This famous bridge isn’t named for its color, but for the entrance to San Francisco Bay, which was dubbed the "Golden Gate" some 150 years ago by prospectors who passed through it on their way to California’s gold fields.

The color, called international orange, was chosen by consulting architect Irving Morrow, who rejected the traditional gray or black in favor of the color he thought best complemented the bridge’s natural setting. The 1965 project to replace all the original lead-based paint (with a non-toxic zinc silicate primer and acrylic emulsion) took 30 years to finish, and touch-up work continues.

When completed in 1937, the Golden Gate was the world’s longest suspension bridge (1.7 miles) and the highest structure west of New York (745 feet).