The United States claimed California in 1846, and prospectors discovered gold shortly thereafter in 1848. The accumulation of treasure-seekers set a small settlement on the path to becoming a metropolis, with San Francisco’s population exploding from about 500 in 1847 to over 20,000 just three years later.

The earlier populations of the Yerba Buena area were sparse and varied. Originally, the area was predominantly indigenous Ohlone people, then later settled by the Spanish, which drew a Hispanic population.

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The population…

I worked as a “data scientist” — note the quotes — for three years of my life. Coming out of grad school with an obscure degree in a mix of financial math and computer science, it seemed like my best option, aside from heading into the finance world. Due to a poor work ethic (and reasonable personal ethic), finance was out of the question. Plus, data science had been described as the “sexiest job of the 21st century.” Suffice it to say, we data scientists proudly upheld our reputation.

I admit that I liked the “data scientist” title because it…