San Francisco, or City by the Bay, is one of the largest cities on the US West Coast. It currently ranks 14th in the country in terms of population and second in density. This city has a very glorious and unique history, which is preserved in the coat of arms of San Francisco.
At the very beginning, the city was part of the Spanish colony, and then the independent Mexico. Later, after the end of the Mexican-American War, he went to the United States. However, all his glory was ahead. The "gold rush" that began in the middle of the 19th century literally breathed new life into San Francisco, and after half a century it turned into the most powerful cultural and financial center of the West, which has retained its power and influence to this day. True, in recent years it has been actively replacing industry with tourism, so now it is quite possible to go here for new adventures and colorful photos as a keepsake.
Description of the coat of arms of San Francisco
The coat of arms or seal of San Francisco is very informative. Its creators did a good job to ensure that it reflects the essence of this unique city as accurately as possible. In total, it consists of the following elements: shield; phoenix; ship; anchor; sailor; miner.
Taking into account such generosity of the creators, the coat of arms can be interpreted in great detail. For example, symbols such as a sailor, an anchor and a ship represent the city's maritime achievements and indicate their importance in development. However, there are some peculiarities here. For example, a ship passes through the so-called "golden gate", so the general symbol takes on a slightly different meaning and begins to be associated specifically with San Francisco.
Another symbol of importance from the description is the miner. In this case, it is the stronghold of the inviolability and resilience of the city, since in peacetime it provides it with gold, and in wartime - with iron.
Phoenix is generally one of the most significant symbols in heraldry. It simultaneously symbolizes beauty, longevity and endless vitality. As for the attitude of the phoenix to the city itself, here, most likely, it symbolizes a city that suddenly blossomed (at the peak of the "gold rush") among the sands.
An interesting feature of the San Francisco coat of arms is that it does not have an officially approved color. Moreover, today there is even a separate prescription in the municipal charter, which prohibits assigning official colors to the coat of arms. For what reason this was done - the official source is silent.
