 The San Diego region has the Pacific
Ocean on the West, forming the communities of
Coronado,
Ocean Beach,
Mission Beach,
Pacific Beach,
La Jolla
and
Carlsbad.
The mountains and desert on the East form the communities of
Downtown El Cajon,
Village of La Mesa
and
Alpine
. Mexico is to the South and the Marine base Camp Pendleton to the North
with
Downtown Escondido.
In between, much of San Diego sits on
high flat mesas separated by deep canyons forming natural neighborhoods such
as
Normal Heights,
Kensington
along
Adams Avenue,
University
Heights,
North Park,
City Heights,
Hillcrest,
The Boulevard,
South Park
and the
College Area.
In and around Mission Valley you will find Old Town San Diego and
Fashion Valley.
San Diego's second bay is
Mission Bay
where
Sea World is located.
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 Before
San Diego was an American city in 1850; before San Diego's Mission de Alcala in
1769 and before the first Christian service in 1602, San Diego was inhabited by
the original San Diegans: the Kumeyaay people who still live in San Diego and
flourish due to investments in Indian gaming
casinos and
hotels. In 1847 San Diego's first courthouse was built of brick by survivors
of the Mormon Battalion in
Old
Town San Diego after a 2,000 mile trek. San Diego's US Navy presence
began with a coaling station in 1907 located in San Diego Bay. San Diego had two
World's Fairs: 1915 was the Panama-California Exposition and in 1935 was the
California Pacific International Exposition. Many of the buildings from these
fairs later became the core of San Diego's
Balboa Park,
and an animal exhibit the beginnings of the world famous San Diego Zoo.
 Although
best known for the Navel bases, San Diego has attracted major employers in the
biotechnology and telecommunications industries. Starting in the 1980's San
Diego's downtown area began a redevelopment starting with
Seaport Village,
Horton Plaza and the
Gaslamp Quarter
District revival. Many high-end restaurants, hotels and boutique shops are
now in the area, along the the latest Padres PETCO Ballpark.
 Getting
around San Diego is easy on the San Diego Trolley and getting in and out of town
by train takes you to The Coaster and Amtrak. Cycling is a common transportation
system in San Diego as is walking. For the rest of us coming to San Diego there
is the San Diego International Airport
near downtown San Diego and the Bay. San Diego is also homeport to several
cruise lines including Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America
and Royal Caribbean taking you to Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Panama Canal and the
Caribbean.
 In
San Diego you will pretty much find mild, dry weather. In the winter you will
need a light jacket, especially at night. The rains in San Diego also come in
winter, but you can plan well ahead. Sometimes in the summer months a Santa Ana
wind may blow down from the mountains, creating a few days of hot, dry and windy
conditions. These are short-lived events. May sometimes brings "gray" and June
brings "gloom" and fog may show up these months. Yet, San Diego still is famous
for have the best climate in the United States.
San Diego's best
hotels can be found near San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, Downtown and La Jolla.
Things to do include the beaches, Balboa Park with the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld,
the Wild Animal Park, Gas Lamp Quarter, Seaport Village and Legoland. San Diego
has a wide selection of golf courses that are open all year around.
The two big public universities in San Diego are San Diego State University
(SDSU), and the University Of California, San Diego (UCSD). Private schools
include Alliant International University, Design Institute of San Diego, the Art
Institute of California and Point Loma Nazarene University.
 San
Diego has a well-developed cultural scene. Some of the better known museums
include the San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the
San Diego Museum of Man and the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.
Early exhibits of works by Andy Warhol put the Museum of Contemporary Art San
Diego, (located in La Jolla) on the map. A growing art community can be found on
Ray Street in North Park. Monthly Ray at Night events showcase local artists.
Along with many small venues, several large stages in San Diego host the San
Diego Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park,
the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera and north of San Diego the California
Center for the Arts in the city of Escondido.
 Major
tourist attractions include the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, SeaWorld,
Legoland, Balboa Park as well as early Spanish missions. If you are coming to
San Diego from Yokohama Japan; Edinburgh Scotland; Warsaw Poland; Tijuana Mexico
or Perth Australia, know that you are coming from one of San Diego's Sister
Cities.
For surfers, there are the biggies of Windansea, Black's Beach and Swamis. Major
league baseball is provided by the San Diego Padres.
San Diego publications include mainstream San Diego Daily Transcript and San
Diego Union-Tribune newspapers and San Diego Magazine. More counter-culture
papers are the San Diego CityBeat and San Diego Reader.
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