Been spreadin' the word and now I need to ease my mind (Jackin' it, ohhh)
Been plantin' them apple seeds, and while the apples grow,
I'm gonna go out jackin' it in... San Diego!"
San Diego, nicknamed "America's Finest City", "Birthplace of California", and "City in Motion", is the second-largest city in the State of California and the eighth-largest city in the entire United States, a fact that many American and even some Californians never realize (with many believing it to be San Francisco). The city has approximately 1.4 million residents, along with an additional two million living within San Diego County itself. It houses some of the finest universities in the nation, several large Navy and Marine bases, a major complex of various museums in the iconic Balboa Park that rival the more-famous ones in other American cities, the San Diego Zoo (widely considered one of the finest in the world), and some of the best beaches in the entire country. Despite this, San Diego is rarely, if ever, represented in media or pop-culture, and is regularly overshadowed by the other two major California cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, despite being 75% larger than the latter. There may be the occasional nod to the city's famous annual Comic-Con
held every summer, but other than that it's as though the city's existence is lost to the general public. But if you ask any native San Diegan, or even anyone who takes the time to visit the city, San Diego is one of the most unique, culturally diverse, and easy-going cities in the entire United States.
A Short History
San Diego is frequently referred to as the "Birthplace of California" due to being the first place in all of what is now California to be settled by the Europeans. Before their arrival, the region was home to the indigenous Kumeyaay people (later called by the Spanish the Diegueño), who lived there for millennia. When the Spanish arrived to the region from Mexico in 1542, they claimed it for the Spanish Empire, but it was not settled by Europeans for quite some time. In fact, it wouldn't be until 1769 that the Spanish established their first fort in the region; it was during the same year that was the founding of the famous Mission San Diego de Alcala by St. Junipero Serra, the first of the many California Missions that dot the state's coastal regions all the way until north of San Francisco. However, these events only led to the creation of small settlements and villages in the region; when Mexico declared its independence from Spain, the entirety of what is now California joined the newly-formed nation, but San Diego was still essentially a small village called Pueblo de San Diego (which today is preserved as the City's Old Town State Historic Park).
Things would change gradually for the village starting in 1850: After the Mexican-American War, the entirety of California (along with other regions in what is now the southwest United States) was annexed by the United States. After gaining control of the region, the Americans saw potential in the San Diego Bay, located just south of the Pueblo Village, to be used as a trading port and naval base. Coupled with the arrival of investors, the bay began to see widespread development, forming what is today the city's downtown area. Over the next few decades, San Diego grew from a tiny village into a small-sized city. But probably the biggest event that had the most lasting changes for the growing city was the Panama–California Exposition in 1915. This two-year lasting World Expo celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, which bridged the shipping gap between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; San Diego was chosen to host it as it is the southernmost city along the United States' Pacific Coast and thus the first terminus of ships arriving from the Canal to the country. The expo was really impressive for the city since it was at the time actually 10 times smaller than San Francisco,note and yet the city went out of its way to create the famous Balboa Park. Dotted with Spanish-Colonial and Mission-Revival Architecture, along with massive greenage, Balboa Park remains the cultural heart of San Diego. The expo brought about the first real exposure of the city to the American public and visiting foreigners.
After the massive success of the Panama-California Expo, San Diego grew, and grew. It saw the creation of many military bases within its vicinity, even becoming the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet for several years (until moving to Pearl Harbor before the outbreak of the Pacific War), and housed many early airplane-manufacturers which garnered it the nickname "The Air Capital of the West". In fact, aviation legend Charles Lindbergh's plane "The Spirit of St. Louis" was built in San Diego, and he would use it for his famous transatlantic flight in 1927; the City's International Airport was called "Lindbergh Field" for years, and still keeps it as a nickname. During the Second World War, San Diego became a major hub for the military, with its bases for the Navy and Marine Corps playing a vital role for soldiers and sailors shipping out for the Pacific Theatre, along with becoming a center for wartime manufacturing. After the war ended, the military presence in the city largely remained and is still a part of local San Diego culture to this day. The city's status as a military base, a trade port, and a border town (literally located on the U.S.-Mexico Border) made it ideal for many new residents to settle from across the country and around the world. Modern San Diego is considered one of the most diverse cities in the entire United States.
