What Color Is the Golden Gate Bridge?

Despite its name, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, is not painted gold. It is orange vermilion, or a reddish orange, and its official paint shade is International Orange. The shade was selected so that it would be visible in foggy conditions to passing boats in the water while also blending in with the warm colors of the land. The U.S. military originally wanted the bridge to be painted with stripes. The Navy pushed for black and yellow stripes for maximum visibility by sea, and the Air Force wanted red and white stripes so that it could be seen more easily by air.

More about the Golden Gate Bridge:

• The bridge was named after the Golden Gate Strait because it was built over this body of water, which connects the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.


• Construction on the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1933, and the bridge was officially opened to the public on 27 May 1937.


• It is estimated that between its open date and the end of May 2012, more than 1.9 billion vehicles had crossed the bridge.