A golden gate for business.With a population of 6 million, three major cities and a gross regional product of almost $200 billion, the San Francisco Bay Area “Bay Area” redirects here. For other uses, see Bay Area (disambiguation). The San Francisco Bay Area, colloquially known as the Bay Area or The Bay ranks as the fourth largest metropolitan region in the nation. If the region were a nation, it would be among the 20 largest economies in the world. It is ranked as the most affluent region of the country and includes three major cities -- San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , Oakland, and San Jose San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. -- along with the country's fourth-largest media market. One of the many reasons for the region's success is its entrepreneurial infrastructure, which provides one of the few areas in which all necessary components are present to take ideas from conception through the final product. Many of the century's most revolutionary discoveries were made here -- the atom smasher atom smasher: see particle accelerator. , the microprocessor, gene-splicing. Nine counties make up the San Francisco Bay Area, each with its own economic assets. Geographically, the region encompasses over 7,100 square miles of an intriguing mix of major cities, rugged coastlines, bay shores, forests, mountains, and open space, including a 73,000 acre national recreation area. Regional strengths Silicon Valley is the home of more than 2,600 high tech firms employing over 250,000 workers and the home of one-fifth of the nation's "Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing" companies. Fueled by major educational and research institutions and a strong venture capital community, the valley's highly educated and entrepreneurial population has helped spark a global revolution in technology. The San Francisco Bay Area is the birthplace of the biotech industry and the world-wide leader in bioscience research and innovation. Its 330 bioscience firms generate over $5.6 billion in total annual revenue and employ more than 39,000 people. Its 10 university and research centers, with $541 million in total annual bioscience budgets, employ over 16,000 people. The maturity of the biotech industry in this area is reflected in the amount and quality of research, the availability of specialized financial expertise, the extensive supplier network and a concentration of qualified workers. Known as the "Venture Capital of the World," this region is the headquarters of one-fifth of the nation's top venture capital firms Name Location Founding date Managing Partners/Directors Specialty Capital managed 5AM Ventures Menlo Park, CA; Waltham, MA 2002 John Diekman, PhD (managing partner), Scott Rocklage, PhD (managing partner), Andrew Schwab (managing partner) life sciences $200M [1] . Technology transfer A key factor in keeping the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. competitive in world markets is the availability and accessibility of technology transfer programs providing the transition from pure research at major universities and national research laboratories to practical applications by the private sector. The Bay Area, with three world-class universities and two national research laboratories, is one of the nation's leaders in technology transfer programs. These include the Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. Office of Technology Licensing and the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). Office of Technology Transfer. The latter represents over 1,700 inventions from all UC campuses, medical schools, and laboratories, including the major Bay Area academic centers of UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, and UC Davis. Most licenses from this program are granted to smaller businesses, with the majority going to California-based firms. Science laboratories Major science laboratories in the region include the University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL LBL - Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA. ) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: see Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. (body) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - (LLNL) A research organaisatin operated by the University of California under a contract with the US Department of Energy. . LBL is a major multi-program national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy. It actively seeks to share its expertise with the private sector, particularly in the fields of conservation and renewable energy Renewable energy utilizes natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, and hydroelectricity to biomass and biofuels for transportation. , environmental remediation Generally, remediation means providing a remedy, so environmental remediation deals with the removal of pollution or contaminants from environmental media such as soil, groundwater, sediment, or surface water for the general protection of human health and the environment or from a , materials science materials science Study of the properties of solid materials and how those properties are determined by the material's composition and structure, both macroscopic and microscopic. , computing sciences, and biotechnology, including fundamental genetic research and nuclear medicine. