South San Francisco has an unexpected connection to one of California's great eccentrics: Emperor Norton I, the self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States. A bronze plaque in the city commemorates his legacy and the Californian tradition of tolerating, even celebrating, spectacular nonconformity.
The plaque is a minor curiosity rather than a major sight, but it tells a good story. Emperor Norton issued his own currency, decreed the construction of a bridge between San Francisco and Oakland decades before the Bay Bridge was built, and was treated with genuine affection by the people of San Francisco. His story is a reminder that California has always had a high tolerance for reinvention and for people who simply decide to be something unusual.