With the 34th America’s Cup Finals just around the corner, San Francisco Bay is already buzzing with activity as some of the best young sailors in the world test their skills with Artemis Racing and Oracle Team USA. Scheduled July 4–Sept. 1, challengers will board wing-sailed catamarans and speed around San Francisco Bay.

This year also marks San Francisco’s debut as the host city for the World Baseball Classic, drawing teams from dozens of countries to pitch their “brand” of baseball against the other.

At the same time, the City by the Bay’s economy races way ahead of other U.S. cities, driven by the tourism and technology industries. Job growth in San Francisco and Silicon Valley doubled compared to that of the rest of the country, according to the UCLA Anderson Forecast.

More than 16 million people visited San Francisco in 2011, nearly 3 percent more than in 2010, spending a total of $8.5 billion, almost a 10 percent increase. The figures, compiled by the San Francisco Travel Association, meant $526 million in taxes for San Francisco, up from $480 million. Tourism supports upwards of 72,000 jobs, while technology accounts for 44,000.

Social media and technology undoubtedly work side by side with tourism. “Facebook and social media in general continue to be an amazing tool to promote our destination,” said San Francisco Travel Association President and CEO Joe D’Alessandro. “In 2012 alone, we attracted 138,000 visitors to our website from Facebook.”

San Francisco is an epicenter for people who want to create, invent, communicate and do business. With the arrival of Google, tucked under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, that tradition continues.

Politicians led by Mayor Ed Lee court techies to set up shop in town instead of in the suburbs. In a video interview on TechCrunch.com, Mayor Lee discussed a plan to reach out to minority entrepreneurs as well as inserting technology courses into the school curriculum to avoid “the digital divide that often leaves minority citizens out.” More and more, he indicated, tech companies are hiring locals.

Officials at San Francisco Travel believe the momentum is likely to continue due to big events like the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, the 2012 U.S. Open and this year’s America’s Cup yacht race.

Inspired by the 75th anniversary of the Bay Bridge are the Bay Lights, which at 1.8 miles long and 500 feet high comprise the world’s largest LED sculpture. Leo Villareal’s installation comes to life each night at dusk until 2 a.m. for the next two years and is projected to add $97 million to the local economy.

The Port of San Francisco, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, is building the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27, to be used as the venue for the 34th America’s Cup Village in 2013; the port will complete the cruise terminal in 2014 to make it operational for cruise ships and create a new 2.5-acre public park known as the Northeast Wharf Plaza.

Skytrax, the world’s leading airport and airline review site, named San Francisco International Airport’s staff service the best in North America. Its refurbished Terminal 2 welcomed a first-of-its-kind Yoga Room in the airport.

The two-year, $56 million renovation of the North and South buildings of San Francisco’s Moscone Center include a combined 1.2 million square feet of function space. The current space hosts 1 million visitors each year, generating $1.6 billion. Long-range plans to expand Moscone promise 3,400 new long-term jobs that will contribute some $320 million in hotel tax revenues to the city’s coffers.

San Francisco’s hotel inventory hovers around 34,000 rooms, 20,000 of which are within walking distance of The Moscone Center, for 215 hotels in the city center. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Mandarin Oriental unveiled new luxurious interiors at its Financial District property, while the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf spent $1 million to renovate its meeting space. The 22-room Inn at the Presidio will soon expand to include four more guestrooms in a nearby historic house.

The SoMa neighborhood — south of Market — is home to the redesigned W San Francisco. The 116-room boutique Hotel Zetta is set at the convergence of Union Square, SoMa and the Financial District. Originally built in 1913 and reopened on its 100th anniversary, it is steps from the city’s fashion, arts, technology and music scenes.

Yerba Buena Gardens and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art © Jeff Whyte | Dreamstime.com

During the past few years, several of San Francisco’s top draws have either transformed into dramatically new architectural gems or expanded. Some of the most striking changes took place at Golden Gate Park, including the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum.

This project represented the largest investment — nearly $488 million — for a cultural project in San Francisco history. Home to Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium and Kimball Natural History Museum, the California Academy of Science installed the new Amazonian Flooded Rainforest that takes you under its domed skylights. The Academy’s 2.5-acre roof is planted with native California species that provide a habitat for birds and butterflies.

The old de Young was razed and reassembled into a stylized modern building of 292,000 square feet. “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis” will remain on exhibit through June 2.

The SFJAZZ Center debuted in January, the first center anywhere in the country dedicated to jazz designed and built from the ground up. And it’s just blocks from Davies Symphony Hall, the War Memorial Opera House, the Asian Art Museum, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Add to this roster new attractions like the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in the Yerba Buena district.

San Francisco also spawned a new breed of tours. The Bay Area Brewery Tours is a great way to taste award-winning beer, while Bluxome Street Winery revives an age-old San Francisco industry with its working winery just a few blocks from the Caltrain station at Fourth and King streets.

Three-hour Gourmet Walking Tours wend their way around town to sample treats from five different cultures: Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Indian. For an insider view, consider Discover Walks, which originally began in Paris. Tours are free and are guided by “real” San Francisco natives.

Not inclined to walk uphill in San Francisco? Consider the Bugster Experience, a self-guided tour using restored Volkswagen Beetle convertibles equipped, fortunately for modern visitors, with a state-of-the-art GPS loaded with coordinates for San Francisco’s most famous sights, including Coit Tower, Chinatown, the Castro, Palace of Fine Arts, Fisherman’s Wharf, Haight-Ashbury and Sausalito.

Clearly, San Francisco’s twin industries — tourism and technology — have built a bridge anyone can cross, and newcomers are welcomed daily to strive for their particular gold.