South San Francisco, California

Prior to European exploration, the northern San Francisco peninsula was inhabited by the Ramaytush, a linguistic sub-group of the Ohlone people. Their village of Urebure on San Bruno Creek was visited by the Gaspar de Portolà expedition in 1769; remains of long-term (5,000+ years) inhabitancy and seasonal encampments have been examined at the Siplichiquin[7] and Buckeye[8] shell-mounds on San Bruno Mountain. Charcoal-sampling indicates these 3,000+ year old sites may have been actively occupied early in the Spanish colonial period (late 1700s). The delta of Colma Creek was formerly an important habitat for the waterfowl known to be hunted by the Ramaytush in historic times, and archaeologic sites have been recorded near the creek.[8] The City plan also recognizes the existing remains of a village (CA-SMA-299) along El Camino Real.[9]

The area which is now South San Francisco was part of Rancho Buri Buri, a large Mexican land grant to the Sanchez family dating to 1827. In 1853 Charles Lux and a business partner, Alfred Edmondson, purchased 1,700 acres (7 km²) in the north of Rancho Buri Buri. Around that time, the 12-Mile House - one of the Peninsula Mile Houses - was built as a stop on the San Jose Stage road.[10] Lux bought out Edmonson's interest in 1856 and founded the town of Baden (now a neighborhood of South San Francisco) near the 12-Mile House. In 1855 Lux bought another 1,464 acres (6 km²) of Rancho Buri Buri land and became a partner of fellow San Francisco butcher and entrepreneur Henry Miller, forming the firm of Miller & Lux.[11]

The city of South San Francisco was conceived as an industrial suburb and was promoted by representatives of the Beef Trust, a group including some of the country's largest meat packing firms. A city plan was put forward in 1888 by Gustavus Franklin Swift, founder of the Swift & Company meat packing firm. The plan called for multiple individual meat-packing companies with a shared stockyard, as well as a residential area for employees. Swift proposed the name South San Francisco based on South Chicago and South Omaha, where the Swift company already had plants.

In 1890 Peter E. Iler of Omaha, Nebraska, an agent of the Beef Trust, purchased the Lux properties; ownership was transferred to the South San Francisco Land and Improvement Company in 1891. It was divided into industrial and residential districts, and the company installed lighting, sewer connections, and water distributions in the residential areas. A second corporation, eventually known as the Western Meat Company, set up stock yards and meat packing facilities on 80 acres (32 ha) of bayfront property; the facility opened in 1892. Other industries soon moved in, including a pottery works, two brick companies, the paint manufacturer W.P. Fuller & Company, the South San Francisco Lumber Company, and the Pacific Jupiter Steel Company.[12]

The city of South San Francisco was incorporated in 1908 following a dispute with San Mateo County, which had blocked the construction of a smelter on San Bruno Point supported by the locals.[12] Following incorporation additional industries moved into the town, including two steel mills. A new City Hall was opened on November 11, 1920.

By the 1920s the city was "the smokestack capital of the Peninsula."[13] South San Francisco proudly called itself "The Industrial City", a motto immortalized in 1923 by a huge sign on a hillside overlooking the city. Industry remained the city's main economic focus through the 1950s. During the Great Depression the city maintained 35 industrial operations, including four meat-packing businesses, six iron or steel plants, a smelter for precious metals, seven equipment manufacturers of various kinds, two large paint factories, three other chemical works, and three food packing establishments. During World War II shipbuilding also became a significant operation.[12] From August 1940, until the end of the War, a total of 48 ships were built and launched at the Western Pipe & Steel Shipyards.[14]

At the end of the war the city's focus shifted away from "smokestack industries" toward light industry, warehousing, and residential development. The major manufacturers closed, and new development was focused on office parks, housing, high-rise hotels, and yacht harbors. The biotechnology giant Genentech opened in 1976, leading to South San Francisco's new identity as "the birthplace of biotechnology".[15] The population grew to 63,632 as of the 2010 census.

San Bruno Mountain and Sign Hill

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.2 square miles (78 km²), of which 9.1 square miles (24 km²) of it is land and 21.0 square miles (54 km²) of it (69.69%) is water.

South San Francisco lies north of San Bruno and San Francisco International Airport in the Colma Creek valley south of Daly City, Colma, Brisbane, and San Bruno Mountain; east of Pacifica and the hills of the northern Coast Range lying along the San Andreas Fault; west of the waters of San Francisco Bay. Locals often refer to the town as South City, in much the same way that San Francisco is called "The City." South San Francisco does not touch on San Francisco, with either Brisbane, Colma, or Daly City lying between them.

Most of the valley faces east toward San Francisco Bay, affording bay views from higher levels. South San Francisco has mild winters and dry cool summers. The hills to the west shield the eastern parts of the city from some of the fog that prevails in neighboring areas.

The population grew from 4,411 in 1920 to 67,009 in 2014.[16] It has tripled since World War II with the opening of such subdivisions as Buri Buri, Winston Manor and Westborough on the slopes west of El Camino;

An image of the South San Francisco hillside sign, taken from a zeppelin.

