About San Diego

Semi-tropical San Diego, with its mean temperature of 70 degrees F, Mediterranean-like white-washed stucco buildings and strong cultural influences from sunny Mexico, is as close to moving a foreign country as one could get and yet, is as American as apple pie.

The heart of this clean city lies at the foot of the harbor just minutes by cab or rental car from Lindbergh Field, where most travelers debark. Yet, modern San Diego has become much more than just a harborside city. Spanning from the North County beach areas to the South Bay cities along the Mexican border, San Diego is now the seventh largest city in the United States. While all these areas fall under the San Diego umbrella, each individual community maintains its own personality, geography and identity. Truly, in San Diego’s case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

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History

“It’s the most beautiful place in the world to me and I had rather have the affection and friendly greetings of the people of San Diego than all the rulers of the world.”

So said Alonzo Horton, founder of what would become downtown San Diego, on the occasion of his 95th birthday. Most likely, San Diego residents would heartily echo his sentiments today. This beautiful, geographically-diverse region in Southern California is truly a wonderful sight to behold. But it is the people who have persevered through boom and bust to build this city, now the sixth largest city in the United States.

The Earliest Peoples

Archaeologists have determined that the first inhabitants of this area settled here more than 20,000 years ago, in the area now known as Rancho Santa Fe. By 7000 BC, descendants of these earlier peoples had migrated to the sandy shores of La Jolla and the riverbed of Mission Valley.

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Fast Facts

Population: 2,885,900

Median Age: 33.5

Male: 50.42%

Female: 49.58%

Ethnic Make up:

Caucasian: 60.18%

African American: 05.0%

Asian: 10.82%

Hispanic 24.00%

Medium Household Income: $50,069

Where to Stay

Sunny San Diego revels in its reputation as a visitor’s paradise. Downtown has picked up in the past twenty years, and the refurbishing of a slightly shabby area into the thriving Gaslamp District has brought with it a number of first-rate hotels, most clustered along the bay by the San Diego Convention Center. Meanwhile, the North County region offers deluxe accommodations, perfect for a weekend getaway. The moneyed, beautiful villages of La Jolla and Coronado Island are great walker’s towns and inspire loyal visitors. Looking for something more lively? Head to the beaches, particularly Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, for an upbeat, sometimes raucous, twenty-something environment. Whatever your preference, you will easily find accommodations to meet your wishes in the diverse community of San Diego.

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Climate

By Car

Freeways

As much as the sun, sand and perfect weather are a part of the San Diego way of life, so is another element, and it’s not as pleasant: freeways. And although the California freeway system is the best in the country, it’s still the cause for many a headache in the land of the automobile. The following is a list of the county’s major highways and byways.

North/South Interstate 5

I-5. The 5. It’s the granddaddy of the freeways, and it will take you from the Mexican border up the coast, all the way to Canada if you don’t pay attention. These days, it’s pretty busy all hours of the day, but rush hours can try one’s patience, especially at major junctions of other freeways, especially the notorious 5/805 split in Sorrento Mesa.

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Public Transportation

San Diego’s public transportation options include bus, trolley, train, taxi, tour bus and rental car. Though bus and trolley routes are plentiful, the train schedule is best-suited to workday commuters (with some Saturday but no Sunday or late evening hours), but well worth the effort.

Trolley

The trolley system and its easily identifiable red trolleys, which pulse along the major corridors of downtown and western East County. The electronic trolley system winds its way to many prime locations on the tourist map (Old Town, Gaslamp, Convention Center, Seaport Village, Fashion Valley Mall, San Ysidro/Tijuana border).

Trolley fares are based on trip distance. Select your correct fare from the chart below, or see the Trolley route map posted on the ticket machines at each station. Some machines require exact change, some accept $1.00 or $5.00 bills. Susan B. Anthony coins are also accepted.

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Air Transportation

San Diego International Airport (Lindbergh Field) (619) 400-2404

3225 N. Harbor Drive,

San Diego, CA 92101-1022

www.san.org

San Diego International Airport, commonly known as Lindbergh Field, handles more than 15 million passengers per year. The Lindbergh connection comes from the trans-Atlantic pilot Charles Lindbergh, represented on the south wall of the airport’s Commuter Terminal in a mural entitled “Lucky/Spirit”. His monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis, was built at San Diego’s Ryan Aeronautical Corporation. And Lindbergh flew a test flight in 1927 from San Diego to New York, leaving from New York later that same month for his famous nonstop flight to Paris.

Located off Interstate 5, San Diego International Airport is situated just north of downtown San Diego on Harbor Drive. Today, San Diego International Airport is the nation’s busiest single-runway commercial airport, and serves as a city-centric, sparkling gateway to America’s Finest City.

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Voter Registration

It is important to note that if you are registering to vote for the first time, changing your name or political party, or have moved to a new county, you must also complete a Voter Registration form to update the SOS Elections Division database. Give your completed Voter Registration form to a technician, and DMV will mail it to the SOS Elections Division office for updating.

