View of San Francisco (Yerba Buena) in 1846

This page is meant to be a starting place for exploring the history of the City and County of San Francisco California. It is intended for everyone form students researching a report to historians searching for sources for publications and all those in-between with an interest in the history of San Francisco and the surrounding area. We are always looking for contributions and new material to include. The City Museum website has a lot of material relating to San Francisco history. The history room at the San Francisco public library is a good place to research San Francisco history. Most of the links and resources we have collected are listed on our Index - History of San Francisco page.

On the 15th of April 1850, the California legislature granted a city charter to San Francisco. San Francisco is unusual in that the city and county have the same boundaries.

You are welcome to participate on our San Francisco History Forum and/or add yourself to our email mailing list.

An Index to California ALHN suggested topics:

1. A map of your county
   • See The Map Room
2. A chronology of County History/Short history
   Prior to Spanish colonization, the coastal area stretching from San Francisco to Monterey Bay was home to forty or so culturally diverse native tribes now known collectively as the Ohlone. --The Ohlone People
   A Timeline of San Francisco History
   Barbary MUSH - A San Francisco Timeline - 1860-1879
   Race Through Time - by Torri Minton, An anecdotal history of the area's racial evolution (Sept 20, 1998, SF Chronicle)
3. A list of addresses and phone numbers for public records offices, historic archives and associations, and museums
   • San Francisco County Historical Agencies
   • San Francisco County Genealogy - by Pamela Storm Wolfskill
   • Colma Historical Association
   • California Heritage Collection @sunsite.berkeley.edu
4. A list of cemeteries in the county
   • San Francisco County Cemeteries
5. Walking tours of historic districts and buildings
   • CITY GUIDES FREE WALKING TOURS
   • JOE HUMPHREYS' San Francisco History and Touring Page
6. Road tours of historic districts
7. Capsule biographies of county pioneers and figures
   • City of Kooks? Notable San Francisco Eccentrics
8. A list of historic landmarks in your county
   • California State Historical Landmarks in San Francisco County [CERES]
   • California State Historical Landmarks - San Francisco County
9. Short articles about county history
   • Reflections on Black History - by Thomas C. Fleming
   • SF History @Rough Guide
   • Ex Post Facto - from the SFSU History Students Association
10. A photo gallery/slide show of county history
    • San Francisco Memories - 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, cliff house, photos, and more
    • The Print Store: Stewart Bloom
11. Articles extracted from old newspapers and books about your county
    See The City Museum or search below.

Search tools

www.zpub.com San Francisco History Sites the Web for

sfgate.com/search (1995-present)

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