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, long recognized as a critical national resource for defense, has expanded its mission to become a center for economic competitiveness. It actively promotes the commercial potential of its research, especially in biotechnology and environmental science, computer science, laser and optics technology, energy and other fields. Finance and industry San Francisco is a major financial center and the regional headquarters for numerous foreign banks as well as home of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco is the federal bank for the twelfth district in the United States. The twelfth district is made up of nine western states—Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington—plus American Samoa, , the Federal Home Loan Bank, and the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. Napa and Sonoma Counties are recognized as the nation's capital for premium wines. The wineries in these two counties produce nearly all the premium wines made in the United States. With major agricultural areas and an extensive national transportation network, the region is an international center for agribusiness, and headquarters for some of the country's largest food processing Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food for consumption by humans or animals. The food processing industry utilises these processes. and distribution businesses. Transportation San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland all have international airports, which together serve more than 41 million passengers annually and carry over 3.4 billion pounds of cargo. Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport (IATA: OAK, ICAO: KOAK, FAA LID: OAK), also known as serves as a major freight center, while San Jose International Airport For the Costa Rican airport, see . Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (IATA: SJC, ICAO: KSJC, FAA LID: SJC) is a medium-sized airport in San Jose, California. is the West Coast hub for American Airlines American Airlines Major U.S. airline. American was created through a merger of several smaller U.S. airlines and incorporated in 1934. It continued to buy the routes of other airlines, becoming an international carrier in the 1970s; its routes include South America, the and San Francisco International Airport “SFO” redirects here. For other uses, see SFO (disambiguation). For the television series, see . serves as United Airlines' hub for Pacific Rim Pacific Rim, term used to describe the nations bordering the Pacific Ocean and the island countries situated in it. In the post–World War II era, the Pacific Rim has become an increasingly important and interconnected economic region. scheduling. Oakland and San Francisco are international seaports, with the Port of Oakland's Marine Terminal ranking as the fourth largest container port in the nation. Over 90 percent of northern California's water-borne general cargo Cargo that is susceptible for loading in general, nonspecialized stowage areas or standard shipping containers; e.g., boxes, barrels, bales, crates, packages, bundles, and pallets. goes through the port. Oakland is the hub of Northern California's transportation system, the terminus of two trans-continental railroads and the future terminus of a third trans-continental railroad being extended into the port. San Francisco's port is a major cruise ship terminal and an important container port that is one of only three coffee-delivery ports in the U.S. In addition, San Francisco's fishing fleet is home-ported at the city's Fisherman's Wharf Fisherman's Wharf may refer to:
The Bay Area's residents enjoy an extensive transit system including the Bay Area Rapid Transit “BART” redirects here. For other uses of "BART" or "Bart", see Bart. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is a heavy rail public rapid-transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area. rapid rail system, trains, buses, light rail systems, high-speed passenger ferries, and historic cable cars. Skilled work force The region's highly skilled work force is a primary factor in attracting and retaining businesses. More than 25 percent of the region's population has four or more years of college, compared with 17 percent nationwide. More than a third of the region's labor force is employed in managerial, professional or technical occupations. The Bay Area has a concentration of world-class universities and outstanding colleges. Stanford University is one of the world's foremost scientific universities and was a catalyst for the development of Silicon Valley. The University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. Commonly referred to as UC Berkeley, Berkeley and Cal is the top-ranked graduate university in the country and boasts research achievement ranging from the discovery of Vitamin E vitamin E or tocopherol Fat-soluble organic compound found principally in certain plant oils and leaves of green vegetables. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in body tissues and may prolong life by slowing oxidative destruction of membranes. to the first isolation and crystallization Crystallization The formation of a solid from a solution, melt, vapor, or a different solid phase. Crystallization from solution is an important industrial operation because of the large number of materials marketed as crystalline particles. of a virus. The University of California, San Francisco is a world-renowned medical research university and receives more research funding Research funding is a term generally covering any funding for scientific research, in the areas of both "hard" science and technology and social science. The term often connotes funding obtained through a competitive process, in which potential research projects are evaluated and from the National Institute of Health than any other medical school. Tourist destination A tourist destination is a city, town or other area the economy of which is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions or visitor attractions and possibly some "tourist traps". The Bay Area ranks as is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. San Francisco plays host to more than 13 million visitors every year. In the Silicon Valley, the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, and the seacoasts of Marin, Sonoma and San Mateo San Mateo (săn mətā`ō), city (1990 pop. 85,486), San Mateo co., W Calif., on San Francisco Bay; inc. 1894. It is a commercial and retail center with some high-technology