When applying for or renewing your driver license or identification card at any DMV office, you have the opportunity of registering to vote.

When you have your new address, complete a DMV change of address form, and the Secretary of State (SOS) Elections Division will be notified of your address change. You can download the DMV Change of Address form DMV 14, or you may request a change of address form by calling your local DMV office at 1 (800) 777-0133.

Even if you are not conducting business with DMV, you may pick up Voter Registration forms at any DMV office. Compete the form and mail it to the SOS Elections Division preprinted address on the form.

Television

Radio

Newspapers

San Diego Union-Tribune

350 Camino de la Reina

San Diego, CA 92108

(800) 244-6397

www.signonsandiego.com

San Diego’s main daily paper.

Dining & Nightlife

San Diego is striving to become the culinary capital of California, with its wide assortment of restaurants and bars offering an array of cuisine to suit any taste. Known for fresh Mexican dishes and exceptional seafood, San Diego has some of the best dining in all of Southern California. Boasting an average temperature of 70 degrees, the city offers outdoor patio dining and breathtaking ocean views year round.

Downtown

Featuring over 16 square blocks of restaurants, bars and nightclubs, the historical Gaslamp Quarter is affectionately known as the entertainment hub of San Diego. Catch a glimpse of local street entertainers, watch the crowds or simply hang out with friends in this popular downtown district, which is frequently compared to the French Quarter of New Orleans.

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Art

If you should tire of admiring San Diego’s magnificent natural scenery, the city has a number of art museums that offer eye-candy of a different kind. Balboa Park offers many of these treasures, including the San Diego Museum of Art, which offers an impressive collection of Renaissance, Dutch, Spanish Baroque, Impressionist, Southeast Asian and Contemporary Californian works. Also located at Balboa Park, the Timken Museum of Art showcases an extensive collection of Russian icons and 14th Century religious paintings, while the Mingei International Museum has a delightful collection of pottery, textiles, ceremonial and daily-use objects from around the globe. The work of some of the world’s best photographers is displayed at the Museum of Photographic Arts. Meanwhile, Spanish Village Art Center offers visitors a chance to watch painters, glassblowers, sculptors and woodcarvers at work.

Those with more modern sensibilities may prefer the Museum of Contemporary Art, headquartered in La Jolla with a smaller branch downtown.

Music & Theater

Music

Options for classical music fanatics range from large concerts by the San Diego Symphony at Copley Symphony Hall to more intimate recitals by the San Diego Chamber Orchestra. The San Diego Opera season runs from January-May and consists of five operas performed at the Civic Theatre.

For those with slightly less rarefied musical tastes, San Diego offers an array of choices in rock, pop, jazz, folk, country, blues, hiphop and alternative music. Serious rockers head to the ultra-sleek Coors Amphitheatre, which seats up to 20,000 and has become a “must-play” venue for top musicians. The 14,000-seat San Diego Sports Arena also hosts big-name concerts. Smaller venues for upbeat tunes include Humphrey’s By The Bay or Juke Joint Cafe.

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Film

With giant multiplexes like the Gaslamp Stadium 15 Pacific Theatres and AMC Mission Valley 20, San Diego’s cinemas offer plenty of mass, if not exactly highbrow, fare. Meanwhile, independent, art-house and foreign films are shown at the Hillcrest Cinema or the Ken Cinema, the latter specializing in revivals and cutting edge independent film. In La Jolla, the Cove Theater features lesser-known films that are often ignored by the mainstream community.

Museums

Newcomers visitors to San Diego are often surprised by the variety of museums found here. The Museum of Man is an anthropological museum focusing on Native American, Southwestern, Mexican and South American cultures. In addition, the Junipero Serra Museum houses Native American and Spanish artifacts from the early days of the missionaries. Those not easily spooked should brave the Thomas Whaley Museum in Old Town, known for being haunted, a fact authenticated by no less than the United States Department of Commerce. Caveat Emptor, of course.

With a nod to San Diego’s once prominent status as a commercial seaport, the delightful San Diego Maritime Museum offers visitors a chance to tour three historic vessels. Furthermore, the Birch Aquarium boasts the largest oceanographic exhibit in the country.

Nature lovers can indulge themselves at the San Diego Natural History Museum, which highlights the desert ecology of Southern California and Mexico. Meanwhile, science and technology buffs will enjoy the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and Space Theater, which showcases a 3D tour of the ocean depths, rain forests and even outer space, all courtesy of IMAX.

Shopping

Fashion Valley Center

The class of San Diego malls, Fashion Valley has arguably the best of the upscale stores. Nordstrom, JC Penney, Macy’s, Nieman Marcus and Robinson’s May anchor this well appointed two-level outdoor mall. Where else will you find a Tiffany store? Good restaurants and an AMC multiplex make this a place to go beyond shopping. Burberry, Lily Pulitzer have opened, and new Sony Style store has way cool electronics.

