From the record
202 National Register listings published here, 21 of them National Historic Landmarks.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
67 topographic sheets cover 59 settlements here, and 202 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
202 National Register listings published here, 21 of them National Historic Landmarks.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.

![Bird's-eye view, 1868 - [Bird's eye view of San Francisco]](assets/locview_75693101.jpg)









Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 964 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.


















![Jim Forrest's Camp, where 20 to[ns of provisions] were distributed each day to the San Fra[ncisco refugees], Boston Public Library - undated](assets/dpla_6fb45ceec685cfc9.jpg)

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 4,437 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 48 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.
















































The thermometers that kept this county's weather, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.
Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 318 of them, burning about 723 acres. 4 started naturally and 18 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 148 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 55 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 43 |
| Smoking | 36 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 18 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Fireworks | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. Two of them were set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October 2008 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 200 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 8 September 2009 | Smoking | 200 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 23 July 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 21 July 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8.0 acres | San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit | not named |
| 23 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 7 July 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 8 July 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 4 July 2011 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 4.0 acres | San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 137 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 4 injuries and about $145,720 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Flood | 93 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 |
| Hail | 10 |
| Lightning | 7 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6 |
| Flash Flood | 5 |
| Debris Flow | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Crissy Aaf | 1 killed | A jogger near the intersection of JFK Drive and 30th Avenue within the Golden Gate Park noticed a woman down next to a fallen tree branch. Firefighters arrived to provide life-saving measures, but said that the victim had died. At the time of the incident, a Special Weather Statement was valid for the area, with wind gusts up to 40 mph and pea sized hail possible. |
| March 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | San Francisco | 4 hurt | A tree collapsed on a car early Friday evening at Golden Gate Avenue and Laguna Street, injuring 4 people in the vehicle. |
| September 2009 | Lightning | San Francisco | $120,000 | About 47,000 residents lost power around San Francisco as thunderstorms rolled through the city/county. The largest outage affected 36,000 customers in parts of Sunset, Glen Park and Park Merced neighborhoods. One lightning strike hit a power transformer causing it to explode. Besides the total destruction of the power transformer, two vehicles were damaged at the intersection of Broderick and Sacramento Roads. |
| February 2011 | Heavy Rain | Crissy Aaf | $10,000 | Heavy rain drenched San Francisco causing storm drains to back up which resulted in minor flooding throughout the city. The Public Utilities Commission reported 25 minor floods at various locations. Nineteen of those floods occurred at intersections and six occurred at homes or businesses. |
| October 2009 | Flood | Ocean View | $10,000 | Shortly before 6:00 a.m., the California Highway Patrol closed the Interstate 280 extension between Sixth Street and Highway 101 because of flooding. At 7:00 a.m. all lanes of Southbound Interstate 280 at Cesar Chavez Street were flooded. |
| December 2012 | Flood | San Francisco | $5,000 | The Church Street Muni station was shut down due to flooding, which resulted in a loss of service on the line from West Portal to the Embarcadero. |
| December 2012 | Flood | Ocean View | $500 | Law enforcement reports flooding on U.S. Highway 101. |
| December 2012 | Flood | San Francisco | $100 | Law enforcement reports street flooding on 8th street. |
| January 2024 | Flood | Ocean View | $10 | Standing water was reported on Southbound Interstate 280 just south of the John Daly Tunnel. |
| March 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | $10 | Standing water in the slow lane of northbound US Highway 101 to eastbound Interstate 80. |
| February 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | $10 | A landslide blocked Market Street at 18th Street in San Francisco, causing the closure of westbound Market Street. |
| December 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Crissy Aaf | $10 | A tornado warning for San Francisco and San Mateo Counties was issued at 5:51 AM after a rotating thunderstorm was observed off the coast of San Francisco. This is the first tornado warning issued on record for the city of San Francisco, using records that extend to at least 2005 and potentially since 1986. After an NWS storm survey that extended from the west side of Golden Gate Park to the Richmond district, it was determined that damage along the path of the cell was consistent with straight line wind gusts around 80 mph. |
| February 2023 | Flood | San Francisco | $10 | CHP reported flooding at the offramp from Southbound Interstate 280 to Cesar Chavez Street. |
