Culture

People from Many Countries

People came to San Francisco from many different countries. They lived in neighborhoods with people that came from their same country. Here they spoke the language they spoke in their native country.

They ate the food from their former homes and celebrated the same holidays. For instance, there is a Chinatown in San Francisco and a Japan Town. Columbus Avenue was home for the Italians when they first came to San Francisco. There are many different neighborhoods in San Francisco

Nowadays most people in the city speak English. But one of the very special things about San Francisco is the number of restaurants that serve food from other countries. Tourists, and San Franciscans, love the restaurants!

The Houses
San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides and is built on hills. There is not much land for houses or stores. Many of the houses are built right next to one another. Schools, churches and fire stations are sandwiched in between houses.

Many of the houses march up the steep hills. Some of the hills are so steep that the sidewalks are steps! Out by the ocean, the land is more flat and many of the houses have small yards.

The Schools

Each neighborhood has elementary, middle and high schools. One of the big differences is that the schools have small playgrounds or athletic fields because there just isn’t space for playgrounds!

What the students study is very like what you study in your school. They learn to read and write and love literature. They do math and science. They study history and the arts.

Entertainment in San Francisco
There are lots of things for the children and their families to do. The kids love to play sports. Of course they watch television and have computer games. There are parks and art museums to visit. They can get on a bus and go to the zoo to see the animals. Sometimes parents might take their children to a football or baseball game. There are wonderful fireworks for the Fourth of July down on the wharf. Perhaps they might go fishing. San Francisco is a fun town to live in!

You should have answered questions 7 and 8 for your press conference.

You should also be ready to write plays about San Francisco.

Last year our kids wrote two plays about San Francisco. One was about discovering gold during the Gold Rush. The other was about a family that traveled by car past the Japan Center to go to the Chinese New Year celebration in China Town. We also thought a play about riding the cable car would be fun.

We’re certain there are hundreds of ideas for plays about the communities in San Francisco. Living in San Francisco must be like living where you are. There are families. Kids go to school. Parents, relatives and neighbors work. They need to buy things. They play. They have visitors.

It must also be different because there are so many different kinds of neighborhoods. The city is quite old. It is built on steep hills. It is on a peninsula and the water is very close to most neighborhoods. Somewhere in all of this you’ll find good ideas for characters, settings and problems.

Remember what you choose to do must tell your audience about living as a community in San Francisco.

Use your imagination. Have fun.