Russian San Francisco

San Francisco has only one drawback—‘tis hard to leave. Rudyard Kipling

Russians in Bay Area. Bay Area, a magnificent part of Northern California that includes magical city of San Francisco as well as its environs, has, according to the latest reports, a population of over 7 million people. Among those, there are 75,000 Russian speaking residents. The cultural background of these people is diverse and reflects traits of traditions common to the various regions of the former USSR they arrived from. Among other things, this diversity is manifested in ethnic (Russian, Central Asian, Caucasian) cuisine being served in various restaurants that members of this social group own - or, in our case, frequent! - particularly, in Outer Richmond district of San Francisco where the older generation of our diaspora tends to live.

Work Hard. Party Hard. We all know Russians love to party! And while Russian party scene in Bay Area is not as strong as, for instance, in New York, it is diverse and very appealing. There are established outfits that regularly bring big-name stars from Russia, such as famous pop and rock bands and likes of famous bards. There are venues that are accustomed to work, on a regular basis, with local Russian rock bands and electronic music DJs, whose popularity and prestige starts to grow with all-American audience and who have a strong following among Russian speakers in Bay Area. And, of course, there are famous Californian Open Air Festivals, among those are the likes of Red Marines, produced, managed, and/or attended by Russian Americans.Written by Igor Zheleznyak