What is San Francisco Bay Area?
{{more sources|date=September 2024}} [[Image:BayareaUSGS.jpg|right|250px|thumb|USGS satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. (Click the image for a description of major features.)]] [[Image:SanFransiscoBayArea.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area]] The '''San Francisco Bay Area''', also known as the '''Bay Area''', is a [[metropolitan area]] that goes around the [[San Francisco Bay]] in Northern [[California]]. It includes the cities of [[San Francisco]], [[San Jose, California|San José]], and [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], and their many suburbs. It also includes the smaller urban and rural areas of the North Bay. Over seven million people live in the San Francisco Bay Area.<ref>[http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/bayarea.htm Bay Area Census: 2010 estimate]</ref> The San Francisco Bay Area is the 43rd largest metropolitan area in the [[world]] in population. The Bay Area includes cities, towns, [[military]] [[Military base|base]]s, [[airport]]s, and related regional, state, and [[national park]]s. In general, it has a [[Mediterranean climate]], but the climates are quite different in different places. Inland areas are usually hotter than areas near the bay or ocean. San Francisco is known for its cold weather and [[fog]]. San José is the largest [[city]] in the Bay Area since 1990 and the tenth largest city in America. But for most of its history, San Francisco was the city with the most people. San Francisco is still the city people pay the most attention to, and it is the major cultural center in the region. [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] connects some parts of the Bay Area. [[Caltrain]] connects cities in the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley. ==Subregions== ===North Bay=== [[Image:Lightmatter napa valley.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Napa Valley is most famous for its [[wine]].]] The region north of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] is known locally as the '''[[North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|North Bay]]'''. This area includes [[Marin County, California|Marin County]]