The Wikimedia Foundation, the free, user-edited online encyclopedia, will move its headquarters to San Francisco's SoMa at the beginning of 2008, the foundation said.
"San Francisco is the center of high-tech in the United States, and will give the Foundation access to a rich array of resources, including best-in-breed online talent, top-tier universities, world-class support services and major media," said Florence Devouard, who chairs the board of the Wikimedia Foundation, in a statement carried by the Romenesko media blog. "We are all very excited about the move, and I know the Wikimedia Foundation will flourish in the Bay Area."
San Francisco won out over six cities the foundation was considering over the past year. The organization has been operating in St. Petersburg, Fla. San Francisco's proximity to Asia is expected to enable the foundation to form closer ties with volunteers and potential partners in that part of the world, the foundation said.
"I am thrilled that the Wikimedia Foundation has chosen to relocate its headquarters to San Francisco," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was quoted as saying in Wikimedia's announcement. "Wikimedia will be an illustrious addition to our thriving information technology hub."
The Wikimedia Foundation's last day in St. Petersburg will be January 31, 2008. Three or four staffers are expect to move from there to San Francisco. While the office is currently staffed by six full time employees, that number is expected to rise in the next two years. Hiring for the new headquarters will begin in a few weeks.
The organization has not yet contracted for space in San Francisco, but has hired Newmark to help it scout for space, a Wikimedia spokeswoman said.
The Wikimedia Foundation was created on June 20, 2003 by Jimmy Wales. It is the parent organization of numerous free-content projects, including the popular Wikipedia web site, one of the world's ten-most-visited sites.
It is supported by donations from private individuals, and operates mostly with volunteer staff.
