by The Associated PressSan Francisco, home to Twitter and other popular start-ups, is experiencing its greatest growth since the Gold Rush more than 150 years ago.
With the climate ripe for commerce, local organizers think they can make a strong case to bring the 2024 Olympics here. After all, the Bay Area also is where Google, Apple and Facebook are reshaping the world.
"It just seems like it's sort of our moment in time for this region to shine on the international stage," said Larry Baer, the CEO of the Giants, who is spearheading San Francisco's Olympic bid along with Mayor Ed Lee.
An Olympics in San Francisco would have a majestic backdrop, but the cost of doing business here is also high -- something that could work against The City as it competes at a time when both U.S. and global Olympic organizers are emphasizing the need to keep costs down. Getting the regional cooperation needed to bring anything as massive as the Olympics to politically charged and environmentally conscious Northern California also would be difficult.
San Francisco suffered a huge embarrassment during the domestic bidding process for the 2016 games when a stadium deal for the NFL's 49ers collapsed the day before a key presentation in front of the U.S. Olympic Committee. And some are still sour about what the America's Cup sailing event cost The City last year, too.
Baer believes the Bay Area could leverage its recent renaissance to expand the Olympic movement's reach without spending additional money. Many professional teams and athletes, for instance, visit Silicon Valley companies when they're in town to learn new ways to market themselves and form business partnerships.