How San Francisco Dominated Mainstream Culture in 2015

Babel expanded its footprint in 2015 by growing its presence in the technology capital of the world: San Francisco. As one of the additions to the expanding office – and a proud SF resident – I couldn’t help but take a step back at the end of the year and reflect on just how much San Francisco and the Bay Area dominated more than just the tech-culture this past year.

SF seemed to be everywhere in 2015 pop-culture.  Don’t get me wrong – not all representations of the city or the technology, political or economical issues it gave rise to were something to be proud of. But many made history in a way that really makes a girl proud call this city home.

Here’s a sampling of how SF/Bay Area fever swept U.S. headlines in 2015 and left its mark on American culture:

Sports

• The Bay Area made the nation believe once again that there’s no “I” in sports when The Golden State Warriors won their first NBA championship in four decades. Playing as one rather than relying on one (cough… Lakers…cough), The Warriors delivered a powerhouse performance that is already continuing on into the 2016 season.

Politics

• In 2004 the country was shocked when SF began performing gay marriages. At the time future President, Barack Obama infamously refused to be photographed with Mayor Gavin Newsom that year during two SF based fundraisers due to the political controversy. But SF would serve as the catalyst in political history by June 2015 when the Supreme Court’s ruling on the 11-year crusade would finally make same-sex marriages legal nationwide.

Religion

• San Francisco’s controversial history made headlines when Pope Francis came to the U.S. with plans to canonize a so-called “founder of California” into sainthood. Father Junipero Serra founded the first nine of twenty-two missions but in the process was blamed by many Native American Catholics for the death of over 150,000 of their fellow people.

Economy

• Last year introduced the public to a new zodiac animal – In business 2015 was the year of the unicorn. Over 80 private start-ups in SF and the Bay Area rank the list of companies valued at over $1 billion, making it the epicenter of what will either be a thriving economy or a massive economic downturn in years to come. Only time will tell which unicorns have a truly magic horn and which only serve to burst a bubble.

As 2016 kicks off SF is already maintaining its place as a THE city of tomorrow. All eyes in the nation will be on it in the coming weeks as it hosts NFL Super Bowl 50 in January and locally based tech companies continue to disrupt the political landscape along with a number of industries. Now is the time to be in San Francisco – I personally wouldn’t have it any other way.