Top 8 Amazing Fun Facts About San Francisco: Discover the City's Hidden Gems!

1. More Dogs than Kids

Who let the dogs out? San Francisco did, apparently: With 22% of SF voters owning at least one dog compared to 17% having kids under 18 at home, the city is officially more populated with canine companions than tiny humans.
Source => sfstandard.com

2. Bird Gangs of Alcatraz

Feathered felons flock to Alcatraz: Despite the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, a thriving colony of Brandt's Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Western Gulls, and Black Oystercatchers have made Alcatraz Island their home, enjoying the nearby hearty anchovy buffet and adding a touch of feathery flare to the former prison site.
Source => ca.audubon.org

Did you know Los Angeles is home to nearly 1,500 donut shops, primarily established by Cambodian Americans? 🍩 Dive into the history and explore famous establishments like DK's Donuts and more!

=> Fun Facts about Los-Angeles

3. Hidden Waterways Uncovered

San Francisco's got a bad case of aqua amnesia: it keeps forgetting where it hid its creeks and streams! However, adventurous teams of urban explorers are on a mission to uncover, and even daylight, some of these lost underwater treasures, like the plan to create a charming park alongside Islais Creek. What lies beneath may finally come to the surface, improving eco-health and reuniting The Golden City with its H2O roots.
Source => hiddenhydrology.org

4. Cable Cars Older Than Lady Liberty

Hold on to your hats, folks, because San Francisco's cable cars are taking you on a historic joyride that's older than the Statue of Liberty: The California Street line, dating back to 1878, is the oldest operating cable car line, attracting millions of culture-craving tourists and even serving as a quirky commute option for those truly dedicated to living la vida vintage.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. AT&T Park's Solar Power

Whoever said "There's no such thing as a free lunch" clearly hasn't considered the power of the sun at AT&T Park: San Francisco's home of the Giants was the first ever MLB stadium to sport its very own solar array in 2007, generating a whopping 122 kilowatts of clean energy – enough to power 5,200 homes and to keep their scoreboard shining brightly for an entire year. And to knock power conservation out of the park, they even implemented a point-of-use lighting control system in all restrooms, concession stands, and storage spaces.
Source => electricchoice.com

6. Colma, the City of Souls

Are you dying to get into Colma, California? This town has a peculiar population imbalance: Colma is home to around 1.5 million dead citizens and a meager 1,600 living ones. But fear not, dear reader, for there's more to this tale of the grave: Colma's cemeteries host influential historical figures and famous names like Levi Strauss and Joe DiMaggio, thanks to San Francisco banning burials in 1900. While known as the "city of souls," Colma is a thriving town on the way to Santa Clara–the place where folks gather to cheer on the Super Bowl.
Source => nytimes.com

7. Rice-a-Roni: The SF Treat

Who said San Francisco only cooks up tech startups and sourdough? They also whipped up a beloved classic in the kitchen: Rice-a-Roni was invented by Vince DeDomenico in San Francisco in 1958, originally dubbed "The San Francisco Treat," and inspired by a pilaf-style dish that his wife Lois used to make. It hit shelves in the Northwestern United States before going nationwide, and eventually got added to the shopping cart of the Quaker Oats Company in 1986, now owned by PepsiCo.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. City's Coyote West Side Story

Contrary to popular belief that San Francisco's streets are teeming with clever and cunning coyotes, running wild as they infiltrate the city and form their own version of West Side Story: the truth is far less dramatic - there are only about 20 coyote families dominating the city's landscape, each claiming their own territory according to a dedicated coyote specialist who has been studying these wily inhabitants since 2007 through visual observation and DNA analysis of scat samples.
Source => coyoteyipps.com