<human>:  What is the history of the Golden Gate Bridge?
<bot>: The Golden Gate Bridge is an icon of the city of San Francisco in California, United States. The iconic bridge was opened to vehicular traffic on May 27, 1937, more than two-and-a-half years after construction began on January 5, 1933. The bridge stretches 4,200 feet (1,280 m) and is known for its orange-colored suspension-style design, and spans the Golden Gate, the strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Before the completion of the Golden Gate, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and shattered records for the longest suspension bridge span until New York City's Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened in 1964. The Golden Gate Bridge is the second longest suspension bridge in the United States after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.