opulation of San Francisco, 1848–1870 Date Population April 1848 850 July 1849 5,000 December 1849 25,000 1850 21,000 1852 36,151 1860 56,802 1870 149,473 Question Use the chart to answer the question. Using the information on the chart, what can you infer about the Gold Rush’s impact on the city of San Francisco? (1 point) Responses San Francisco’s population grew by a greater percentage after 1860 than during the Gold Rush. San Francisco’s population grew by a greater percentage after 1860 than during the Gold Rush. The Gold Rush was a short-lived trend that had little lasting impact on San Francisco. The Gold Rush was a short-lived trend that had little lasting impact on San Francisco. Once the forty-niners tried their luck in San Francisco they left the city and moved back home. Once the forty-niners tried their luck in San Francisco they left the city and moved back home. The mass migration of forty-niners transformed San Francisco into an economic hub practically overnight.

Answer 1

The best inference about the Gold Rush’s impact on the city of San Francisco, based on the information in the chart, is:

The mass migration of forty-niners transformed San Francisco into an economic hub practically overnight.

This is supported by the dramatic increase in population from just 850 in April 1848 to 25,000 by December 1849, indicating that the Gold Rush attracted a significant number of people and quickly changed the city's demographics and economic landscape.