ +7.66%
Alameda County 1,638,215 1,510,271 7000847159218444900♠ +8.47%
Contra Costa County 1,126,745 1,049,025 7000740878434737020♠ +7.41%
San Francisco 864,816 805,235 7000739920644283970♠ +7.40%
San Mateo County 765,135 718,451 7000649786833061690♠ +6.50%
Sonoma County 502,146 483,878 7000377533179851120♠ +3.78%
Solano County 436,092 413,344 7000550340636370670♠ +5.50%
Marin County 261,221 252,409 7000349115919004470♠ +3.49%
Napa County 142,456 136,484 7000437560446645760♠ +4.38%
Total 7,654,870 7,150,739 7000705005454680980♠ +7.05%


Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 114,074
1870 265,808 133.0%
1880 422,128 58.8%
1890 547,618 29.7%
1900 658,111 20.2%
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%
2010 7,150,739 5.4%
Est. 2015 7,654,870 [2] 7.1%
Note: 9 County Population Totals


The Bay Area cities of Vallejo, Suisun City, Oakland, San Leandro, Fairfield, and Richmond are among the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. [35]

The Chinese population of the Bay Area is concentrated in San Francisco, where 30% of the Bay Area's Chinese American population resides, as well as in Oakland and in the San Jose area, which is also home to a significant Indian American community. [33] The Bay Area is home to over 382,950 Filipino Americans, one of the largest communities of Filipino people outside of the Philippines with the largest proportion of Filipino Americans concentrating themselves within Daly City. [33] [36] There are more than one hundred thousand people of Vietnamese ancestry residing within San Jose city limits, the largest population of any city in the world outside of Vietnam. [37] There is a sizable community of Korean Americans in Santa Clara County, and there is a large strip of Korean restaurants and businesses located in Santa Clara. East Bay cities such as Richmond and Oakland, and the North Bay city of Santa Rosa, have plentiful populations of Laotian and Cambodians in certain neighborhoods. [33]


The Latino population is spread throughout the Bay Area, but has the largest populations in San Jose, in The Peninsula cities of Redwood City, East Palo Alto, South San Francisco, San Bruno, San Francisco, San Mateo, Daly City, and Menlo Park, North Bay cities of Dixon, San Rafael, Fairfield, and Vallejo, East Bay cities of Oakland, Richmond, Concord and Antioch, and in Sonoma County. San Francisco's Mission District is home to a thriving Mexican American community, as well as many residents of Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent. [33]

The African American population of the Bay Area has always been significant in Marin City, Oakland, and Richmond, but other East and North Bay cities such as Antioch, Vallejo and Fairfield have received an influx of black residents. While mainly concentrated in the East Bay and on the peninsula in San Francisco, there are well-established black neighborhoods located in the North Bay and in the Silicon Valley. The South Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa was home to once a primarily black community until the 1980s, when many Latino immigrants settled in the area. [38] The Marin City community in Marin County has a significant black population. In Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto has the highest population of African Americans.



The Bay Area is one of the wealthiest regions in the United States, due, primarily, to the economic power engines of San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. Pleasanton has the second-highest household income in the country after New Canaan, CT. However, discretionary income is very comparable with the rest of the country, primarily because the higher cost of living offsets the increased income. [41]






Population (2010) [21] 2012 election results [21] Median household income (2011) [47] Per capita income (2011) [47] Voter Registration (2013) [5]
Democratic Independent Republican
Alameda 1,510,271 78.9%–18.2% Obama $67,558 $33,888 461,007 158,958 114,802
Contra Costa 1,049,025 66.2%–31.2% Obama $74,353 $36,274 263,258 113,358 131,608
Marin 252,409 74.3%–23.0% Obama $77,168 $49,439 83,853 35,251 28,116
Napa 136,484 63.0%–34.3% Obama $61,460 $32,170 33,182 15,248 19,142
San Francisco 805,235 83.5%–13.0% Obama $69,894 $44,905 276,855 154,691 42,922
San Mateo 718,451 72.1%–25.5% Obama $81,657 $44,331 185,134 92,158 69,925
Santa Clara 1,781,642 70.1%–27.2% Obama $84,895 $39,365 372,979 237,357 177,268
Solano 413,344 63.5%–34.2% Obama $63,795 $27,785 102,177 46,246 52,633
Sonoma 483,878 71.1%–25.3% Obama $61,020 $30,868 134,896 55,666 56,428
Median 72.9%–24.1% Obama $73,562 $37,851
Total 7,150,739 1,913,341 908,933 692,844
Presidential election results
Year Democrat Republican
2012 72.9% 2,105,625 24.1% 696,656
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 Representative Cook PVI [49] 2012 election results [21] Median household income (2011) [50]
11th Most of Contra Costa County Mark DeSaulnier D+17 67.5%–29.9% Obama $69,586
Median D+13 67.8%–26.9% Obama $63,904

During the Base Realignment and Closures (BRACs) of the 1990s, almost all the military installations in the region were closed. [51] [52] The only remaining major active duty military installations are Travis Air Force Base [53] and Coast Guard Island.