manufacturing. San Mateo, Spanish for St. Counties are other important tourist areas. Throughout the region, there are limitless opportunities for hiking, camping, sailing, swimming, and golfing -- most of which can be enjoyed year-round. All of these business and cultural strengths are reflected throughout the nine counties that make up the San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay, 50 mi (80 km) long and from 3 to 13 mi (4.8–21 km) wide, W Calif.; entered through the Golden Gate, a strait between two peninsulas. Region. The following are profiles of these counties, proceeding north over the Golden Gate Bridge Golden Gate Bridge, across the Golden Gate from San Francisco to Marin Co., W Calif.; built 1933–37. Its overall length is 9,266 ft (2,824 m); its main span across the strait, 4,200 ft (1,280 m), is one of the longest bridges in the world. Joseph B. and traveling clock-wise around the region. Marin County Marin is the scenic wonder of the region, with rugged cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, landscapes of mountains, wooded hills, parklands, giant redwoods, serene bays, wild beaches, and spectacular seacoast. Marin also has the highest per capita income Noun 1. per capita income - the total national income divided by the number of people in the nation income - the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time in California and the lowest unemployment rate in the state. Based on its highly educated and predominantly professional labor force, and because of the restrictions on land available for business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets , Marin has developed as a community of small entrepreneurs, predominantly in the technical and scientific fields. It is the home of some of the region's unique, successful and "cutting-edge" companies, particularly Lucasfilm Ltd., one of the more important independent film production companies in the world; and Autodesk Inc., whose product, AUTOCAD, is the world's most popular PC-based, computer-aided design computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-aided design and drafting (CADD), form of automation that helps designers prepare drawings, specifications, parts lists, and other design-related elements using special graphics- and calculations-intensive program. Marin County Population: 233,500 Unemployment: 2.7% Per capita income: $34,983 Housing units: 99,757 Labor force: 126,900 Personal income: $8.1 billion Average yearly wages: $24,128 Taxable sales: $2.5 billion Economic Highlights: Highest per capita income of any California county, highly educated and predominantly professional work force. Employment expected to rise 46% by 2005. Headquarters for Lucasfilm Ltd., Autodesk Inc. and other technology leaders. Sonoma County Sonoma is part of the Napa/Sonoma premium wine industry but also boasts a wealth of diverse agricultural resources, with an annual production valued at more than $324 million. In recent years it has become an important growth area for corporate office parks, small manufacturing in high technology, retail trade, service industries and numerous small-to-medium sized businesses. It has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the region over the last decade, and is expected to maintain that position through the 90's. Sonoma County Population: 396,800 Unemployment: 4.4% Per capita income: $20,860 Housing units: 161,062 Labor force: 210,000 Personal income: $7.9 billion Average yearly wages: $20,989 Taxable sales: $3.8 billion Economic Highlights: Premier wine-growing, tourism and agricultural community, now beginning to diversify widely. New corporate office parks provide center for small high-technology manufacturers, medium-sized companies and service businesses. Projections for strong growth in retail trade, service businesses and manufacturing. Napa County Napa Valley Napa Valley, Calif.: see under Napa. Napa Valley greatest wine-producing region of the United States. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2990] See : Wine , with its 211 wineries, has long enjoyed international acclaim for its premium wine. Today it is also recognized as a prime location for businesses. Particularly attractive to business are the modern corporate centers and industrial parks that have attracted companies such as Apple Computer, Dey Laboratories, The Doctors' Company and Japan Airlines. Businesses in Napa enjoy high-tech media services, affordable housing, highly rated schools with 75 percent of high school graduates going on to college, and a work force of over 500,000 within a 30-minute commute. Napa works with companies to help speed projects through governmental processes. Larger industrial users such as Ramallah Linen, Napa Pipe Company and f.p. Label Company moved into the county and found reasonable permit fees and reasonable land prices. Companies also appreciated the employee training opportunities offered by the local colleges and the Private Industry Council. Napa County Population: 112,000 Unemployment: 4.7% Per capita income: $21,417 Housing units: 44,199 Labor force: 55,200 Personal income: $2.3 billion Average yearly wages: $20,038 Taxable sales: $1 billion Economic Highlights: New industries adding to existing wine-growing and tourism. New corporate and industrial parks near city of Napa attracting diverse enterprises. Service employment expected to rise 40% and retail trade 56% by year 2005, along with projected 87% increase in wholesale trade jobs. Solano County Solano is one of the fastest growing counties in the region. Located halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento, it is an ideal location for businesses because of its extensive transportation network, affordable land for housing and commercial development, and a diverse, high quality labor pool. Because its housing growth exceeds job growth, Solano is expected to be a major labor source for the rest of the region. Its economic base already is strong and diverse, particularly in manufacturing, corporate headquarters and back-office processing, biotechnology, the food industry and distribution facilities. Solano County Population: 352,300 Unemployment: 5.6% Per capita income: $16,154 Housing units: 119,533 Labor force: 145,300 Personal income: $5.3 billion Average yearly wages: $22,653 Taxable sales: $2.5 billion Economic Highlights: Estimated 63,000 new jobs by the year 2005, with especially strong growth projected in manufacturing and wholesale trade. Largest port-oriented industrial park in Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern is 1,500-acre Benicia, with 300 companies and more than 5,000 workers. Contra Costa Contra Costa can refer to:
