Top 5 Facts: Golden Gate Bridge

1. Ferry inconvenient

Before the Golden Gate Bridge was built the only way to cross from San Francisco to Marin County was by boat. A regular ferry service began in the 1840s.

2. Naysayers

Prior to the bridge being built, many commentators stated it would be impossible to do so, with the strait too deep and its winds too fierce for any passage to be practical.
3. Maintenance

Today, a large team of 38 painters are permanently employed by the bridge’s operators to maintain its paintwork, patching up areas that become heavily corroded by the sea air or otherwise damaged.
4. Fool’s gold

The bridge’s distinctive colour is a shade of vermilion called ‘international orange’. It was chosen to complement the natural surroundings and enhance its visibility in fog.
5. Big birthday

The Golden Gate Bridge celebrated its 75th birthday on 27 May 2012, on which it played the starring role in a city-wide festival, in a nod to the Golden Gate Bridge Fiesta of 1937.