Candlestick Point State Recreation Area is a 170-acre urban waterfront park on San Francisco Bay at the southeastern edge of San Francisco. Created on reclaimed land, it grew from a World War II Navy shipyard project that was abandoned and later became an informal dump. California bought the property in 1973 for $10 million and designated it a state park in 1977, making it the state’s first urban recreation area. The park provides broad bay views, picnic areas, trails, fitness courses, fishing piers, and a well-known windsurfing site. Its name has disputed origins, and a 2008 closure proposal during a budget crisis was later reversed.