| March 2023 | Hail | Crissy Aaf | $10 | Social media reported pea-sized hail near Van Ness Ave and Lombard St. |
| January 2017 | Lightning | San Francisco | $10 | Video of Sutro tower being struck by lightning shared on social media. |
| January 2017 | Lightning | Crissy Aaf | $10 | Photos of lightning striking the Transamerica Pyramid building shared on social media. |
| January 2017 | Hail | Ocean View | $10 | Pea sized hail reported at Sigh Hill and Sunshine Gardens in South San Francisco. |
| January 2017 | Hail | San Francisco | $10 | Multiple reports of pea sized hail near Glen park and Bernal Heights in San Francisco. |
| January 2017 | Hail | San Francisco | $10 | no account filed |
| January 2017 | Lightning | San Francisco | $10 | no account filed |
| February 2025 | Flood | Ocean View | - | All lanes of the onramp from Cesar Chavez Street to US highway 101 Southbound were reported completely flooded. |
| February 2025 | Flood | Ocean View | - | Roadway flooding due to excessive rainfall and a blocked drain was reported on Interstate 280 southbound at the 25th street offramp. |
| December 2025 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Up to a foot of water was reported in lanes of eastbound Interstate 80 just west of 7th Street. |
| December 2025 | Flood | Ocean View | - | Flooding was reported on the onramp from Alemany Boulevard to northbound Interstate 80. A vehicle was reported to have possibly been stuck in the water. |
| November 2025 | Heavy Rain | San Francisco | - | The downtown San Francisco station reported 1.14 inches of rain, breaking the daily record for November 17. |
| January 2024 | Flood | Ocean View | - | One foot of water was over the ramp at the intersection of San Jose Avenue and Monterey Boulevard. |
| January 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | - | A vehicle was extracted from flood waters at Muir Drive and Skyline Highway. |
| February 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Six inches of water were reported on the slow lane of Interstate 280 southbound near Cesar Chavez Street. |
| February 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Several inches of water were flowing over streets and spraying out of manhole covers near San Francisco City Hall. |
| November 2024 | Flood | Ocean View | - | A vehicle drove through water on the offramp from Interstate 280 Northbound to Cesar Chavez St and stopped. |
| November 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Photos and videos on X (formerly Twitter) showed flooding at the intersection of Alameda and henry Adams Streets. A car was stuck in the water and video showed water extending up the first step in a flight of stairs. |
| November 2024 | Heavy Rain | San Francisco | - | The downtown San Francisco COOP station recorded a new daily record rainfall of 2.97 inches for November 22. |
| December 2024 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Flooding across all lanes of southbound US Highway 101 south of the Van Ness Avenue onramp. |
| December 2022 | Flood | San Francisco | - | CHP reported around 1 foot of flooding on Southbound US Highway 101 near Folsom Street in the number 2 and 3 lanes. |
| December 2022 | Heavy Rain | San Francisco | - | San Francisco Downtown site hit 5.46 in the 24 hours of December 31st. This makes it the second wettest day on record, just 0.08 less than 1st place (11/5/1994) with 5.54||This also was 46.8% of the monthly rainfall (11.66). |
| December 2022 | Flood | Ocean View | - | CHP reported a car stuck in water, blocking the offramp from Southbound Interstate 280 to Monterey Boulevard. |
| December 2022 | Flood | San Francisco | - | CHP reported flooding on the onramp from Bryant Ave to Southbound US Highway 101. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Ocean View | - | The onramp from San Bruno Avenue to Southbound US Highway 101 was flooded, and multiple vehicles were stuck. |
| December 2022 | Flood | San Francisco | - | The Montgomery BART station shut down the escalators and exits due to flooding. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Ocean View | - | CHP reported 2 feet of water flooding Southbound US Highway 101 near Silver Avenue. |
| March 2021 | Hail | San Francisco | - | Spotter reported small hail in San Francisco. |
| January 2020 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding at 455 8th St in San Francisco. Number 1, 2, and 3 lanes with water 1 foot deep. |
| January 2020 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding on I-280 N and Mariposa St off ramp. Right lane and off ramp under water. |
| January 2020 | Flood | Ocean View | - | Roadway flooding at I-280 S and Cesar Chavez St W on ramp. Vehicles swerving into left lane. |
| January 2020 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding at I-280 N and Mariposa St off ramp. Approx 2 feet of water in lanes. |
| January 2020 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Video on twitter showing flooding on Scott and Fell St in San Francisco. |
| January 2020 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding at US-101 North and I-80 East. |
| January 2020 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding at I-280 S and Mariposa St on ramp. Two feet deep flooding in slow lane. |
| January 2020 | Hail | San Francisco | - | Multiple spotters reported small hail in San Francisco, location approximate. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | San Francisco | - | Observations in downtown San Francisco show multiple locations experiencing wind gusts over 50 mph. |
| January 2019 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding at I280 N and Mariposa St off ramp. |
| January 2019 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding S Van Ness on ramp to 101 and elevated structure prior to the 101 split. |
| February 2019 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Roadway flooding in lane 3, 4-5 inches of water. |
