San Francisco: From the Gold Rush to Cyberspace

"San Francisco: From the Gold Rush to Cyberspace" celebrates the vibrant history of everybody's favorite city. Capturing the vision and intense innovation that have always characterized San Francisco, Charles A. Fracchia tells the exhilarating story of the people and the forces that have shaped the city since its founding as an outpost of the Spanish empire; and more than 100 historical photographs illustrate the evolution of this rich metropolis.

Thomas Stauffer also pays tribute to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce's commitment to the economic development of the city during the past 150 years, from its promotion of the transcontinental railroad to its development of guidelines for coping with AIDS in the workplace. In addition, the entrepreneurial spirit that founded San Francisco is woven through the stories of those businesses that have become integral threads in the city's fabric - some that witnessed the very beginnings of the frontier town, some that have just burst onto the scene by re-inventing the very essence of business for the future. Follow the trail first forged by the hearty souls in search of gold and now paved by silicon as we embrace the 21st century.