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San Francisco's Culture

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The city of San Francisco is unique with its steep rolling hills, being surrounded by both the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, as well as its eclectic blend of architecture which includes both modern skyscrapers and Victorian style houses. The city today is known for its distinct culture which is extremely alternative in nature. Following World War II, San Francisco hastened its transformation into a gathering place of alternative culture and lifestyles. There were several key movements paramount in implementing this change: the San Francisco Renaissance during the 1950s, the beat generation (also known as the beatniks), hippie culture, gay civil rights, women’s liberation movement, and the Summer of Love in the 1960s.

These movements helped to swing San Francisco significantly to the left and the city is known today for its liberalism. San Francisco has a strong influence in government affairs as it remains one of the major strongholds for the Democrat party. Even Green party candidates often find significant support in this city. The city’s council is known for passing extremely liberal resolutions.

As a nucleus for counterculture, San Francisco’s coffee houses have become a staple. From the late 1950s to today, coffee houses became the major gathering place for poets, artists, and political activists to come and stimulate conversation and discuss ideas. These coffee houses can be found all over the city (over 200 in all) and today include clients from every constituent of San Franciscan society. Guided coffee shop tours are a major characteristic of the city’s personality.

San Francisco is also known for its food industry. San Francisco is renown for starting trends in food and the culinary revolution made San Francisco a dream place for gourmet food. Young San Francisco chefs were responsible for the innovation of combining Asian cuisine with mainstream Californian and American fare and this concept has grabbed the fancy of chefs across the nation.

The city is extremely wealthy, making it more difficult for low and middle-income earners to call San Francisco home. This has resulted from the increase in numbers of the wealthy settling within the city and driving up the cost of living. Interestingly, Forbes Magazine reported in 2005 that San Francisco was ranked as the #2 place in the world in terms of numbers of billionaires living within city limits.

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