|
|
About San Diego
|
|
|
Some Facts
|
|
|
Some Facts
San Diego is located 20 miles north of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico,
and 120 miles south of the city of Los Angeles. It is the second largest
city in California and the county seat of San Diego County. It has
an excellent natural harbor, which has made it an important shipping
and receiving point for Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and
Mexico's Baja California. It is also headquarters for the 11th U.S.
Naval District with major naval and marine training bases also located
here.
San Diego has large aerospace, electronic and shipbuilding industries,
and is an important center for biomedical research and oceanography.
It is also a distributing and processing point for the highly productive
Imperial Valley agricultural area to the east.
Because of San Diego's delightful climate, its 17 miles of public,
ocean beaches and many historic attractions and proximity to Mexico,
many visitors, convention groups, artists and retirees vacation here.
Its year-round mild climate, sunny days and warm ocean temperatures
make the San Diego coast one of the nation's surfing capitals.
Some guides to San Diego can be found at:
www.playsandiego.com
www.signonsandiego.com
www.sandiego.com
www.sandiego.org
www.cityguide.travel-guides.com
|
|
|
Who Lives Here?
|
|
|
There are about 2.7 million people calling San Diego home. The county’s
population is a little more than 1% of the total U.S. population.
San Diego is the 6th largest city in the United States. Ethnically
speaking, almost two-thirds of San Diegans are of European-American
heritage, one-quarter Latino-American , six percent African-American
, and nine percent Asian-American or Pacific Islander. Note also that
the county is home to a patchwork of small American Indian reservations.
The median age of San Diegans is 32 years, with 11% over 65, and a
third under 20. Three out of five San Diegans have some college education,
and San Diego has the fewest cigarette smokers among the major US
cities. The median household income is $35,800; the per capita income
is $20,384. San Diegans spend a median rent of $610 a month and the
average house value is $175,000. Of the registered voters in the county,
43% are Republicans, 36% Democrats, and the remainder are unaffiliated
or affiliated with other parties. |
|
|
The Weather
|
|
|
The standard weather forecast for San Diego goes like this: Night
and morning low clouds and fog turning sunny by afternoon, coastal
highs in the 70s, inland highs in the 80s, deserts in the mid-90s.
Here is the year’s rundown with average temperatures in parentheses:
January, chilly and rainy (47-63 Fahrenheit/8-17 Celsius); February,
chilly and rainy (48-63 F/9-17 C); March, warming up but still raining
(50-64 F/10-18 C); April, nice weather with occasional showers (53-66
F/12-19 C); May, nice with occasional fog and gloom (56-67 F/13-19
C); June, very foggy and gloomy (59-69 F/15-21 C); July, sunny (63-73
F/15-21 C); August, sunny and hot (64-74 F/18-23 C); September, sunny
and occasionally humid (62-73 F/17-23 C); October, perfect weather
(57-71 F/14-22 C); November, first two weeks just like October, turning
colder the last two weeks (52-69 F/11-21 C); December, clear but cooler
with long shadows and a little rain (48-65 F/9-18 C).
Overall, the skies are clear about 41% of the time, partly cloudy
32% of the time, and cloudy 27% of the time. The annual rainfall is
10 inches or 25 cm.
A phenomenon that occurs in September and October is the Santa
Anas. These winds flow from the desert to the ocean, bringing heat,
high winds, and extreme dryness. Fire danger becomes extremely high
at this time.