The city is particularly noted for the South San Francisco hillside sign on Sign Hill, which rises to the north of the city, with large white letters that proclaim "South San Francisco, The Industrial City". The sign, a tribute to the city's industrial past, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[12]

Headquarters of See's Candies on El Camino Real, South San Francisco

South San Francisco does not levy gross receipts or payroll taxes, although companies have to pay a business fee of up to $125,000 per year.[24] According to city representatives, who emphasize a business-friendly image in line with "The Industrial City" hill sign, it instead relies on mostly on revenue from property, sales and hotel taxes.[24]

Much of what is now South San Francisco was initially agricultural land, and was originally known as Baden. Small pockets of farmland still exist near San Bruno Mountain, but these lands have, over the years, been replaced by residential subdivisions. Acres of Orchids, founded by the Rod McLellan Company in the late 1920s, was one such example of a farm being converted to housing. Once one of the largest facilities in the United States producing orchids and gardenias, the nursery closed in 1998.[25] A new housing tract now sits upon the land formerly occupied by Acres of Orchids greenhouses, off El Camino near Hickey.

A sign placed at the entrance to the Biotech Area declares South San Francisco to be the "Birthplace of Biotechnology."

The flat land east of Bayshore Freeway (US 101) is the R&D Campus of South San Francisco.

South San Francisco is home to Genentech, one of the world's largest biotech companies, as well as a satellite office of Amgen, the world's largest biotech firm. Many other biotech companies, such as Exelixis, have also started or moved to South San Francisco to be in proximity to UCSF, Stanford University, and UC Berkeley; all are within an hour's drive. A sign located on East Grand Avenue declares South San Francisco as the "Birthplace of Biotechnology."[26]

The headquarters and main factory of See's Candies is located in South San Francisco, having moved from the original plant in Los Angeles due to the cooler weather.[27] Galoob had its headquarters in South San Francisco before Hasbro bought the company in 1998.[28] Air China operates an office in South San Francisco.[29] Hudson Soft USA (a subsidiary of Hudson Soft, and Sanrio, Inc.) had its headquarters in South San Francisco.[30]

In October 2019, online payment processing company Stripe became South San Francisco's largest tenant by signing a lease for 421,000 square feet (39,100 m²) of office space in the redeveloped Oyster Point, announcing it would be moving its headquarters there from neighboring San Francisco in 2021.[24]

The Cabot, Cabot and Forbes Tower was constructed in 1967 as the centerpiece of an industrial park (37.654°N 122.385°W / 37.654; -122.385 (Wind Harp)), this 92-foot-tall sculpture by Lucia and Aristides Demetrios is one of the world's largest aeolian harps.[32] Named for Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind, and invented by the 17th-century polymath Athanasius Kircher, an aeolian harp is a passive instrument played by the movement of the wind. Fabricated from steel manufactured at Bethlehem Steel. It was designed to "take advantage of the viewer’s motion… constantly changing, presenting a series of graceful ellipses and a shifting light pattern."[33]

In 1984, the city began to pursue the acquisition of artworks,[34] most of which are displayed in parks and other public spaces. This program is administered by a Cultural Arts Commission, which also sponsors youth programs and public events. The SSF B.A.R.T. station displays a series of murals based on historic photographs of the city and its people which may be viewed from the transit platform.[35]

The Linden Avenue Post Office has a Victor Arnautoff mural fresco painted in the 1930s.[36] The Grand Avenue Library also has a collection of paintings and lithographs by WPA artists, including Maurice Del Mue and Suzanne Scheuer.[37]

The city is governed by a five-member City Council, with one of the five council members serving as Mayor for one year in a rotation among the other council members. Council members are elected by district and serve a four-year term.[38] As of 2021 the council is composed of Mayor Mark Nagales, Vice Mayor Buenaflor Nicolas, Councilmember James H. Coleman, Councilmember Eddie Flores, and Councilmember Mark Addiego.[39] The City Manager is Mike Futrell.[40] In 2020, James Coleman defeated 18-year incumbent Richard Garbarino to become the youngest and first openly LGBTQ member of the city council.[41] On January 26, 2021, the city council appointed Eddie Flores to fill a vacancy left by Councilmember Karyl Matsumoto, who did not run for reelection in 2020.[42]

In the California State Legislature, South San Francisco is in the 13th Senate District, represented by Democrat Josh Becker, the 11th Senate District, represented by Democrat Scott Wiener, and in the 21st Assembly District, represented by Democrat Diane Papan and the 19th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Phil Ting.[43]

In the United States House of Representatives, South San Francisco is in California's 15th congressional district, represented by Democrat Kevin Mullin.[44]

According to the California Secretary of State, as of February 10, 2019, South San Francisco had 32,934 registered voters. Of those, 17,627 (53.5%) were registered Democrats, 3,590 (10.9%) were registered Republicans, and 10,573 (32.1%) had declined to state a political party.[45]

South San Francisco High School, also known as South City High

El Camino High School

South San Francisco is part of the South San Francisco Unified School District, which also serves portions of the neighboring cities of Daly City and San Bruno. The city is home to two public high schools: El Camino High School and South San Francisco High School, which share a cross-town rivalry. Baden High School and South San Francisco Adult Education are the city's two continuation schools. The city also has three public middle schools: Parkway Heights, Westborough, and Alta Loma, as well as public elementary schools, including: Buri-Buri, Junipero Serra (located in Daly City), Los Cerritos, Martin, Monte Verde (in San Bruno), Ponderosa, Skyline (in Daly City), Spruce, and Sunshine Gardens.

