Claim: California contains San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate strait , the 1 mi , 1.7 mi channel between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean . The structure links the American city of San Francisco , California -- the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula -- to Marin County , carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait . The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco , California , and the United States . It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers .   The Frommer 's travel guide describes the Golden Gate Bridge as `` possibly the most beautiful , certainly the most photographed , bridge in the world . '' It opened in 1937 and was , until 1964 , the longest suspension bridge main span in the world , at 4,200 ft.