Quick San Diego Facts

• San Diego is the 2nd largest city in California.
• San Diego is the 8th largest city in the United States.
• The estimated 2006 population within San Diego city limits was 1,256,951 people.
• San Diego county shares a border with Mexico, and Tijuana Mex. is one of the busiest border crossings in the world.
• The San Diego economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, biotechnology/biosciences, computer sciences, electronics manufacturing, defense-related manufacturing, financial and business services, ship-repair and construction, software development, telecommunications, and tourism.
• In 2004, San Diego had the 6th lowest crime rate for cities with over one million residents.
• Lindbergh International Airport or Lindbergh Field is the busiest single runway airport in the nation - over 17 million passengers fly in and out of this airport each year.
• San Diego is the site of the largest naval fleet in the world.

San Diego History At A Glance

• The area surrounding San Diego has long been inhabited by the Kumeyaay people - Native Americans inhabiting the extreme southwestern US and Mexico.



• The Kumeyaay still live on 13 reservations within San Diego County - Barona, Campo, Capitan Grande, Ewiiapaayp, Inaja, Jamul, La Posta, Manzanita, Mesa Grande, San Pasqual, Santa Ysabel, Sycuan, and Viejas.
• The Presidio of San Diego, a military post, was established in 1769 by Gaspar de Portola.
• After the end of the Mexican-American war and the gold rush of 1848, San Diego was designated the seat of the newly formed San Diego County.
• In the early 1900s the Navy Cooling Station was built, bringing in more residents and a booming economy.
• The post World War II economy took its toll on the local military and aerospace industries, causing an economic diversification that lead to involvement in biotech and communications.
• Beginning in the early 1980s, downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has been undergoing an urban revival. The results of this project can be seen in the reconstruction of Horton Plaza, revival of the Gaslamp area, and construction of the San Diego Convention Center.