|
|
|
Colleges & Universities
|
|
|
San Diego is filled with places of higher learning. This is a definite
benefit as it ensures a large number of liberal-minded intellectual
young people will be in and about the city. These schools are also
a great place to take a night class if you want to brush up on a language
or learn a new artistic skill. University of California San Diego
("UCSD"; www.ucsd.edu),
San Diego State University ("SDSU"/"State"; www.sdsu.edu),
University of San Diego ("USD"; www.acusd.edu),
and San Diego City College ("City"; www.city.sdccd.cc.ca.us)
are the big universities. Some smaller schools include San Diego Mesa
College (intergate.sdmesa.sdccd.cc.ca.us),
San Diego Miramar College (www.miramar.sdccd.cc.ca.us),
Miracosta College, National University (www.nu.edu),
Palomar College (www.palomar.edu), Grossmont College (grossmont.gcccd.cc.ca.us),
and The Learning Annex (www.thelearningannex.com). |
|
|
Local
Media
San Diego has two major papers, The Union Tribune (www.uniontrib.com)
and The Reader (www.sdreader.com). |
|
|
The
Reader: This freebie appears at thousands of drop sites around
San Diego every Thursday morning (including the Green Hospital Cafeteria
and the Beckman coffee cart). Read The Reader to find out what’s
going on in town during the weekend and the upcoming week. This paper
features extensive listings of happenings around town, including lectures,
theatre events, concerts, cultural events, and art exhibitions, as
well as restaurant listings, and movie reviews. You’ll also get
a unique perspective on local and regional politics – the story
you won’t get from the Union Tribune. |
|
|
The
Union Tribune: San Diego’s only citywide daily paper. As
a whole, it is a bland piece of work, filled with mature journalism
that is precisely reported. The UT more often than not carries its
editorial slant to page A-1 and stuffs the pertinent news somewhere
else. It is useful for learning about local happenings, and the Classifieds
Section is a great place to find things from housing to video games.
Every Thursday an insert called Night and Day comes with the UT. This
is their version of The Reader. It is not quite as info-packed but
it sometimes has interesting ideas for things to do. |
|
|
Local Radio
|
|
|
There are many radio stations in San Diego which play a wide variety
of music. Here’s a quick run down of the most popular stations:
KSDO 1130 - San Diego - business coverage.
XTRA 91.1 - San Diego - X-91. Alternative music.
KHTZ 90.3 - Chula Vista - also called "Jammin' Z-90 San Diego."
KIFM 98.1 - San Diego - smooth jazz from The Breeze.
KFMB 760 - San Diego - talk radio and Padres coverage.
KBZT 94.9 - San Diego - playing the best of the 80s.
KGB 101.5 - San Diego
KMYI 94.1 - San Diego - My 94.1 - a mix of rock from the 80s, 90s,
and today.
KPBS 89.5 - San Diego - member-supported public radio serving the
San Diego area.
KHTS 93.3 - San Diego - hit music station.
KPRI 102.1 - San Diego - Authentic Rock 102.1 in San Diego. Contains
community calendar, upcoming concerts, and rock news.
KHRM 92.5 - San Diego - R&B oldies.
KIOZ 105.3 - San Diego - rock music.
Free Radio San Diego 96.9 - San Diego - includes history, format information,
message board, request list, and station news.
KSDS 88.3 - San Diego - jazz. Internet broadcast available.
KSDM - San Diego
|
|
|
Important Phone Numbers
|
|
|
Animal Control:
858-694-3900 www.sddac.com
Beach Weather/Surf Reports: 619-221-8824
City of San Diego Water Utilities Department: 619-515-3500
Department of Motor Vehicles: 1-800-777-0133
Directory Assistance: 411
Fire Department: 619-533-3492
SBC: 1-800-310-BELL
Parking Citation Information: 619-236-7145
Police Department: 619-531-2000
Post Office: 1-800-275-8777
San Diego Gas and Electric: 1-800-411-SDGE
San Diego International Airport/Lindbergh Field: 619-231-7361
Street Lights/Traffic Signal Information: 619-527-7500
Street Maintenance/Potholes: 619-527-7500
Time/Temperature: 619-853-1212
Water Department Emergency Hotline: 619-515-3525
Weather: 619-289-1212
City of San Diego Services: www.sandiego.gov/directories/departments.shtml
Emergency Calls Only - 911
Fire and Rescue/Police, Sheriff and Highway Patrol/Ambulance,
Paramedics/Coast Guard, Search and Rescue
|
Top
|
