San Diego
San Diego (/ˌsæn diˈeɪɡoʊ/ ⓘ SAN dee-AY-goh, Spanish: [san ˈdjeɣo]) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast in Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.3 million residents, the city is the eighth-most populous in the United States and the second-most populous in the state of California after Los Angeles. The city is the seat of San Diego County, which has a population of nearly 3.3 million people as of 2021.[15] San Diego is known for its mild year-round Mediterranean climate, extensive beaches and parks, its long association with the United States Navy, and its recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center.
This article is about the city in California. For the county, see San Diego County, California. For other uses, see San Diego (disambiguation).
San Diego
United States
July 16, 1769
March 27, 1850[3]
Todd Gloria (D)
- • Brian Maienschein
D-77th District - • Chris Ward
D-78th District - • Akilah Weber
D-79th District - • David Alvarez
D-80th District
- • Brian Jones
R-38th District - • Toni Atkins
D-39th District - • Ben Hueso
D-40th District
372.42 sq mi (964.56 km2)
325.88 sq mi (844.02 km2)
46.54 sq mi (120.54 km2) 12.68%
1,591 ft (485 m)
0 ft (0 m)
1,386,932
1,381,611
4,255.96/sq mi (1,643.25/km2)
3,070,300 (US: 15th)
4,550.5/sq mi (1,756.9/km2)
3,276,208 (US: 18th)
San Diegan
$295.6 billion (2022)
Historically home to the Kumeyaay Native Americans, San Diego has been referred to as the Birthplace of California, since it was the first site visited and settled by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States.[16] Upon landing in San Diego Bay in 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for Spain, forming the basis for the settlement of Alta California 200 years later. The Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769, formed the first European settlement in what is now California. In 1821, San Diego became part of the newly declared Mexican Empire, which reformed as the First Mexican Republic two years later. California was conquered by the U.S. in 1848 following the Mexican–American War and was admitted to the union as a state in 1850.
San Diego's main economic engines are military and defense-related activities, tourism, international trade, research, and manufacturing. The city is the economic center of the San Diego–Tijuana conurbation, the second-most populous transborder metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere (after Detroit–Windsor), home to an estimated 4.9 million people as of 2012.[17] The primary border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, the San Ysidro Port of Entry, is the busiest international land border crossing in the world outside of Asia (fourth-busiest overall). The city's airport, San Diego International Airport, is the busiest single-runway airport in the world.[18]
Name[edit]
Etymology[edit]
San Diego's name can be traced back to the 16th century when Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno bestowed it upon the area in 1602. He named the bay and the surrounding area "San Diego de Alcalá" in honor of Saint Didacus of Alcalá.[19]
Kumeyaay Toponymy[edit]
Prior to the Spanish establishment of San Diego, the Kumeyaay town was called Kosa'aay, meaning "drying out place" in the Kumeyaay language.[20] After the establishment of San Diego, the Kumeyaay called town and city Tepacul Watai, meaning "Stacked Big".[21] Luiseño speakers in the North County region called it Pushuyi.[22]
