With the rise of maritime civilization and the advent of the era of globalization，Shanghai and San Francisco achieved their glory in the mid 19^th century. The similarity between the rise of the two cities includes several key points：the modern development of both cities benefited from their geographical advantages. Besides，the highly developed agricultural regions nearby also provided the basis for Shanghai and San Francisco to become large cities. Like many other large cities in the world，the two cities also experienced a period of swift expansion at the beginning stage of modern industrialization. The increasing urban population is one of the important index of city development. Another similar feature in the modern development of Shanghai and San Francisco was the diversity of the ethnic groups of the residents. The diversified ethnic groups promoted the prosperity as well as harmony of the multi-culture of the two cities，which is of great significance to their development.