On January 5, 1933, construction began on one of America's most famous landmarks: the Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California. Since opening to the public in May 1937, almost two billion vehicles have crossed the bridge.
The bridge is named not for its distinctive color, but for the Golden Gate Strait, where the San Francisco Bay opens into the Pacific Ocean. Frommer's San Francisco 2011 refers to the Golden Gate as "possibly the most beautiful, and certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world."
