About San Diego

The most southern city in California, San Diego is bordered on the west ....

.....  by the blue Pacific which imparts a warm, dry climate that delights residents and visitors. 

San Diego  County - Glorious sunrises over the mountains to the east, incredible sunsets over the Pacific to the west. Affluent, comfortable and bathed in sunshine, seaside villages, boat- filled harbors, quiet coves.

A legacy of Spanish place names, graceful architecture, and a relaxed life style reflect San Diego’s pride in its past. The interior, or back country, holds a wealth of surprises, ranging from the impressive Wild Animal Park to the old-fashioned mining village of Julian.

The wonderful resource of Mission bay with Downtown and San Diego Bay in the background.

Time Zone - Pacific; eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. Daylight Saving Time observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.

The City. 

The City of San Diego, home to the Chargers and Padres, is the 6th most populous city in the US with a population 1,197,676 (1990 census).The University of Southern California UCSD is world renowned. University of San Diego USD is one of the most populous in California. The city's relationship with the ocean gives it a special character.

If you are from the East Coast or Midwest, San Diego will strike you as clean; most western cities are as they evolved after the Industrial Revolution. 

The City of San Diego is divided into neighborhoods often spoken of as if they are towns or cities such as La Jolla, Coronado etc.

San Diego offers numerous parks and beaches, Balboa Park, World famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Legoland, the Wild Animal Park, Broadway shows and so much more ...

Cabrillo Monument, Point Loma

In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed at San Diego Bay, the first time that Europeans had set foot on what later became the west coast of the United States.

Many visitors visit simply to enjoy the dramatic view of San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The park has one of the best harbor views in world!

To the east the skyline of downtown San Diego, framed by the Cuyamaca mountains, serves as a backdrop to the bay.

To the south visitors can see Mexico across the shimmering waters of the bay, and to the west the Pacific ocean extents to the horizon and beyond.

Four hundred feet below the park it is common to see sailboats, commercial ships, and ships of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet glide in and out of the harbor entrance.

If you visit the park between late December and the end of February, you may see one of natures great spectacles: the annual migration of the gray whale.

The historic Gaslamp Quarter

Mostly Victorian (1873 - 1930's) the Gaslamp district is named for its reproduction gas streetlamps.

Around the turn of the last century, the area was a red light district known as the Stingaree.

 Wyatt Earp ran three gambling halls here and Madam Ida Bailey was only the most famous of the Gaslamp's many dozens of enterprising brothel owners.
 

Mission San Diego De Alcala

The oldest mission in California and the first link in the "chain" of missions that stretches 650 miles along the El Camino Real or King's Highway.

On Presidio Hill there stands a large cross on which the following words are written: " Here Father Serra first raised the cross. Here began the first mission, here the first town, San Diego, July 16, 1769."

Old Town is the historical heart of San Diego. Junipero Serra chose Presidio Hill as the site for the first California Mission in 1769, establishing San Diego as the first European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada. 

Over the next fifty years, this fortified military colony grew to become the chief administrative and judicial center for the region and home to more than five hundred inhabitants.

After the advent of the República Mexicána in 1821, the Presidio went through a period of boom, then bust, and by 1835 was largely abandoned. 

 For over one hundred and fifty years, it has lain undeveloped and largely undisturbed. You can still see the remnants of the Mexican village nestled at the base of the Presidio Hill, where restored adobe houses, stone wells and stables stand.

Old Town is more than a tribute to Mexican heritage. It's a historical park and a tourist attraction. Along with the Black Hawk Smithy are eclectic boutiques and souvenir shops plus the best mariachi music in town.

 Hotel del Coronado

The Hotel del Coronado, one of the world's largest wooden structures, is a grand example of elegant Victorian architecture and one of America's most popular and beautiful resorts. 

Since 1888, this National Historic Landmark has served celebrities, tourists, and business

San Diego Zoo

Located in beautiful Balboa Park, the 100-acre World-Famous San Diego Zoo was founded by Dr. Harry Wegeforth in 1916.

Today, the San Diego Zoo cares for over 3,800 animals of 800 different species. Its collection of animals, as well as its plant collection of over 6,500 species, is acknowledged as one of the finest in the entire world.

The first trans-Atlantic solo flight ..

.. was achieved by Charles Augustus Lindberg, a 25-year-old air-mail pilot. He departed from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York in a Ryan monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis.
 

He landed 34-hours later at Le Bourget airfield in Paris. The Spirit of St Louis was built in 1921 in San Diego. San Diego's airport was named in his honor.

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