City of South San Francisco

South San Francisco occupies the basin and portions of the sides of a broad valley formed by the San Bruno Mountains on the north and the Coast Range on the west. Most of the valley faces adjacent San Francisco Bay, affording sweeping vistas, from higher levels and a definite sense of identification with the Bay. South San Francisco has mild winters and dry cool summers. The hills to the west shield the city from much of the fog that prevails in neighboring areas.

The population has tripled since World War II with the opening of such subdivisions as Buri Buri, Winston Manor, and Westborough on the slopes west of El Camino. It has grown from 4,411 in 1920 to 65,596 in 2022.

South San Francisco offers its citizens a city in which to live comfortably in fine residential areas; a place of recreation in parks, swimming pools, and marina; a place to work in more than 2,800 firms and businesses including more than 250 biotech companies such as Genentech, which gives the City the title of "Birthplace of Biotechnology"