IV.

Education and Culture

San Francisco is an important center for higher education and culture. The largest university in the city, San Francisco State University, is part of the California State University system. It had an enrollment of more than 27,000 students in 1998, almost one-quarter of them at the graduate level. Other important schools are the University of California at San Francisco, which is a well-known medical school and medical research center; Golden Gate University; and the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution. City College of San Francisco is one of the nation's largest community colleges. It had a total enrollment of more than 90,000 students a year in the late 1990s. San Francisco is also home to several institutions of higher education that specialize in the arts, including the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a satellite campus of the California College of Arts and Crafts.

San Francisco has a wide variety of cultural institutions. The San Francisco Opera, which plays at the War Memorial Opera House in the Civic Center, features well-known artists. The internationally acclaimed San Francisco Symphony plays in nearby Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Ballet, which also performs at the Opera House, is the oldest professional ballet company in the United States and has established a strong national reputation. A wide range of other music is performed at various halls and clubs. San Francisco musicians made important contributions to jazz, primarily following World War II, and to rock music, especially in the 1960s when groups such as the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead defined a San Francisco sound. The American Conservatory Theater, whose home is the Geary Theater, is probably the best known of a number of theater companies. The company’s performances range from lavish Broadway-type productions to experimental theater.

San Francisco is home to many important museums. The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, in Golden Gate Park, specializes in American art. The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, in Lincoln Park, is known for its collection of European art. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, located downtown in the Civic Center, is one of the largest museums in the world devoted to the arts and cultures of Asia.

In 1995 the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art moved into a dramatic new building designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. The building is one of the largest structures in the United States devoted to modern art. The area around the museum is rapidly developing into a major cultural center and includes the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the California Historical Society, and the Ansel Adams Center for Photography.

The Mexican Museum, which houses a collection of Mexican folk art, is one of four museums located in Fort Mason Center, northwest of downtown on San Francisco Bay. The center is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The other three are the gallery of the San Francisco African American Historical and Cultural Society, which exhibits African-American materials; the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, with extensive exhibits of craft and folk are from many different cultural backgrounds; and the Museo ItaloAmericano, which displays Italian and Italian American art.

The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is one of the largest museums of natural history in the world. The Strybing Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, also in Golden Gate Park, is a living museum of plants. The Exploratorium, housed in the Palace of Fine Arts in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is an innovative science museum that features hands-on exhibits.

Several San Francisco museums offer exhibits on the rich history of the city and the West. The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, located at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, includes exhibits, a fleet of historic ships at the Hyde Street Pier, a library, and an archive. The Fort Point National Historic Site is a Civil War-era fort under the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Presidio, a former military post on the northern edge of the city, is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It includes several historical sites as well as wooded open space. Mission Dolores, located in the Mission District, dates from the earliest Spanish occupation of the Bay Area.

The California Historical Society provides exhibits, a library, and a large research archive. Other important research collections are to be found at the University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco State University, the University of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Library, the National Archives branch in San Bruno, and the Sutro Library, a branch of the California State Library.

The diversity of San Francisco’s population is reflected in the large number of cultural organizations devoted to particular groups, such as the Chinese Historical Society and the Irish Cultural Center. Many groups sponsor annual parades or festivals in conjunction with ethnic holidays, including Chinese New Year (January or February), Saint Patrick's Day (March), and the Italian Heritage Parade and Festival (October). Carnaval, a Mission District parade and celebration that includes many groups, especially Hispanics, is held in May. The Juneteenth festival in June features a parade celebrating African American heritage. Other major festivals include the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Pride Celebration Parade (June) and Fleet Week, which takes place during a visit by U.S. naval vessels in autumn.