Peninsula

The Peninsula is a portion of the mainland separating the Pacific Ocean from the Bay. San Francisco is located on the tip of the peninsula and the rest of land includes Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. The Peninsula is home to a variety of wildlife species including the San Bruno elfin butterfly, the San Francisco garter snake and the California clapper rail. These creatures live in the varied habitats on the peninsula including an oak savanna, an estuarine, a marine area, a redwood forest, an oak woodland and a coastal scrub. Theme peninsula is home to a number of parks and preserves including the Sanborn Park, the Edgewood Park, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and the Gold Gate National Recreation Area. People visit the peninsula for a variety of reasons, but some of the area's landmarks include the Carolands Mansion, the Bay Meadows Racecourse, the Cow Palace, the Coyote Point Museum, the Dakin Building, the Filoli Mansion, the Flintstone House, the Oracle World Headquarters, the Pulgas Water Temple and the San Francisco International Airport. Locals make the distinction between the city of San Francisco and the Peninsula area south of the city by calling the area "the Penny". The peninsula is connected to the mainland by several bridges including the Dumbarton Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bride and the Golden Gate Bridge.