On-Line Atlas of the San Francisco Bay Area

Focus on Bay Area Topography

Thanks to Hollywood, the San Francisco area is known world-wide for its winding streets and steep hills.  The map below shows just how greatly the height of the land varies throughout the Bay Area. On this map, the darker the colour, the greater the elevation.

Bay Area Elevations (in Feet Above Sea Level)

The topography of the Bay Area has had an impact on where people live.  One obvious impact is that many people live in flatter areas -- to see this, compare this map with the Bay Area map of population distribution.  Other impacts are more subtle: certain classes of people are concentrated in certain areas around the bay.  Can you think of any groups (based on age, income, etc) that would be drawn to certain areas based on topographic characteristics?

The map below gives a more "3D" view of the Bay Area's topography. Again, the darkest colours correspond with higher elevations, but this time an element of height has also been added. The view is looking directly north toward the Bay Area from a height of several kilometres above the earth.