Several parochial schools are also established in the city: All Souls School, Mater Dolorosa School (recently closed), and St. Veronica's School.

The city is served by the South San Francisco Public Library which is part of the Peninsula Library System.

South San Francisco Fire Department currently has five fire stations. Station 61 is home to Engine 61, Rescue 61, Battalion 17, and a basic life support ambulance. Station 62 is home to Quint 62. Station 63 is home to Engine and Rescue 63. Its nickname is "The Bunker". Station 64 is home to Engine 64. Station 65 is home to Engine 65 and USAR 165 (Heavy Rescue) . Urban Search and Rescue, or USAR 165 is stationed there. It is staffed by on duty crew from around the city and is decided before every shift. Rescue Boat 62 is located at Oyster Point Marina and can be staffed by Q62 personnel if needed.[46]

The city's small downtown and several residential subdivisions, such as Mayfair Village, Sunshine Gardens, Avalon Park, Winston Manor, West Winston Manor, and Rancho Buri Buri, are located west of Highway 101, while the area east of Highway 101 is dominated by industrial complexes interspersed with modern office parks, particularly near the Oyster Point Marina on San Francisco Bay. The extreme western portions of the city near Interstate 280 sit along a hillside and offer views of San Francisco Bay. This area is known to local residents as Westborough. The southern part of the city, closest to the airport, is home to a large number of car repair shops, airport parking lots, and airport hotels.

Grand Avenue, between Spruce and Airport, is zoned "Downtown Core" by the City of South San Francisco,[47] with various small shops and restaurants. Grand Avenue is host to a plethora of stores, one of which is Bronstein Music, a well-known local music store that has been around since 1946. City Hall is located on Grand Avenue, which, to the residents of South City, is known simply as "Grand." Grand also runs perpendicular with one of the city's other well-known streets, Linden, which connects San Bruno to Highway 101. Chestnut Avenue connects Hillside, the northern bordering street at the foot of San Bruno Mountain, to Westborough Blvd, and subsequently to one of the neighborhoods known as Westborough.

Besides the downtown, South San Francisco residents, officials, and local real-estate agencies identify the following neighborhoods:

Students from Westborough and Buri Buri generally attend El Camino High School. The majority of Avalon, Brentwood, Sterling Terrace, Parkway inhabitants attend South San Francisco High School, as well as the East Side inhabitants. The same inhabitants are also divided among Westborough Middle School, Alta Loma Middle School and Parkway Heights Middle School, respectively.

Aerial view of South San Francisco and San Bruno Mountain from the south

South San Francisco is adjacent to the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). A BART station, located directly adjacent to El Camino High School and Solaire Transit Village, provides near-express rapid transit service to SFO (with stops only in San Bruno and, on red line trains, Millbrae), as well as the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, Antioch, Berkeley, Concord and Walnut Creek. BART supplements the Caltrain service between San Francisco and San Jose, with the latter's station adjacent to downtown on Grand Avenue. A second Caltrain station in South San Francisco, Butler Road at Oyster Point, was removed in 1983.

On June 4, 2012, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority began a ferry service between the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal at Oyster Point Marina and the east bay cities of Oakland at Jack London Square and Alameda at the Main Street ferry terminal. The ferry service operates during weekday commute hours only.[56][57]

The city is served by several free shuttle services open to the general public:

1. A South City Shuttle provides service between South San Francisco BART and the city's downtown. It includes trips to local stores, the senior center, libraries, city hall and parks. The shuttle provides transit connections with both BART and SamTrans.[58]
2. A shuttle linking the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal to the Utah/Grand Ave office area operates during commute hours, Monday through Friday.[59]
3. A shuttle linking the South San Francisco Ferry Terminal to the Oyster Point office area operates during commute hours, Monday through Friday.[60]

The city is transited by two major north–south freeways, U.S. Route 101 (the Bayshore Freeway), along the San Francisco Bay, and Interstate 280, along the hills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The city also lies along the historic El Camino Real between Colma and San Bruno, and is bordered on the west by Skyline Boulevard.

South San Francisco is also served by LimeBike, a dockless bike rental service.[61]

South San Francisco has five sister cities:[62]

• Atotonilco, Mexico
• Kishiwada, Japan
• Lucca, Italy
• Pasig, Philippines
• Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France

• Media related to South San Francisco, California at Wikimedia Commons
• South San Francisco travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Official website
• South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
• City data guide to SSF
• Historical Articles - City of South San Francisco