Gilroy 60/39 (16/4) 64/42 (18/6) 68/44 (20/7) 73/46 (23/8) 78/50 (26/10) 84/53 (29/12) 88/55 (31/13) 88/55 (31/13) 85/54 (29/12) 79/49 (26/9) 68/43 (20/6) 60/38 (16/3)
Oakland 58/45 (14/7) 62/48 (17/9) 64/49 (18/9) 66/51 (19/11) 69/53 (21/12) 71/56 (22/13) 72/57 (22/14) 73/58 (23/14) 74/58 (23/14) 72/55 (22/13) 64/50 (18/10) 58/45 (14/7)
Richmond 58/44 (14/7) 61/46 (16/8) 64/48 (18/9) 67/49 (19/9) 69/52 (21/11) 72/55 (22/13) 72/56 (22/13) 72/56 (22/13) 74/56 (23/13) 72/54 (22/12) 65/49 (18/9) 58/44 (14/7)
San Francisco 58/46 (14/8) 61/48 (16/9) 63/49 (17/9) 64/50 (18/10) 66/52 (19/11) 68/53 (20/12) 68/55 (20/13) 69/56 (21/13) 71/56 (22/13) 70/54 (21/12) 64/51 (18/11) 58/47 (14/8)
San Rafael 55/42 (13/6) 60/44 (16/7) 64/45 (18/7) 67/47 (19/8) 71/50 (22/10) 77/53 (25/12) 80/55 (27/13) 80/55 (27/13) 79/54 (26/12) 73/51 (23/11) 64/46 (18/8) 55/41 (13/5)
Santa Rosa 58/39 (14/4) 62/42 (17/6) 65/43 (18/6) 69/45 (21/7) 73/49 (23/9) 79/52 (26/11) 81/53 (27/12) 82/53 (28/12) 82/52 (28/11) 76/49 (24/9) 65/43 (18/6) 58/39 (14/4)




Industrial, mining, and other uses of mercury have resulted in a widespread distribution of that poisonous metal 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]

Salmonids in the Bay Area


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. [61] It was listed as threatened on October 31, 1996 and later changed to endangered status on June 28, 2005. [62] The ESU includes all naturally spawned populations of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) 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 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. This year's coho count dropped to 64 from an average of 600 in previous years. [61]


Aquatic mammals in the Bay Area

Aquatic mammals recently re-colonizing the Bay Area include the California golden beaver (Castor canadensis) which is now established on Alhambra Creek in Martinez, Napa River and Sonoma Creek; and North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) which was first reported in Redwood Creek at Muir Beach in 1996, [64] and recently in Corte Madera Creek, and in the south Bay on Coyote Creek, [65] as well as in 2010 in San Francisco Bay itself at the Richmond Marina. Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) were hunted to extinction in San Francisco Bay by about 1817. Historical records reveal that the Russian-American Company snuck Aleuts into San Francisco Bay multiple times, despite the Spanish capturing or shooting them while hunting sea otters in the estuaries of San Jose, San Mateo, San Bruno and around Angel Island. [66] The founder of Fort Ross, Ivan Kuskov, finding otter scarce on his second voyage to Bodega Bay in 1812, sent Russian ships and hired an American ship to hunt otter in the Bay, catching 1,160 sea otter in three months. [67]


Bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises have recently returned to the bay, having been absent for some 50 years. Historically, this was the northern extent of their warm-water species range. However, human development adversely impacted this habitat and pushed the species south to Monterey Bay. It is thought that laws limiting water pollution have improved the ecosystem health, allowing the return of cetacean marine life. [68]

Birds of the Bay Area

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 '90s, and continues to decline at roughly 8% per year. [69] 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. [70] 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. [71] 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. [72] 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.


