The San Francisco Bay area

The San Francisco Bay area is one of San Francisco's most populous areas, located in northern California. The region includes several metropolitan centers, such as Oakland, as well as smaller urban and rural communities. This study is based on a windshield survey of the San Francisco Bay area.

The San Francisco Bay Area has a population of about 7.5 million people. Because of the vast number of cities, airports, towns, and national parks, some of its areas are densely populated. It is important to note that there has been a change in the population size in most parts of San Francisco bay and this can be attributed to the increase in the housing prices in the few previous years. There is a large number of urban corridors around the bay region and this is as a result of the renaissance in population growth that is currently taking place in the region. According to bay area census (2010), the total household population of the bay region increased from 6.7 million in the year 2000 to 7.1 million as at the end of the year 2010. The region has a great ethnic composition, however, it can be noted that the non-Hispanic white population is larger compared to the non-Hispanic African-American population. The Hispanics themselves, as well as, the non-Hispanic Asian population is also well represented in the region.

Housing

The total housing units in the bay region are a lot, and this coincides with data retrieved from the 2010 bay region census which indicate that the total housing units in the region increased from 2.5 million in the year 2000 to 2.8 million in the year 2010. From the windshield survey, it could be established that a significant number of housing units were empty. This can be supported by the 2010 census that indicated that there are 2.5 million occupied housing units leaving about 170,000 vacant housing units in the region (Bay area census, 2011). A majority of the housing units in the region are the owner-occupied housing units with the renter-occupied housing units being fewer by a very small margin.

Public park spaces

The bay region has one of the largest zoos in the country, referred to as the San Francisco Zoo which looks after 230 wild animals of different species 35 of which are considered to be endangered species. The numerous museums that are in the region serve as public spaces within the region. It is also important to note that there is a private Victorian-era home that is open to the public within the region and it is referred to as the Lilienthal house.

Culture and entertainment

In terms of music, art, architecture, museums, cuisines, and festivals, the culture of the bay region is diverse. It can be acknowledged that the diversity of the culture in the bay region has not only influenced the other parts of the United States of America (USA), but also the other parts of the world. It was easy to note the ‘California palace of the legion of honor, museum of modern art, Asian museum, and the De Young museum’. The bay is also filled with a lot of opera and classical venues, for example, the San Francisco opera and these present classical music in the region. Herbert’s theater is another avenue in the region used to present music, however, it is mainly used for the presentation of electric music.

A vulnerable and population within the region

It can be established that the population within the region is aging. In the windshield survey, I noted more people who I assumed are between 18yrs and 64yrs of age than those who were between 5yrs and 17yrs of age. Additionally, the number of the people I observed and assumed that they were 65yrs of age and above was also high. These observations are consistent with the national wide trends which indicate that the bay region’s population is older compared to that of California (Associations of Bay Area Governments, 2015). Because the population of San Francisco is mainly made up of the older population, there are a variety of health risks that this population is faced with, for example, the loss of mobility, diabetes, arthritis, respiratory diseases, cancer, and heart diseases (Rodin, 1986). One of the greatest health disparity in the region in the health inequalities that exist between people of different socioeconomic status, race, and age (SFGATE, 2010). This health disparity leads to unequal access to the healthcare services to people and this includes the older population. To develop a successful health promotion and disease prevention program discrimination within the various neighborhoods in the bay region need to be overcome.

Conclusion

The San Francisco bay region is a culturally diverse region in the US and this is because of the great number of museums, theaters, and music performance venues in it. There are different races in the region and these include the White, Black American, Asians, American Indian, and the Pacific Islanders. There are more vacant housing units within the region than the occupied housing units. The San Francisco bay population can be referred to as an aging population and this is because there are a lot older people than younger people in the region. This implies that the population is most likely to be faced with health risks that take advantage of old age, for example, diabetes, and loss of mobility. The health inequalities in the region are the main health disparity in the region and it needs to be overcome so as to come up with an effective health promotion program in the region.

References

Associations of Bay Area Governments. (2015). A Diverse and Changing Population. Retrieved on May 9, 2017 from http://reports.abag.ca.gov/sotr/2015/section3-changing-population.php#section3_2

Bay area census. (2010). San Francisco Bay Area. Retrieved on May 9, 2017 from http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/bayarea.htm

Rodin, J. (1986). Aging and health: Effects of the sense of control. Science,233, 1271-1277.

SFGATE. (2010). Online report card shows S.F. health disparities. Retrieved on May 9, 2017 from http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Online-report-card-shows-S-F-health-disparities-3252171.php