Do You Know What the Actual Boundaries of The Bay Area Are?
Old PG&E map for the San Francisco Bay Area
You canโt โrep The Bay,โ if you donโt even know what it is.
Everyone from The Bay loves to say theyโre from โThe Bayโ. Itโs almost a rite of passage. Youโre not really from here if you havenโt obnoxiously shamed someone for their lack of ability to recite โFeeling Myselfโ by Mac Dre without error. Despite this regional pride, there seems to be a complete lack of knowledge or insight into what and where the Bay Area actually is. Is Sacramento The Bay? How about Santa Cruz, San Jose, Antioch, Fairfield, Santa Rosa and Stockton? Do they count? And what exactly makes a place in The Bay Area part of The Bay Area? Some have said โIf you donโt have a BART station, youโre not part of the Bay Area.โ Others have said โIf you canโt see the actual water, youโre not in the Bay.โ
So, in order to clear confusion (and to prevent you from sounding like a fucking moron at the next house party you attend) Iโm going to explain very basically (yes, basic enough even for you, my โYAY AREAโ purist) what geographically defines The Bay Area and explain why there has been so much confusion around such a simple topic.
The Water
To know what The Bay Area is, first we must explore the water of the Bay and its various sources. Yes, we have to have technical understanding. The water, from a very dry, bureaucratic perspective, is actually called the โSan Francisco Bay Delta Watershed.โ Thatโs a mouthful. Can you imagine E-40 saying boastfully that he reps the San Francisco Bay Delta Watershed? You canโt? Good. Like, really dwell on that for a momentโฆ โWE GAMED UP IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY DELTA WATERSHED AREA OUUUU.โ Doesnโt flow well, does it? Anyway, back to the water. The Bay, despite being called โThe Bayโ, is actually a large delta composed of many bodies of water unified as one. Thereโs actually three equally important bays that are essential and definitive in relation to the region. Those bays are San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and Suisun Bay.
San Francisco Bay
Now, youโre probably asking why are those bays differentiated? Well, it boils down to primary water source. San Francisco Bay is primarily salt water which flows from its source, the Golden Gate Strait, with some fresh water as a result of rivers, most of which are flowing in from the north. Thatโs where San Pablo Bay, which is the northern extension of San Francisco Bay, comes into play.
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay, separated from San Francisco Bay by the San Pablo Strait, is a narrowing of the bay near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge that allows fresh water from a multitude of rivers flow into SF Bay. This opening also allows salt water into San Pablo and Suisun Bay.
Suisun Bay
Speaking of fresh water, letโs talk about Suisun Bay. Suisun Bay receives most of its water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. This river water flows into San Pablo Bay via the Carquinez Strait near Vallejo, where it also picks up water from the Napa River via the Mare Island Strait. The Petaluma river also flows into San Pablo Bay about ten miles to the northwest.
So, to make this a little easier to digest, think of it like this: San Francisco Bay = a lot of ocean water + some river water. San Pablo Bay = a blend of ocean and river water. Suisun Bay = a lot of river water + some ocean water. See why theyโre named differently? Thereโs also smaller bays like Grizzly Bay and Richardson Bay, but they donโt really matter.
The nine counties of the Bay Area. Photo via Wikipedia.
The Region
Now that we got that out of the way, letโs talk about this Bay Area everyone seems so fucking confused by. The Bay Area is not defined by cities that touch the Bay. Itโs defined by counties; particularly 9 counties that touch one of the three main bays. Those are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties.
Thatโs not to say there isnโt an awkward exception. Itโs the Bay Area, our entire existence is based on awkward exceptionalism. The region is rich as fuck and San Francisco is a dystopian nightmare, but thatโs a different article. The awkward exception in the 9 counties definition is Napa County, which doesnโt technically touch San Pablo Bay. Itโs separated by a tiny sliver of marshland, but San Francisco wants that wine country clout to be associated with them, so fuck it, theyโre in too.
Another thing to remember is that the bay is big as fuck. It goes from Highway 37 to the north, all the way to San Jose on the southern end and Pittsburg to the far east. Not far from inland delta port cities like Stockton. In essence, the body of water that our region is defined by is big as fuck. So, even if something is hella far from you, it doesnโt mean itโs not The Bay Areaโฆ Also, to the people that say if it doesnโt have BART, itโs not The Bay, ask them โwhich came first, the water or the trains?โ Watch their heads explode.
The Conclusion
Iโm done educating you guys on basic ass shit. Why does a loser who makes memes have to clean up the mess created by our shitty public schools? Thatโs for a different article. Just know the next time some moron comes to your house party and tells you San Jose isnโt The Bay, show them this article and tell them to shut the fuck up.
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BAY AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIAโS SHORELINE, CLICK THIS LINK