Nicknames of San Francisco explained

There are many nicknames of San Francisco, California that have been used throughout the city's history.^{[1] [2]}

• 415 – referring to the area code that serves the city of San Francisco (as well as most of Marin County).
• Baghdad by the Bay – title of a book of essays by Herb Caen, and a nickname he used for the city because of the cosmopolitan cultural diversity it shares with the medieval city of Baghdad
• Fog City / "City of Fog" – in reference to San Francisco's famous fog^[1]
• San Fran – Used by non-native residents and those outside of the Bay Area, particularly on the East Coast and in Europe.^[3] Curtis Sparrer from Bospar gives the reasons why it is not acceptable to say 'San Fran'.^{[4] [5]}
• Frisco – also the nickname of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, disparaged by Herb Caen and some locals, including Emperor Norton, who passed a law against the use of the term. The word is still used today particularly by San Francisco's Black community.^{[6] [7]}
• Gay Mecca^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}
• Golden Gate City – in reference to the Golden Gate Bridge^[12]
• SF
• SFC (San Francisco City)
• Sunset City
• The City – used by native San Franciscans and people in the Bay Area^[1]
• The City by the Bay – refers to San Francisco Bay
• The City of Love – as seen in Cool, Gray City of Love by Gary Kamiya^[13] and in the lyrics of "San Francisco" by German eurodance group Cascada^[14]
• The City that Knows How^[15]
• The Golden City – in reference to the California Gold Rush and golden brown grass on hillsides in the dry season
• The Paris of the West – popular in the early 1900s, but no longer in common use

Notes and References

1. Web site: Garling . Caleb . Don't Call It Frisco: The History of San Francisco's Nicknames. June 30, 2013 . . July 30, 2017.
2. Web site: The odd nicknames of California cities. Mike Moffitt. SFChronicle.com. April 4, 2014. July 30, 2017.
3. Web site: 2018-01-26. San Francisco, Frisco or San Fran—What's Correct?. 2021-09-23. Bospar. en-US.
4. Web site: January 31, 2019 . Diana . Bradley . Bospar to Neil Patrick Harris: Stop calling our city 'San Fran' . 2022-02-28 . www.prweek.com . en.
5. Web site: 2019-01-23 . What's in a name? Survey reveals what locals, non-locals call San Francisco . 2022-02-28 . ABC7 San Francisco . en.
6. Web site: Frisco, that once-verboten term for the city by the bay, is making a comeback among the young and hip. Herb Caen is spinning at warp speed. James Sullivan. SFChrnoicle.com. October 14, 2003. July 30, 2017.
7. Web site: Eskenazi. Joe. Don't Call It "Frisco" -- If You're Old and White. 2021-04-15. SF Weekly. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20140810080704/http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/dont-call-it-frisco-if-youre-old-and-white/Content?oid=2828709. 2014-08-10.
8. Web site: History Shows SF Has Long Been Gay Mecca. www.outwordmagazine.com.
9. Web site: Study: Gay Mecca San Francisco Has Highest Rent on Earth. July 11, 2018. www.advocate.com.
10. Web site: Iconic San Francisco gay bar to shutter in pandemic fallout. May 21, 2020. AP NEWS.
11. Web site: S.F.'s LGBT press evolves as the city changes | Northern California Media Museum.
12. Web site: Woods . Amanda . San Francisco is too expensive even for rich people . New York Post . 2 February 2019 . en . 18 October 2018.
13. Web site: 'Cool Gray City of Love,' by Gary Kamiya . January 5, 2022 . September 13, 2013 . Jeffery . Clara . The New York Times.
14. Web site: Cascada – San Francisco Lyrics . Genius . January 5, 2022 . Baby, take me back to the city of love.
15. Web site: PPIE: The City That Knows How. SFPL. en. 2019-11-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20110414231545/http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000141201. April 14, 2011.