Geography and Climate
Despite its well-deserved reputation as a beach town, much of San Diego is very rugged. The city is full of hills, cliffs, valleys, and mesas that dot most of the landscape; its downtown, fittingly, is located in one of the few largely-flat areas of the region along its bay. The city's famous beaches mostly hug the coastal cliffs and can be difficult to access in some locations (but Worth It for the locals). Much like Los Angeles over a hundred miles north, San Diego is a city that was built "out" rather than "up" and thus has a very suburban feel to it in many districts (more on that later). Also, while San Francisco is nicknamed “The City By the Bay”, San Diego is a city with two bays. There is the main San Diego Bay, where much of the city first developed and which serves as its primary deep water port; and there is Mission Bay, which originally was a series of saltwater marshlands that over the decades has been dredged up and now primarily serves as a place for recreation (with SeaWorld located on its southern edges and the Boardwalk Belmont Park located between it and the Pacific Ocean).
Like the rest of the California coast, San Diego has a largely Mediterranean semi-arid Climate. It has hot summers and pretty mild winters, so much so that many locals even claim that the city only has three seasons instead of four: spring, summer, and fall, but no winter. Because of the marine layer on the coast, San Diego (along with much of Southern California) has a reputation for being very cloudy and gray during May and June (which the locals fittingly call "May Gray" and "June Gloom") as the seasons transition between spring and summer.
Demographics, Local Culture, and Politics
Just about every major demographic in the United States has a presence in San Diego, with people from all walks-of-life settling the city. Easily the largest single demographic (making up one-third of the total population) are Hispanics, particularly those of Mexican descent. San Diego is located on the very southwest corner of the continental United States and is literally on the border with Mexico (even sharing an international Twin-City Status with neighboring Tijuana); as such, it's no surprise that the city has a very vibrant Hispanic cultural community. Food buffs especially love San Diego for having what is perhaps the best Mexican food in the entire United States. San Diego also has a large Asian population (making up 16% of the total population), with the largest groups being of Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Indian decent; Balboa Park even has a Japanese Garden called "Sankei-en" that many say feels taken straight out of Japan. It also has a sizeable African-American population and features several of the various classic "Ethnic Enclaves" that are commonly found in other large American cities, such as its own Little Italy, Little Saigon, Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Baghdad, several Barrios,note and that's just to name a few. Also, just about every major religion has a presence in San Diego. Christianity is by far the largest faith in the region, with nearly 70% of the population being Christian (divided into roughly 32% for Protestants and for Catholics, with the remaining 6% belonging to other Christian denominations). It also has an approximately 25% of its population proclaiming themselves as irreligious/non-religious and the remaining 5% belonging to other faiths (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.). San Diego also has one of the largest LGBT+ Populations in the entire United States, with some estimates stating that nearly one-hundred thousand residents, or over 6% of the population, identifies as LGBT.
In regards to culture, it can be hard for an outsider to pinpoint what exactly makes San Diego unique, especially since it does not have many of the iconic landmarks and locations that many associate with the State of California. So, for the sake of convenience, keep in mind that there are two things that practically define San Diego: its easy-going nature and its military presence.