Horton Plaza

Horton Plaza’s construction in the mid-80s jump-started the Gaslamp renaissance. Its multi-level, somewhat confusing whimsical architecture is a must-see for any San Diego visitor. Nordstrom, Macy’s and a wide array of shops and eateries make this the noontime stop for downtown workers.

Viejas Outlet Center

Not a shopping mall in the traditional sense, the Viejas Factory Outlet, opposite the Viejas Casino, is actually very pleasant. Not your typical outlet center, Viejas follows a Native American theme, with meandering walkways with water features. A wide array of wellknown outlet stores (Nike, Hilfiger) is made for the bargain hunter.

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Recommended Tours

Balboa Park

With 14 museums, four theaters, a sporting complex, numerous gardens, an open-air pipe organ, and the world’s most famous zoo on its premises, the 1,200-acre Balboa Park is the cultural and tourist center of San Diego. The official entrance to the park is from the west on Laurel Street, which turns into El Prado, a tree-lined boulevard that is also the park’s main pedestrian mall. One of the first buildings to greet the arriving visitor is the California Tower, whose facade is adorned with carved statues of famous Californians. The tower houses the Museum of Man, an anthropological museum documenting the Southwestern and Mexican cultures. Next to the museum, the Simon Edison Center for the Performing Arts houses the venerable Old Globe Theatre.

Continuing east on El Prado, you will soon come to the Plaza de Panama. On the south side of the square is the House of Charm, home to the delightful Mingei International Museum. The San Diego Museum of Art and the Timken Museum of Art are also located on this square, as well as the House of Hospitality, which functions as the Balboa Park Visitor’s Center.

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Sports

Football

The San Diego Chargers are a National Football League team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.

San Diego Chargers (619) 280-2121

4020 Murphy Canyon Rd.

San Diego, CA 92123-4407

printerns@chargers.nfl.com

www.chargers.com

Baseball

The Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League team which arrived in San Diego in 1936. That minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by then-18-year-old San Diegan Ted Williams.

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Education

Public Education

San Diego City Schools

San Diego City Schools (SDCS) serves approximately 134,000 students, and has marked more than 150 years of service to San Diego’s children. It is the second largest district in California, and seventh largest urban district in the United States. The student population is extremely diverse, representing more than 15 ethnic groups and over 60 languages and dialects. For general information about the district (619) 725-8000, sdcsinfo@sandi.net.

High Tech High

High Tech High is a new approach to public education. Launched by an industry and educator coalition, High Tech High is designed to immerse students in a rigorous learning environment that engages their interest in the fields of math, engineering, and science. In a newly designed learning center near downtown San Diego, High Tech High opened in September 2000 with approximately 200 9th and 10th grade students.

Higher Education

Community Colleges

Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.

The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.

The Los Rios Community College District (www.losrios.edu) consists of several two year colleges—American River College, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento City College, Folsom Lake College, plus a large number of outreach centers for those colleges.

Liberal Arts Colleges

Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.

Online Learning

Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes— and financial aid is equally available—while the cost to the institution can be much less.

There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.

Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.

Public vs. Private

Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.

Universities

Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.

Sacramento State University (www.csus.edu) was founded as Sacramento State College in 1947. In 2004, enrollment was 22,555 undergraduates and 5,417 graduate students in the university’s eight colleges. The 300 acre (1.2 km) campus is located along the American River Parkway a few miles east of downtown.

The University of California (www.ucdavis.edu) has a campus, UC Davis, in Davis, 15 miles west of Sacramento.

McGeorge School of Law (www.mcgeorge.edu) in Oak Park is the University of the Pacific’s law school.

Upper Division

Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.

Area Employers

A few of the many potential employers that can be found in the San Diego area.

Baxter International Inc.

7825 Fay Ave Ste 200

La Jolla, CA 92037

www.baxter.com

Hilton Hotels Corporation

14455 Penasquitos Drive

San Diego, CA 92129

www.hilton.com

IKON Office Solutions, Inc.

7420 Mission Valley Rd

San Diego, CA 92108

www.ikon.com

L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.

3033 Science Park Rd

San Diego, CA 92121

www.titan.com

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

5601 Oberlin Dr Ste 100

San Diego, CA 92121

www.labcorp.com

Lockheed Martin Corporation

3929 Calle Fortunada

San Diego, CA 92123

www.lmco.com

Marriott International, Inc.

333 W Harbor Dr

San Diego, CA 92101

www.marriott.com

Pfizer Inc.

10777 Science Center Dr

San Diego, CA 92121

www.agouron.com

QUALCOMM Incorporated

5775 Morehouse Dr

San Diego, CA 92121

www.qualcomm.com

Raytheon Company

8680 Balboa Ave.

San Diego, CA 92123

www.raytheon.com

SAIC, Inc.

10260 Campus Point Dr

San Diego, CA 92121

www.saic.com

Sempra Energy

101 Ash Street

San Diego, CA 92101

www.semprautilities.com

Tenet Health, Care Corporation

6655 Alvarado Rd

San Diego, CA 92120

www.tenethealth.com