Biggest changes San Francisco has seen in the past decade

New green spaces were added. In 2017, SF became the first city in the nation with a park a 10-minute walk from every home. Among the newest green spaces, Salesforce Park opened in 2018 and runs the entire length of the new Transit Center’s nearly four-block stretch. It's home to 600 trees and 16,000 plants and a curved walking trail lined with benches surrounds grassy expanses. less New green spaces were added. In 2017, SF became the first city in the nation with a park a 10-minute walk from every home. Among the newest green spaces, Salesforce Park opened in 2018 and runs the entire ... more Photo: MediaNews Group/The Mercury News/MediaNews Group Via Getty Images Photo: MediaNews Group/The Mercury News/MediaNews Group Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 52 Caption Close Biggest changes San Francisco has seen in the past decade 1 / 52 Back to Gallery

The Salesforce Tower punctuated the city skyline and construction of the Presidio Parkway was completed.

The Giants went from the best team in baseball, winning the World Series three times, and then collapsed into one of the worst.

Pot was legalized and plastic straws banned.

Used drug needles became a common sight on sidewalks, and the city became recognized nationally for its population sleeping on sidewalks and in tents.

San Francisco saw some dramatic changes in the past decade and at the close of 2019, we've collected some of the biggest ones in the gallery above.

Change is a constant in the city. Ever since the 1848 discovery of gold in California when SF's population swelled overnight, the city has been a place known for its booms and busts. A tech boom has marked the past decade, with high-paying jobs being plentiful and driving up the cost of housing. Bidding wars became common, with many homeowners pricing their properties lower and watching the offers pour in.

The stats showing the change in price housing are staggering. A median-priced SF house sold for about $700,000 in early 2010 and has since jumped to about $1.6 million at the end of 2019, according to the California Association of Realtors.

The rise in expensive housing meant many were priced out of the market, and this is one of the causes of a growing population living on the street. The exact number of people living on the street in San Francisco is difficult to pinpoint. A city database of homeless people receiving healthcare and other city services revealed included 17,595 names in 2019, according to the NY Times. This was a 30 percent increase in the number of people in the database compared to last year. At the same time, the city has housed 27,000 homeless people in the past 15 years, according to The Chronicle.

Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.