100th Anniversary: San Francisco Earthquake — April 18 (2006)

WARNING: You will learn something if you read this ....

On April 18, 1906, at 5:12 AM “The Great San Francisco Earthquake” struck, followed by a series of catastrophic fires that burned for three days and destroyed more than 500 blocks in the heart of the city. The earthquake is estimated at magnitude 8.25 on the Richter scale and lasted about one minute. The death toll of the earthquake has been estimated between 3,000 - 6,000 with property damage estimated then at $400 million (about $8.2 billion in today’s dollars).

The Census Bureau put some cool facts together for you to enjoy! Well I enjoy them anyway, so beat it if you don't.

The population of California

in 1900 = 1.5 Million.(California was the nation’s 21st most populous state)

in 2005 = 36.1 Million (California is the nation’s most populous state)

The population of San Francisco

in 1900 = 342,782 (The most populous in California and 9th most populous city nationwide)

in 2004 = 744,230 (4th most populous city in CA and the 14th most populous nationwide)

The percentage of San Francisco’s white residents

in 1900 = 95% (5% were Asian or Pacific islander, and less than 1% were black)

in 2004 = 58% (34% were Asian, 14% Hispanic and 8% black)

The number of farms in San Francisco

in 1900 = 304

in 2002 = 8