15 Fun Facts about the Golden Gate Bridge

Why is it called the Golden Gate Bridge? The Golden Gate Bridge is so named because it spans the Golden Gate Strait, the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The strait was named by John C. Fremont, an American explorer, in the mid-19th century, who called it “Chrysopylae,” or “Golden Gate,” due to the yellow wildflowers that grew in the area. The bridge was later named after the strait and has since become one of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States.

Another account states that John C. Fremont was the first to see the strait and referred to it as “a golden gate to trade with the Orient” in a journal he published. The name stuck and became widely recognized.

Contrary to popular belief, the Golden Gate Strait and the Golden Gate Bridge were not named after California’s famous gold rush. The naming of the Golden Gate has no connection to the gold rush.

15 Fun Facts about the Golden Gate Bridge

1. The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 and was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, with a total length of 1.7 miles.
2. The bridge’s two main towers are each over 700 feet tall, and the bridge’s roadway is 220 feet above the water.
3. During construction, workers used a giant net to catch falling workers and save their lives, which was a new safety measure at the time.
4. The bridge was designed by Joseph Strauss, Irving Morrow, and Charles Alton Ellis.
5. The Golden Gate Bridge was painted using over 6 million pounds of paint.
6. The iconic orange color of the bridge was chosen to help it stand out against the fog that frequently covers the San Francisco Bay area.
7. The bridge was built during the Great Depression and provided jobs for thousands of people.
8. The bridge has been featured in many movies and TV shows, including “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
9. The bridge is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, attracting millions of visitors each year who come to walk or bike across it and enjoy the stunning views of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding area.
10. On average, over 40 million vehicles cross the Golden Gate Bridge each year.
11. The Golden Gate Bridge was once the only way to drive from San Francisco to Marin County.
12. The bridge is held up by two main cables, each made up of thousands of individual wires.
13. The Golden Gate Bridge has a pair of lateral bracing cables that keep the bridge stable in high winds.
14. During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Golden Gate Bridge was one of the few structures in the area that did not sustain any significant damage.
15. In 1987, the Golden Gate Bridge was declared a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

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