Joseph Grinnell wrote in 1927 that osprey (Pandion haliaetus) were only rare visitors to the San Francisco Bay Area, although he noted records of one or two used nests in the broken tops of redwood trees along the Russian River. [74] In 1989, the southern breeding range of the osprey in the Bay Area was Kent Lake, although osprey were noted to be extending their range further south in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada. However, in 2014 a Bay Area-wide survey found osprey had extended their breeding range southward with nesting sites as far south as Hunters Point in San Francisco on the west side and Hayward on the east side. Most nests were built on man-made structures close to areas of human disturbance, likely due to lack of mature trees near the Bay. Transfer of these birds to artificial nesting boxes away from human disturbance significantly increased nesting success. [75] The above 2014 survey omitted nesting sites in Santa Clara County in the Los Gatos Creek watershed photographed as early as 2004, indicating that the nesting range now includes the entire length of San Francisco Bay. [76]

The wild turkey population has increased greatly since their introduction during the ’60s and ’70s from other areas by game officials. [77] By 2015 they had become an everyday sight in the East Bay Area. [78]

Geology and landforms

Multiple terranes


Vertical relief




Major waterways

Earthquake faults


Natural hazards


The region is particularly exposed to hazards associated with large earthquakes. [81] [82] Two of the largest earthquakes in the area were the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The hazard from earthquakes is high in the Bay Area owing to a combination of factors:

  • Numerous major active faults in the region.
  • The coastal location makes the region vulnerable to Pacific Ocean tsunamis. [9]





Windstorms and wildfires



Mudslides and landslides



The Bay Area is served by several 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), and additional systems serving smaller areas. 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, notably 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 the San Francisco Transbay Terminal.

The freeway and highway system is very extensive; however, many freeways are congested particularly during rush hour, especially the two immediately adjacent trans-bay bridges (Golden Gate and Bay Bridge). Also, some city streets in San Francisco are the terminus where gaps occur in the system, partly the result of the Freeway Revolt (SF Board of Supervisors decisions made in 1959, 1964 and 1966), which prevented a freeway-only thorough fair through San Francisco between the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge western terminus of (Interstate 80) with the southern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge, and U.S. 101. Also, damages to the system in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to several of the freeway structures that sparked the revolt were removed instead of being reinforced or rebuilt.

Higher education

The region is home to many colleges and seminaries, most notably the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University. In addition, the Bay Area is home to two of the twenty-eight Jesuit universities in the U.S.: Santa Clara University (founded in 1851), and University of San Francisco (1855); these are also two of the three oldest California colleges. San Jose State University is the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) system, and is the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast of the United States. [9] Saint Mary's College of California was founded in 1863 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. In 2008, there were approximately 588,000 students enrolled in college or graduate school. [9] 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 bachelor's degree or higher. The San Francisco and San Jose Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas rank third and fourth in college graduates, ahead of Boston and behind only Boulder–Longmont, CO PMSA and Stamford–Norwalk, CT PMSA. The Oakland PMSA ranks eleventh. [9]








Team Sport League Venue
San Jose Earthquakes Soccer Major League Soccer Avaya Stadium
San Francisco 49ers Football National Football LeagueNational Conference Levi's Stadium
Oakland Raiders Football National Football LeagueAmerican Conference Coliseum
San Francisco Giants Baseball Major League BaseballNational League AT&T Park
Oakland Athletics Baseball Major League BaseballAmerican League Coliseum
Golden State Warriors Basketball National Basketball Association Oracle Arena
San Jose SaberCats Arena football Arena Football League SAP Center at San Jose
San Francisco Nighthawks Soccer Women's Premier Soccer League Kezar Stadium
San Jose Giants Baseball Minor League BaseballCalifornia League San Jose Municipal Stadium
NCAA Division I College Sports



Classic rock


Heavy metal




Sludge band Neurosis and groove metal / post-thrash bands Machine Head 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. [9] [9]

Heavy metal/hard rock icon Joe Satriani also hails from the Bay Area (Berkeley).

Alternative rock




Rap and hip hop





The major newspapers are the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Tribune, and the San Jose Mercury News. Local television channels include KTVU 2 (FOX), KRON-TV 4 (myNetworkTV), KPIX 5 (CBS), KGO-TV 7 (ABC), KQED-TV 9 (PBS), KNTV 11 (NBC), KBCW 44/45 (CW), KQEH 54 (PBS), and KKPX 65 (Ion). Radio stations serving the area include: KQED-FM, KMVQ, KOSF, and KGO-AM.

Regional counties, cities, and suburbs


Cities and towns

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The San Francisco Bay Area is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses the major cities and metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas. The Bay Area's nine counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Home to approximately 7.44 million people, the nine-county Bay Area contains many cities, towns, airports, and associated regional, state, and national parks, connected by a network of roads, highways, railroads, bridges, tunnels and commuter rail. The combined statistical area of the region is the second-largest in California (after the Greater Los Angeles area), the fifth-largest in the United States, and the 43rd-largest urban area in the world. [+]

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