San Diego County is a county located near the Pacific Ocean in the far southwest of the U.S. state of California. It is the southwesternmost county in the contiguous 48 states. The population in 2000 was 2,813,835, but a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,001,072 people, making it the third most populous county in California, just behind its northwestern neighbor Orange County. The county seat is the City of San Diego. San Diego County is part of the San Diego – Tijuana metropolitan area, an area with over 5 million people and the largest bi-national metropolitan area shared between the United States and Mexico.
San Diego County lies just north of the Mexican border, sharing a border with Tijuana. It lies south of Orange County and west of Imperial County. It is home to miles of beaches, a mild Mediterranean climate and 16 military facilities hosting the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Marine Corps.
History
The area which is now San Diego County has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years by Kumeyaay Indians, also called the Diegueños.
European settlement in what is now San Diego County began with the founding of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá by the Spanish, in 1769. The county was part of Alta California under the Viceroyalty of New Spain until the Mexican revolution. From 1821 until 1848 the area was part of Mexico
San Diego County became part of the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, ending the U.S.-Mexican War. This treaty designated the new border as terminating at a point on the Pacific Ocean coast which would result in the border passing one Spanish league south of the southernmost portion of San Diego Bay, thus ensuring that the United States received the natural harbor.
San Diego County was one of the original counties of California, and was created at the time of statehood in 1850. It was named after San Diego Bay, which had been rechristened in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno in honor of the Franciscan St. Didacus of Alcalá, known in Spanish as San Diego de Alcalá de Henares, and whose name was borne by Vizcaíno's flagship.
As originally created in 1850 San Diego County was quite large and included most of southeastern California south and east of Los Angeles County. As such it included major parts of what are now Inyo, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Imperial counties.
The later part of the 19th century witnessed numerous realignments of county boundaries. The most recent changes were the creation of Riverside County, in 1893, and Imperial County, in 1907.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,526 sq mi (11,721 km²). 4,200 sq mi (10,878 km²) of it is land and 326 sq mi (843 km²) of it (7.20%) is water.
San Diego County has varied topography. On its western side is seventy miles of coastline. Most of San Diego between the coast and the Laguna Mountains consists of hills, mesas, and canyons. Snow-capped mountains rise to the northeast, with the Sonoran Desert to the far east. Cleveland National Forest is spread across the central portion of the county, while Anza-Borrego Desert State Park occupies most of the northeast.
North San Diego County is known locally as "North County"; the exact geographic definitions of "North County" vary, but it includes the northern suburbs and sometimes certain northern neighborhoods of the city of San Diego.
The eastern suburbs are collectively known as "East County", though most still lie in the western third of the county. The southern suburbs and southern detached portion of the City of San Diego, extending to the Mexican border, is collectively referred to as "South Bay".
Cities and towns in San Diego County
Incorporated cities
- Carlsbad
- Carmel Vally
- Chula Vista
- Coronado
- Del Mar
- El Cajon
- Encinitas (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia, Olivenhain)
- Escondido
- Imperial Beach
- La Mesa
- Lemon Grove
- National City
- Oceanside (San Luis Rey)
- Poway
- San Diego
- San Marcos
- Santee
- Solana Beach
- Vista
Unincorporated communities
Urban communities of San Diego County
Main article: Urban communities of San Diego CountyIn San Diego County, many of the urban cities and communities are located on the south side of Interstate 8.
Adjacent counties and municipios
San DiegoOrangeRiversideImperialTijuana,Baja California,MexicoTecate,Baja California,MexicoPacificOceanCounties adjacent to San Diego County, California National protected areas
- Cabrillo National Monument
- Cleveland National Forest (part)
- San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes several individual wildlife refuge areas:
- San Diego Bay South Bay
- San Diego Bay Sweetwater Marsh
- Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge
- Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge
- San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
- Vernal Pools
State parks and protected areas
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (portions are also in Imperial and Riverside counties)
- Silver Strand State Beach
- Torrey Pines State Reserve
- Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
- Palomar Mountain State Park
- San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
- Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
- Border Field State Park
- Tijuana River Natural Estuarine Research Reserve
- San Onofre State Beach
- Moonlight State Beach
- Carlsbad State Beach
- South Carlsbad State Beach
- Leucadia State Beach
- San Elijo State Beach
- Cardiff State Beach
- Torrey Pines State Beach
- Silver Strand State Beach
Mountains
- Cuyamaca Mountains
- In-Ko-Pah Mountains
- Jacumba Mountains
- Laguna Mountains
- Palomar Mountain
- Peninsular Ranges
- San Ysidro Mountains
- Volcan Mountains
There are 236 mountain summits and peaks in San Diego County including:
- Black Mountain
- Cuyamaca Peak (second highest point in San Diego County)
- Cowles Mountain (highest point in the city of San Diego)
- Mount Helix
- Hot Springs Mountain (highest point in San Diego County)
- Mount Soledad
- Stonewall Mountain
Lakes
Rivers
- San Diego River
- San Luis Rey River
- San Dieguito River
- Sweetwater River (California)
- Otay River
- Tijuana River
Transportation infrastructure
Major highways
Airports
- 33°25'60.00"N 117°32'0.00"W
- 33°17'10.00"N 117°27'31.00"W
- Lindbergh Field, (SAN) a.k.a. San Diego International Airport
- Montgomery Field, (MYF)
- McClellan-Palomar Airport, (CLD or CRQ) a.k.a. Palomar Airport, Carlsbad Airport
- Gillespie Field, (SEE) located in El Cajon
- Agua Caliente Airport
- Borrego Valley Airport
- Fallbrook Airport
- Jacumba Airport
- Lake Wohlford (private, tiny)
- Oceanside Municipal Airport
- Ocotillo Airport
- Pauma Valley (private)
- Ramona Airport, (RNM)
- Brown Field, (SDM) (former East Field, NAAS Otay Mesa, and NAAS Brown Field)
- Carlsbad Airport
Military facilities
Navy
- Naval Air Station North Island
- Naval Base San Diego
- Naval Base Point Loma
- Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SPAWAR)
- Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
- Bob Wilson Naval Hospital (formerly Naval Medical Center San Diego, also known as Balboa Naval Hospital)
Marines
- Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
- Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
- Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Coast Guard
- Coast Guard Air Station San Diego
Sites of interest
- Mount Laguna Observatory - owned and primarily operated by San Diego State University (SDSU)
- Palomar Observatory - owned and primarily operated by California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- The Ramona Valley wine-producing region is located 28 miles (45 km) northeast of San Diego
- The San Diego Wild Animal Park, 35 miles (56 km) north of the San Diego Zoo and east of Escondido
- SeaWorld of San Diego is located on Mission Bay.
- Mission Bay Recreation Area, including Fiesta Island, is a sheltered bay popular for watersports and known for the annual Over the line tournament.
- Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first of California's 21 Spanish missions, is located in the city. It is an operating Roman Catholic parish and also is open for historical interest t
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