First off, San Diego is a very laid-back, easy-going city, especially when compared to other American and even Californian cities. Because of how the city was built out instead of up, much of the city has a suburban feel to it. This is one thing that sets it apart from Los Angeles; L.A. at the end of the day is still very much a large, busy city and bustling metropolis, even if it was built outward. While San Diego also is a large city numbers-wise, it often doesn't feel like it; it always kept its small-town suburban feel to it even when its population far exceeded one million people. Because of this, San Diego has become a very popular place for suburban-seeking families to settle down and live in without being overwhelmed by the big-city life.note One thing that also contributes to San Diego's laid-back attitude is its vibrant surf-culture. With over thirty miles of beaches, San Diego is considered one of the surfing capitals of the world. Even those who don't surf still take the time to relax and have fun on the city's many beaches, which make the city a popular tourist destination. It's widely believed that this lack of a "hustle-&-bustle" feeling that is normally associated with large cities is part of the reason San Diego is overshadowed, but it is this overall attitude that makes San Diego the most "Californian" city in all of California, since it really embodies many of the cultural traits people associate with the state.
And finally, it cannot be understated how large of a military presence there is in San Diego and its surrounding areas. The city's bay hosts the primary home-base of the United States Pacific Naval Fleet, the largest naval fleet in the world. There are also several smaller naval bases and facilities that dot much of the city's regions, as well as several bases and supply depots for the United States Marine Corps, each of which house thousands of personnel at any given time. Because of the strong military presence in the region, San Diego has a large number of defense contractors that provide for the Navy and the Marine Corps.
Politics are something that really set San Diego apart from the other large California cities, particularly Los Angeles and San Francisco. Both L.A. and Frisco have reputations for being very liberal, firmly Democratic Party aligned cities, but San Diego has always been a hodge-podge of both conservative and liberal political attitudes and party support. A key reason for this is because of the aforementioned diversity and variety found within the city's population. On one hand, you have many liberal enclaves who are very firmly on the left-leaning blue-side of political issues, such as the city's vibrant gay community. On the other, much of the city is populated by classic nuclear families and former military personnel who lean more towards the conservative side of issues. Even within these margins, there is a lot of variety among voters. For example, much of the city's Hispanic population will vote blue on some issues (particularly pertaining to immigration) but vote red on others (such as traditionally conservative values). As of 2023, there is a slight edge favoring the Democratic Party, but this spread is very miniscule compared to other large California Cities who are firmly Democrat; Republicans still hold a lot of sway among local politics.
Other Things to Know about the City
San Diego is a very popular tourist destination. In fact, tourism is so prevalent to San Diego culture that some argue that traffic is worse on the weekends than during "Rush Hour". Its many fine beaches are always swamped with visitors during the warm months of the year, not to mention the near endless list of hotels and resorts that dot the coastline region. Along with beaches, the city houses many popular attractions. As stated earlier, Balboa Park is largely the cultural heart of the city; it houses several museums, gardens, and venues. The most famous of these is the San Diego Zoo, the most visited zoo in the entire United States which attracts millions of tourists every year and famously pioneered the use of open-air cageless exhibits for the animals (when historically animals at zoos were kept in cages). A secondary zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, is over 30 miles north of the original within the suburban city of Escondido; it allows more space that almost resembles the African Serengeti for larger animals to live. Other popular tourist destinations include the original SeaWorld, the Coronado Resort, the Gaslamp District in Downtown, and the USS Midway Aircraft-Carrier Museum on the Bay. And, of course, there is the annual San Diego ComicCon, the largest Comic-Book and Pop-Culture convention in the United States, attracting over 100,000 visitors every year.
Like much of the rest of California, transportation within San Diego is a pain that everyone has to deal with. The roads and freeways are regularly full of traffic, which is a headache for just about everyone (though it's not quite as bad as Los Angeles'). The San Diego International Airport is located just 3 miles from Downtown City Center and is notable for being the busiest single-runway airport in the world. The airport's location is a very double-edged sword for the city. On one hand, its close proximity to Downtown, the Interstate-5 Freeway, and many of the city's popular attractions make it convenient for many people to fly in and out of the city. On the other, its location in one of the few flat areas of the city causes a lot of problems; it cannot build another runway to alleviate the takeoff/landing patterns, the city's many nearby hills make it harder for pilots to take-off and land, and the city cannot construct particularly tall buildings within the vicinity.note The city also has a Light-Rail Trolley network that connects downtown to the outskirts; it's one of the largest and busiest of its kind in the entire United States and is popular even with locals who already own a car.