| February 2019 | Debris Flow | San Francisco | - | Cliff collapsed on two women and a dog at Fort Funston near San Francisco. The steep cliffs are prone to landslides, but previous rainfall may have contributed, one woman did not survive https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/fort-funston-Kyra-Sunshine-Scarlet-13720685.php. |
| February 2019 | Flood | Ocean View | - | Flooding at bottom off SB1 and Junipero Serra off ramp. |
| February 2019 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Southbound 101 4 to 5 inches blocking lanes. |
| February 2019 | Flood | Ocean View | - | Roadway flooding on Alemany at 101 and 280 entrance. |
| December 2019 | Flood | Crissy Aaf | - | Highway 1 just north of MacCarthur Tunnel flooded, 1 foot of water in lanes 2-3. |
| December 2019 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Street flooding at intersection of Market St and Church St in San Francisco. Estimated 1 to 2 feet of water on roadway with widespread street flooding. |
| December 2019 | Flood | San Francisco | - | Flooding on 15th Ave and Wawona St in San Francisco. Widespread street flooding with 1-2 feet deep water estimated. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 6 workings inside this county. None of them still produces: all are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 3 |
| Mercury | 2 |
| Gold | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Location | Gold | Occurrence | ||
| Mining Claim Loc. Quicksilver Fnd. | Mercury | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Occurrence | Mercury | Occurrence | 1892 | |
| Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94102 · Near Mount Olympus · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
SoMa-Potrero-Mission Bay census division · 94107 · Near Rincon Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Bayview census division · 94124 · Near Stony Hill · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Downtown-Northeast Neighborhoods-Treasure Island census division · 94133 · Near Russian Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94131 · Near Twin Peaks · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94122 · Near Lindley Meadow · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94112 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94116 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94131 · Near Mount Sutro · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
94920 · Near Point Blunt Rock · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94129 · Near Rob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94117 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94131 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94131 · Near Twin Peaks · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94122 · Near Mount Sutro · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94117 · Near Mount Olympus · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94112 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94132 · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94127 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94118 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94109 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Downtown-Northeast Neighborhoods-Treasure Island census division · 94133 · Near Telegraph Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94117 · Near Mount Olympus · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94123 · Near Russian Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94132 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94132 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Mission-Bernal census division · 94110 · Near Potrero Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Downtown-Northeast Neighborhoods-Treasure Island census division · 94133 · Near Telegraph Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Downtown-Northeast Neighborhoods-Treasure Island census division · 94133 · Near Telegraph Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94112 · Near Visitacion Knob · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94102 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94118 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94132 · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94117 · Near Mount Olympus · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
SoMa-Potrero-Mission Bay census division · 94107 · Near Potrero Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94118 · Near Presidio Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94118 · Near Strawberry Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94127 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Mission-Bernal census division · 94103 · Near Nob Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · 94121 · On Lobos Creek · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94127 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Bayview census division · 94124 · Near Stony Hill · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Merced-McLaren census division · 94132 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94122 · Near Lindley Meadow · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Downtown-Northeast Neighborhoods-Treasure Island census division · 94133 · Near Telegraph Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
No longer a settlement
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94115 · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Mission-Bernal census division · 94103 · Near Mount Olympus · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
SoMa-Potrero-Mission Bay census division · 94107 · Near Potrero Hill · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94131 · Near Twin Peaks · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Western Addition-Buena Vista-Eureka Valley census division · 94131 · Near Twin Peaks · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Sunset census division · 94132 · Near Mount Davidson · San Francisco South quadrangle
43 sheets, 1892 to 1995
Richmond-Presidio-Marina census division · Near Lone Mountain · San Francisco North quadrangle
39 sheets, 1895 to 1995
The vanished settlements of San Francisco County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.