Known as the "City by the Bay," San Francisco City is considered the 12th most populous city within the US. The city is the second-most heavily inhabited city in the country. It sits is and is considered the be the cultural, transportation and financial hub of the San Francisco Bay Area region.
San Francisco City has a diverse cultural base, with various commercial corridors for the many visitors and residents to utilize for walking. The War Memorial and the Performing Arts Centre plays host to numerous performing arts companies for those who like the performing arts. Another one to consider is the Herbst Theatre, that offers an electric and unique mix of music performances. The American Conservatory Theatre is amongst the leading performing arts companies within Bay Area, and it often hosts numerous national touring productions of Broadway Theatre shows in a 1920's backdrop venue. For music enthusiasts, there is the San Francisco Opera, that is considered to be the 2nd largest opera company in North America. The Filmore is a music venue situated within the Western Addition, and it once staged the now popular musicians like for example the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and the Jefferson Airplane. Ballet lovers can also have an exciting time watching the wonderful performances of the San Francisco Ballet.
Museum enthusiasts can go to the Museum of Modern Art, which offers twentieth century and other contemporary works of art. It transferred to its present building within the South Market in the year 1995, and since then, has attracted roughly 700,000 tourists each year. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco operates the Palace of the Legion of Honors and the de Young Museum. The de Young Museum features American pieces and numerous anthropological valuables found within Africa, the Americas and Oceania, while The Palace of the Legion of Honor is largely focused on holding European antiquities and works of art at its Lincoln Park building. Science enthusiasts can visit the California Academy of Sciences, that is a natural history museum that hosts the Steinhart Aquarium and Morrison Planetarium. It has a structure that provides a living roof, that is an example of sustainable architecture in modern times.
The economy of San Francisco is heavily dependent on tourism. In 2007, there were more than 16 million visitors to the area, creating about $8.2 billion into the economy. The city is often portrayed in popular film, music and culture, helping to further attract visitors to the city each and every year. The most widely-popular tourist attraction in the area is Pier 39 in close proximity to Fisherman's Wharf. Finance is likewise a strong player in the city of San Francisco, because the California Gold Rush has made San Francisco the principal banking and finance hub in the early 20th century. Some of the most well-known financial institutions within the place are the Wells Fargo corporate head office, the Bank of America, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. There are 7 Fortune 500 companies, about thirty financial institutions, and a broad base for infrastructure of professional services in San Francisco City, that comprises: Law, Architecture and Designs and Public Relations. The city is also among the ten Beta World Cities, ranks 9th within the US and 18th in the world's list of cities by GDP.