🇺🇸 Gaithersburg vs 🇺🇸 San Francisco

Gaithersburg in Montgomery County is home to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and significant federal research facilities. The city is in Maryland's diverse Piedmont zone with typical DC suburban climate — hot humid summers, variable winters with ice storm potential, and spring severe weather.

San Francisco's climate is shaped by its position on a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. The coastal fog (Karl the Fog) rolls in through the Golden Gate each summer afternoon, keeping temperatures mild year-round. The city has dramatically different microclimates — the Sunset District fog-bound while the Mission basks in sun on the same day.