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San Diego

Its perfect weather allows the best "active relaxation"

by Brian Hedberg

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With so many locals smiling here, it makes you wonder
what they’ve been up to. Maybe they simply love where they live. After all, San Diego doesn’t wear the tag “America’s Finest City” for nothing. Its natural beauty ranges from beaches and cliffs, to wetlands and desert, to canyons and mountains. The National Weather Service lauds San Diego’s climate as the most ideal in the U.S. Any allegations of dullness are countered by the city’s museums, galleries, and theaters, which comprise the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Plus, San Diego has been dubbed the “Sports and Fitness Capital of the United States” by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Photo Credit: Andrew Hudson and San Diego CVB

Most people associate San Diego with three entities: the Navy, the zoo, and Shamu. The seaside city serves as home to the world’s largest military complex, thanks to the Navy and Marine Corps. After cutbacks in the nation’s defense budget following the end of the Cold War, San Diego’s military-based economy rebounded through such industries as flower-growing, biotechnology, and wireless companies (earning the city the nickname “Telecom Valley”). The San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld (home to Shamu) headline the long list of attractions that make tourism another significant economy-booster.

Considered California’s birthplace and named after a 15th-century saint, San Diego started as a sleepy mission outpost before it incorporated in 1850, sharing the birthyear of its state. Today, California’s southwesternmost metropolis, which borders Mexico, is the state’s second largest and the nation’s seventh largest city. Non-Hispanic whites make up about half of San Diego County’s population, with Hispanics accounting for nearly one-fourth of its residents. Neighborhoods here offer a wide variety of housing choices, as they feature dwellings as diverse as beach cottages, vintage Victorians, equestrian ranches, and luxury condos.

Friendly and relaxed, yet conservative, San Diego gets a big thumbs-up on air quality, earthquake safety, historic monuments, shopping, and year-round outdoor recreation. Seventy miles of pristine beaches allow for surfing, sailboarding, boating, swimming, sunbathing, and the annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition. Recreational lands claim 45 percent of San Diego County, enticing hikers, golfers, bicyclists, and four-wheelers. For those who prefer spectator sports, events include games by four professional teams: the Padres (baseball), the Chargers (football), the Sockers (soccer), and the Gulls (hockey). The cost of living here is high, but San Diego clearly is worth the price.