Sports
Another thing that sets San Diego apart from its more well-known sister cities in California is their sport teams... or rather their increasingly lack-thereof. Currently, there is only one major sports team that calls the city its home, the Major League Baseball team San Diego Padres, though other teams have to come to and left San Diego over the years. Although their status as a major sports league is subject to debate for some people, the city is slated to get a second professional sports team in 2025: San Diego FC in Major League Soccer.
- The San Diego Padres, as stated, are currently the the only major team from any of the "Big Four" American Sports Leagues to be based in San Diego. Historically, they have been an average or even poor team in the league, seldomly making the playoffs any given year and having yet to win the World Series. However, despite the Padres subpar track record, they are still beloved by the city and have a loyal fanbase. Their stadium of Petco Park is located right in the middle of the city's downtown and is considered one of the best in the entire league, another reason to have a soft spot for the team.
- As mentioned above, San Diego FC is an upcoming soccer team planning to play their first MLS season in 2025. Although the city has not fielded a top-level soccer team since the days of the North American Soccer League, there was a strong push to get one since the Chargers left for Los Angeles. San Diego was selected to be MLS's 30th club in May of 2023, with the new team's ownership consisting of local groups and individuals like Manny Machado and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. The club plans to play their matches at Snapdragon Stadium, home of the San Diego State Aztecs.
Unfortunately, San Diego has lost three notable professional teams over the years, and in all three cases for rather shady reasons.
- First off in the NBA there was the San Diego Rockets, now the Houston Rockets. For the record, the Rockets were established in San Diego in 1967 under that name, due to the city's aerospace industry at the time. However, financial woes forced the owner of the time to sell the team to a Houston-based investment group in 1971. Needless to say, the new owners ended up keeping the "Rockets" name for the team, feeling it appropriate for their new home of Space City.
- After the Rockets, there was the San Diego Clippers. Yes, those Clippers. In fact, they got their name from the clipper sailing-ships that occupy the San Diego Bay. The Clippers were only in San Diego for six years starting in 1978 and really weren’t successful in the city, so they weren’t able to build a fan base. When the team’s owner decided to move the team to Los Angeles in 1984, which was done without NBA approval, locals quickly got over it. Since the now Los Angeles Clippers have developed such a poor reputation within the NBA, it’s not like the people of San Diego want them back.
- In the NFL there was the San Diego Chargers, now the Los Angeles Chargers. Though the team played their first season in Los Angeles, the Chargers called San Diego home for more than fifty years. They were always local favorites for both the city and for much of Southern California regardless of their often-inconsistent track record. All that changed in 2017 when the team's owners, the Spanos Family, decided to move the team to Los Angeles. The story behind this is long, but the gist of it is this: for years, primary owner Dean Spanos wanted to have a new stadium for the team built to replace the aging San Diego Stadium (then called "Qualcomm Stadium"), leveraging (or rather threatening) to move the team to Los Angeles if he did not get what he wanted. The city decided not to invest in a new stadium.Reason Not wanting to take this lying down, Spanos took the team to L.A. for good. While in theory the Chargers are still close enough to San Diego for old fans to still support the team, most San Diegans were (and still are) pissed and alienated at this decision.note The Chargers have greatly struggled to attract even close to as many fans in the more competitive L.A. market that did not really want the team much to begin with, but since the Chargers’ owners have made a deal to lease out the new Sofi Stadium for at least 20 years, it’s incredibly unlikely the team will be moving out of L.A. any time soon, much less back to San Diego.
San Diego in Fiction
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is set in 1970s San Diego (and is thereby responsible for the joke that San Diego is German for "a whale's vagina").
- Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick both are primarily set in and around San Diego's Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, casting a light on the city's prominent military culture.