Contra Costa is a mixture of many strengths. With attractive commercial rents, contrasting combinations of appealing suburban communities and busy industrial and commercial centers, a skilled work force, its location on major transportation systems, and its willingness to invest in infrastructure improvements, this county has emerged as a dynamic force within the region. Within the next few years, Contra Costa is expected to have the highest percentage increase in employment of any county in the Bay Area. Contra Costa has one of the highest household and per capita incomes in the state. The county has a strong industrial base anchored by shipping, petrochemicals and steel manufacturing along the shoreline. In addition, the I-680 corridor, running through the heart of the county, has become the relocation site of numerous corporate communications Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. , data processing data processing or information processing, operations (e.g., handling, merging, sorting, and computing) performed upon data in accordance with strictly defined procedures, such as recording and summarizing the financial transactions of a and other back office operations. The county is further strengthened by the largest steel plant on the West Coast -- USS/POSCO (a U.S.-Korean joint venture). Contra Costa County Population: 819,300 Unemployment: 4.3% Per capita income: $24,308 Housing units: 316,170 Labor force: 416,700 Personal income: $19.1 billion Average yearly wages: $25,520 Taxable sales: $7.5 billion Economic Highlights: One of highest per capita [Latin, By the heads or polls.] A term used in the Descent and Distribution of the estate of one who dies without a will. It means to share and share alike according to the number of individuals. and household incomes in state. Strong industrial base anchored by shipping, petrochemicals and steel manufacturing. Relocation site for many corporate communications, data processing and back office operations. Alameda County Alameda is one of the strongest and the most diversified counties in the region. It is the home of the City of Oakland, which is enjoying a dramatic increase in its business base: major new office projects, retail developments and government office buildings. In addition, Oakland is headquarters for BART, the region's rapid transit rapid transit, transportation system designed to allow passenger travel within or throughout an urban area, usually employing surface, elevated, or underground railway systems or some combination of these. rail system, headquarters for the University of California system; for Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care organization, based in Oakland, California, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney R. Garfield. , the largest HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, in the nation; and for American President
Oakland and the County of Alameda offer unparalleled air, sea, and ground transportation access to destinations, markets and businesses throughout the United States and the Pacific Basin. The county is served by one of the world's most advanced and extensive mass transit networks, has one of the world's finest container ports, and a large domestic/international airport. Alameda has the most diversified industrial base in Northern California. Historically strong in food processing, automobile assembly and pharmaceuticals, the county's economy in recent years has been fueled by growth in important new areas such as high-tech, research, and biotechnology. In addition, the county offers a broad selection of public or private educational resources, including UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Alameda County Population: 1.3 million Unemployment: 4.2% Per capita income: $20,967 Housing units: 504,109 Labor force: 675,000 Personal income: $26.4 billion Average yearly wages: $25,486 Taxable sales: $13 billion Economic Highlights: Diversified industrial base. Strong in food processing, automobile assembly and pharmaceuticals, with recent growth in research and biotechnology. Major international transportation hub through Port of Oakland The Port of Oakland was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. It is now the fourth busiest container port in the United States; behind Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Newark. , Oakland International Airport and major rail facilities. Santa Clara County Santa Clara/Silicon Valley is the economic powerhouse of the region. Silicon Valley is a 350-square-mile area with its own capital city -- San Jose, the most populous city in the Bay Area. With more than 2,600 high tech firms employing over 250,000 people, Silicon Valley's roster of key industries also includes telecommunication, aerospace, biotechnology, microwave technology, medical electronics, lasers, supercomputers, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, robotics, photonics, CAD/CAM CAD/CAM in full computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing. Integration of design and manufacturing into a system under direct control of digital computers. , instrumentation, and all the related suppliers and services. One of the key factors in bringing