San Diego — It’s My Town!
San Diego, California
The Port of San Diego has a huge repair facility for the ships that can be viewed from the Coronado Bridge, and Cabrillo National Monument. Coronado island is where naval recruits are trained for duty. Today, a good portion of San Diego’s military personnel is serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Camp Pendleton is one of the largest military training areas in the United States.
So, how did it all happen?
Just north of the city is La Jolla, California, one of the most elite and exclusive communities in the Western United States. A little further north on Torrey Pines road (which becomes Highway 101) is the famous stretch of beach known as Torrey Pines State Park. Besides sporting some of the most beaches in California the Park is full of hiking trails for outdoor enthusiasts.
East of San Diego the old mining town of Julian is located in the Desert Mountains that separate San Diego from Palm Springs, California. Julian is known for its’ unique shops, and its wonderful homemade apple pie.
Escondido, which is North of San Diego just off of Highway 15 is the site of the Lawrence Welk theme park.
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered San Diego in 1542. He was an interesting character. No one knows for sure where he was actually born, or where he is buried. He was a wealthy landowner and shipbuilder who also loved the art of discovery. After landing at San Diego, and doing some exploration, he and his crew continued up the California coast. He sustained an injury on the voyage, and died January 3, 1543. His crew went ahead and finished his work by exploring the whole coastal regions all the way up into modern day Oregon.
San Diego was an area that had only a few houses until 1790 when the population jumped to 200 people. At that time the remained small and there were no homes on the present day site of Old Town. Settlers did not settle in this particular area until 1820.
San Diego struggled as a community, and did not really start to grow until after the Mexican-American War when California was ceded to the United States in the final treaty signed by both U.S. and Mexican leaders. In 1846 the American military moved into San Diego, followed by the Mormon Battalion in 1847. Then in 1848 gold was discovered in Northern California, and the gold rush that followed caused a marked increase in the population all over the state.
San Diego struggled as a community, and did not really start to grow until after the Mexican-American War when California was ceded to the United States in the final treaty signed by both the U.S. and Mexican leaders. In 1846 the American military moved into San Diego, followed by the Mormon Battalion in 1847. Then in 1848 gold was discovered in Northern California, and the gold rush that followed caused a marked increase in the population all over the state.
Today San Diego is the 7th largest city in the United States. Lindbergh Field, the international airport is located on the bay near the downtown area. It is named after Charles A. Lindbergh because the first leg of his historical trans-Atlantic flight originated on North Island on May 9, 1927. He flew from San Diego to New York before making his epic journey to Paris. Palomar Mountain in North San Diego County is home to the famous Hale telescope, and is one of the finest astronomical locations in the Western Hemisphere. Old Town remains a unique shopping and business district visited by many thousands of people each year, The original San Diego Presidio which lies just above Old Town has been turned into a public park, and all along the main waterfront area several historic ships have found their final resting place. This collection is one of the worlds’ finest with The Star of India as the center of attention. The exhibit is hosted and maintained by the San Diego Maritime Museum.
A quick 30 minute drive south is Mexico. Tourists can take also take the San Diego Trolley down to the border. A special pass is needed to cross over into Mexico. By the end of 2008 anyone returning from Mexico will need a passport or special documentation Keep in mind that border regulations are must stricter today than they were a few years ago.
A nice way to see the whole west coast is to ride the train. The Amtrak train station is in downtown San Diego, and has rail service all the way to Seattle, Washington. Travelers would probably need to transfer somewhere on the route in to travel further than Northern California. Amtrak has several different service routes, but there are two that are the most popular. The Pacific Surfliner service goes as far north as San Luis Obispo. The Coast Starlight Service goes from Los Angeles to Seattle.
There is plenty do in San Diego and, for the most part, doing it in beautiful weather. Surf, hike, see the giant pandas and enjoy the easy life of San Diegans for a while.
San Diego! My home turf.
