For San Francisco’s first time visitors, the Golden Gate Bridge is a must-see landmark. Built during the Great Depression, and spanning almost 2 miles, it is a true engineering and architectural wonder.
If you walk on the bridge on a nice day, you will get a beautiful view of the city and the bay area, and feel the pulse of the city as the bridge hums with traffic entering and leaving the bay city. As you take in the impressive views of the bridge, a question might come up naturally. How come the Golden Gate Bridge is red, not gold?
It turns out that the color of the bridge has nothing to do with the name “Golden Gate,” which refers to the strait that enters the San Francisco Bay. That Golden Gate (over which the bridge crosses) got its name from the California gold rush of the mid- nineteenth century. The designers of the bridge chose the rusty red color believing it harmonized with the naturally ruddy geology that surrounds the bay, and made the bridge visible in the thick fog that the cities is often covered under. Time has told that their decision was perfect.
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