companies to Silicon Valley is the exceptionally skilled talent pool that provides the "creative juice" propelling the area's enterprises. Much of the talent is home-grown: Stanford University is a top ranked science and business school. San Jose State University trains more Silicon Valley engineers than all other universities in the nation combined, and Santa Clara University provides an outstanding business and law institution. The San Jose Office of Economic Development provides data on industrial trends, assistance in location sites, competitive technology programs, and information on local resources and incentives such as the Foreign Trade Zone, Enterprise Zone, Silicon Valley Industrial Incentive Zone, Export Resource Center, and Center for Software Development. Santa Clara County Population: 1.5 million Unemployment: 4.0% Per capita income: $24,581 Housing units: 540,240 Labor force: 145,300 Personal income: $35.5 billion Average yearly wages: $30,281 Taxable sales: $17.9 billion Economic Highlights: Home to 50% of California's most profitable companies. Stanford University, NASA/Ames Aerospace Center and comparable institutions have fostered development of Silicon Valley. Estimated 333,000 new jobs to be created by 2005. San Jose revitalization includes new office towers, hotels, retail centers and major convention center. San Mateo County San Mateo prides itself on its 45 miles of scenic coastline and beautiful beaches, some of the oldest and best-known residential communities in the region, and an economy that is healthy and stable. With its combination of one of the highest per capita incomes and the lowest unemployment rate in California, San Mateo is home to the San Francisco International Airport, a vast array of transportation and communication-related enterprises, and a growing biotech industry. In the south, electronics, agriculture and food processing, financial and banking institutions, as well as a number of major retail shopping centers provide the core of the county's commercial activity. In addition, the Port of Redwood City The Port of Redwood City (37.505° N 122.214° W) is a marine freight terminal on the western side of the southern San Francisco Bay, on the West Coast of the United States. This marine terminal is situated within the city of Redwood City, California. provides the Southern Peninsula with a deep-water port. An area of special economic significance is San Mateo's 3000 Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, home to over 40 venture capital firms. San Mateo County Population: 657,300 Unemployment: 2.8% Per capita income: $27,659 Housing units: 251,782 Labor force: 353,000 Personal income: $17.5 billion Average yearly wages: $27,730 Taxable sales: $7.8 billion Economic Highlights: Lowest unemployment rate in California. Location between San Francisco and Silicon Valley provides alternative to San Francisco for office space. Home to San Francisco Airport and United Airlines' hub for Pacific Rim scheduling. Menlo Park is worldwide venture capital center. San Francisco (City and County) San Francisco is famous for its history, culture and setting -- and is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world. A combined city and county, San Francisco is the leading financial, administrative and cultural center in the Bay Area with over 100 foreign consulates, international tourist and trade offices; world-renowned symphony, opera and ballet companies; numerous performing arts theaters, and fine arts, science and special purpose museums. Its educational resources include the world-renowned medical research university at UC San Francisco, the University of San Francisco • • [ , and a network of prestigious special focus institutions. The city plays host to thousands of international conferences and trade shows every year and was the site of the first U.S. gathering of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, signaling the importance of the city as the hub of international trade for the Pacific Rim. An international flavor permeates throughout the city with its diverse cultural mix in Chinatown, North Beach, Japantown, and the Mission -- all these neighborhoods come together to create a city unlike any other in the country. San Francisco has one of the highest per capita incomes in the state. Its economic base is strong and diverse, anchored by the presence of numerous international corporate headquarters, centers for finance, design and professional services, and a tourism business of about $4 billion a year. It is an international transportation hub, with a major international airport, excellent and expanding port facilities and smooth access to highway and rail transport. Especially important to businesses is its quality work force of highly educated, highly motivated professional employees. San Francisco is the seat of the Pacific Stock Exchange, and the West Coast home of the Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank Systems. It's also one of the world's great shopping centers, from its prestigious department stores and boutiques, to the well-known neighborhood ethnic shopping districts. Businesses considering expansion into San Francisco are assisted by the Chamber's Economic Development Office, which has the special mission of attracting, developing and retaining business in "everybody's favorite city." San Francisco County Population: 726,700 Unemployment: 4.0% Per capita income: $26,454 Housing units: 328,471 Labor force: 393,300 Personal income: $19.4 billion Average yearly wages: $29,627 Taxable sales: $8.6 billion Economic Highlights: Strong economic base anchored by many international corporate headquarters, centers for finance, design and professional services, and tourism. Links with Asia for Pacific Rim trade. Headquarters for Pacific Stock Exchange, West Coast home of Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank. |
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