The name Golden Gate does not refer to the Bridge’s color, it is the name of the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean, which is called the Golden Gate Strait. The Golden Gate Bridge spans the Golden Gate Strait. The Golden Gate Bridge is not named for it’s reddish-orange color. The Orange Color of the bridge was intended originally to be a primer.

Spanning a distance of 1.7 miles, the Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic structure of the San Francisco Bay region. Ninety feet in width, the bridge has two sidewalks and six driving lanes. Between curbs, the driving lanes is 62 feet wide and each sidewalk is 10 feet wide. The street level is approximately 220 feet above water.

Close to the bridge, the waters have depths in excess of 300 feet. For instance, the depth is over 100 feet between Alcatraz and Angel Island. There is an ancient river canyon lurking under the bridge. 10,000 years ago, the sea level was 300 feet lower than it is today. When a warmer climate ended the ice age, an ancient river cut a 350 foot canyon through the Golden Gate. This deep canyon contributes to the strong tides, wind and fog that flow through the Gate.

The towers stand 500 feet above street level and 726 feet above the water. Each weighs 44,000 tons and one stands 4200 feet apart from the other.

The fog horns, mounted on the bridge at the south and middle tower, are virtually as iconic as the structure itself. At different times, each horn produces a different tone to assist in safely guiding ships through dense fog.

To increase its visibility, it had been lobbied that the bridge be painted in stripes of blue and yellow. However, when the steel came primed in a burnt red hue, it was decided by the consulting architect that the color was quite visible and more pleasant to the eye.

The bridge joins Marin County, California to the city of San Francisco. Prior to the existence of the bridge, the only way to go back and forth between San Francisco and Marin County was by way of ferry boats. This was not ideal and plans were put into place to make changes.

In 1846, Captain John Fremont declares California’s independence from Mexico and names the mile-wide entrance to the San Francisco Bay as Chrysopylae, which means Golden Gate in Greek.

In 1872, three years after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a bid was made by Charles Crocker for the construction of a bridge that would extend over the Golden Gate Strait.

The military presence started with Fort Point in 1853. It was built for the defense of the Gate during the Civil War. A series of gun batteries were then built on both the north and south sides of the Gate. There are 2 Forts and 11 Gun Batteries Guarding the Bridge

These were used in the late 1800’s for both the Civil War and the Spanish American War. Fort Baker was added in 1905. The forts and batteries were put into use again during WWII and some were even on deck during the Cold War.

On May 27, 1937, the opening of the bridge was celebrated by San Franciscans with Pedestrian Day. On that day, up to 200,000 individuals crossed the bridge. At the time of its opening in 1937, it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world.

Only two men in history have been important enough to have the entire bridge shut down for them. The first was President Franklin D. Roosevelt (better know as FDR) and the second was for French President Charles de Gaulle.

To attract tourists, the bridge has numerous attractions including tourist plaza and Bridge Round House. The Bridge Round House with its Art Deco design is one of the most popular destination. It served as a starting point for a private gift shop and a number of commercial tours of the structure.