Encyclopedia > San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the home of numerous military facilities including Navy ports and Marine bases. It is the home port of two Navy carriers, the USS John C. Stennis and the USS Constellation, five amphibs[?], and numerous smaller ships. One of only two of the United States Marine Corps' Recruit Depots is located here.
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History San Diego was founded as a military post in 1602 by Sebastian Vizcaino near a Native American town called Nipaguay. Southern California was then part of the colony of New Spain. A mission was established here in 1769.
In 1822 San Diego became part of Mexico. In 1834 San Diego was incorporated as a town and Juan Maria Osuna elected the first mayor. It became part of the United States of America after the Mexican-American War.
In 1885 San Diego was linked to the rest of the nation by railroad. In 1886 San Diego was reincorporated as a city.
Significant U.S. Naval presence began in 1907 with the establishment of the Navy Coaling Station.
San Diego hosted two World's Fairs, the Panama-California Exposition[?] in 1915 and the California Pacific International Exposition[?] in 1935.
Since World War II the military has played a leading role in the local economy. Following the end of the Cold War the military presence has diminished considerably. San Diego has since become a center of the emerging biotech industry and is home to telecommunications giant Qualcomm.
Attractions
San Diego a major tourist destination, attracting visitors from all over the world. Noted San Diego tourist attractions include:
San Diego Zoo[?]
San Diego Wild Animal Park
Mission Bay[?]
Old Town[?]
Sea World[?]
San Diego is about 2 1/2 hours south of Los Angeles and about half an hour north of Mexico.
Geography San Diego is located at 32°46'46" North, 117°8'47" West (32.779541, -117.146344)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 963.6 km² (372.0 mi²). 840.0 km² (324.3 mi²) of it is land and 123.5 km² (47.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.82% water.
Demographics (2000 census) As of the census of 2000, there are 1,223,400 people, 450,691 households, and 271,315 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,456.4/km² (3,771.9/mi²). There are 469,689 housing units at an average density of 559.1/km² (1,448.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 60.18% White, 7.86% African American, 0.62% Native American, 13.65% Asian, 0.48% Pacific Islander, 12.39% from other races, and 4.83% from two or more races. 25.40% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 450,691 households out of which 30.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% are married couples living together, 11.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% are non-families. 28.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.30.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 100.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $45,733, and the median income for a family is $53,060. Males have a median income of $36,984 versus $31,076 for females. The per capita income for the city is $23,609. 14.6% of the population and 10.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.0% are under the age of 18 and 7.6% are 65 or older.
- City of San Diego Official Website (http://www.sannet.gov/)
- San Diego History (http://sandiegohistory.org/index)
Photo source: TimShell
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