5 Things You Didn’t Know About San Francisco

San Francisco is easily one of the most popular cities in California. Nicknamed the City by the Bay, San Francisco has a culture that is unlike any of the other major cities in the state. While Los Angeles may be known for attracting the rich and famous, but San Francisco offers a laid back way of life that many people find themselves drawn to. However, because of the city’s popularity, it’s easy for people to feel like they know everything about it. Although you may think there’s nothing else you could possibly learn about The Golden Gate City, there’s actually much more to this beautiful place than most people know. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about San Francisco.

Much of the city is built on top of ships

San Francisco is known for having a lot of beautiful buildings and other structures, but what many people may not know is there are also some pretty interesting things underneath the city itself. In fact, much of San Francisco is build on top of sunken gold ships that have been buried under the ground. Over the years, various ships have been discovered as construction in the city has continue.

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The fortune cookie has roots in San Francisco 

These days, the fortune cookie is a very common staple in American Chinese restaurants. Well, next time you crack open a fortune you might want to stop and give a silent shout out to the City by the Bay. The fortune cookie is believed to have been first served at a Japanese restaurant in San Francisco that was owned by Makoto Hagiwara.

 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The Great Depression wasn’t as depressing as it could have been

The Great Depression is widely considered one of the darkest financial time periods in American history. However, unlike almost every other place in the country, San Francisco actually had a bit of financial stability during this time period. In fact, none of the banks based in the city failed during this time period, and San Francisco put up two bridges during The Great Depression including the Golden Gate Bridge (although much of the work was done for free).

 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Yerba Buena

Like the rest of California, San Francisco was one a part of Mexico. Long before becoming an American city, San Francisco was once known as “Yerba Buena” which is Spanish for “good herb.” Although they name may not have been referring to the first plant that probably comes to your mind, it’s kind of hard to ignore the irony in that name.

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Cable cars have made history

For more than 100, cable cars have been a very big part of San Francisco’s identity. These cool train-like trolley cars are the last manually operated cable car system in the entire world, and they’ve even drawn tourists from near and far. The cars have even been added to the National Register of Historic Places, making them the only mobile place on the list. If you ever find yourself in San Francisco, your trip won’t be complete without catching a ride on one of these bad boys.

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