History of San Diego, California
Encyclopedia
The recorded history of the San Diego, California
, region goes back to the Spanish penetration of California in the 16th century.
Native American
people. The first European to visit the region was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
. Cabrillo was Portuguese
(his name in Portuguese was Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho) but he was a long-term resident of Spanish America. He was commissioned by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza
to continue the explorations of California. In 1542, Cabrillo discovered San Diego Bay
, which he named San Miguel. He went ashore, probably in the Ballast Point
area of Point Loma
. His landing is re-enacted every year at the Cabrillo Festival sponsored by Cabrillo National Monument
.
The bay and the area of present-day San Diego were given their current name sixty years later by Sebastián Vizcaíno
when he was mapping the coastline of Alta California
for Spain in 1602. The explorers camped near a Native American
village called Nipaguay and celebrated mass
in honor of San Diego de Alcala (Saint Didacus of Alcalá
). California was then part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain under the Audiencia of Guadalajara
.
In 1769, Gaspar de Portolà
and his expedition founded the Presidio of San Diego
(military post), and on July 16, Franciscan
friars Junípero Serra
, Juan Viscaino and Fernando Parron raised and 'blessed a cross', establishing the first mission in upper Las Californias
, Mission San Diego de Alcala
. Colonists began arriving in 1774. In the following year the Kumeyaay
indigenous people rebelled against the Spanish. They killed the priest and two others, and burned the mission. Father Serra organized the rebuilding, and two years later a fire-proof adobe
and tile-roofed structure was built. By 1797 the mission had become the largest in California, with a population of more than 1,400 presumably converted
Native American "Mission Indians
" relocated to and associated with it.
in the Mexican War for Independence. The Mexican Province of Alta California
was created. The San Diego Mission was secularized in 1834, and 432 people petitioned Governor José Figueroa
to form a pueblo
. Commandant Santiago Arguello
endorsed it. Juan María Osuna
was elected the first alcalde ('mayor
'), winning over Pío Pico
in the 13 ballots cast. Beyond town Mexican land grant
s expanded the number of California Ranchos that modestly added to the local economy.
The original town of San Diego was located at the foot of Presidio Hill, in the area which is now Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
. The location was not ideal, being several miles away from navigable water. Imported goods and exports (primarily tallow and hides) had to be carried over the La Playa Trail to the anchorages in Point Loma
. This arrangement was suitable only for a very small town. In 1830 the population was about 600; in 1838 the town lost its pueblo status because of its dwindling population, estimated as 100 to 150 residents.
. San Diego, still little more than a village, was incorporated as a city and was named the county seat
of the newly established San Diego County. The United States Census
reported the population of the town as 650 in 1850 and 731 in 1860.
In 1867 a newcomer to San Diego named Alonzo Horton
became convinced that the town needed a location nearer the water to improve trade. He bought 960 acres (388.5 ha) of bayfront land several miles south of the town, an area that would become Downtown San Diego. He built a wharf and began to promote development there. The area was referred to as New Town or the Horton Addition. Despite opposition from the residents of the original settlement, which became known as “Old Town”, businesses and residents flocked to New Town and San Diego experienced the first of its many real estate booms. In 1871 government records were moved to a new county courthouse in New Town, and by the 1880s New Town (or downtown) had totally eclipsed Old Town as the heart of the growing city.
In 1878, San Diego was predicted to become a rival of San Francisco’s trading ports. As a result, the manager of Central Pacific Railroad
at the time, Charles Crocker
, decided not to build a station from Northern California to San Diego, fearing that San Diego would take all the trades from coming in to San Francisco. Although he had wanted to build a railway to Southern California to engage in trade, Crocker decided on the then small town Los Angeles, which did not have any sort of trading port at the time.
In 1885 a transcontinental railroad transfer route came to San Diego, and the population boomed, reaching 16,159 by 1890. In 1906 the San Diego and Arizona Railway
of John D. Spreckels
was built to provide San Diego with a direct transcontinental rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad
lines in El Centro, California
. It became the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
, and then in 1933 the Spreckels' heirs sold it to the Southern Pacific Railroad.
, and expanded greatly during the 1920s. Camp Kearny was established in 1917, closed in 1920, later reopened, and eventually became the site of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
. Naval Base San Diego was established in 1922, as was the San Diego Naval Hospital
. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
was commissioned in 1921 and the San Diego Naval Training Center
in 1923. (The Naval Training Center was closed on April 30, 1997.)
in 1915, and the California Pacific International Exposition
in 1935. The expositions left a lasting legacy in the form of Balboa Park
, the San Diego Zoo
, and popularizing Mission Revival Style
and Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
locally and in Southern California
as a regional aesthetic, and influencing design in the nation.
, the military has played a leading role in the local economy. Following the end of the Cold War
the military presence diminished considerably. San Diego has since become a center of the emerging biotech industry and is home to telecommunications giant Qualcomm
.
which left the city with an estimated $1.4 billion pension fund gap. Despite mounting problems with city finances, the incumbent Mayor Dick Murphy
narrowly won re-election in 2004 with a plurality of votes. The result was controversial because a third candidate, city councilmember Donna Frye
, had run as a write-in candidate in the general election despite uncertainty about whether that was permitted by the city code and city charter. Frye may have gotten more votes than Murphy, but more than 5,000 write-in votes for her were disqualified because the voter did not fill a bubble in addition to writing in her name. Just a few months into his second term and under mounting pressure, Murphy announced in April 2005 that he would resign by mid-July.
A few days after his resignation took effect, two city councilmembers, Ralph Inzunza
and deputy mayor Michael Zucchet
, were convicted for taking bribes in a scheme to get the city's "no touch" laws at strip clubs repealed. Zucchet, as deputy mayor, was slated to replace Murphy as mayor. Inzunza and Zucchet resigned; a third accused councilmember died before trial. Zucchet's conviction was later overturned.
On July 26, 2005, a special election was held to replace Murphy. Frye received the most votes in the primary with 43% of the vote, but lacked the majority required to win outright. She lost the run-off election to the second place finisher, former San Diego police chief Jerry Sanders
, on a November 8, 2005 ballot.
Beyond the issues regarding the city government, San Diego has experienced scandal on the Federal
level as well. On November 28, 2005, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, resigned after a bribery
scandal. Cunningham represented California's 50th congressional district, one of San Diego's congressional district
s. Because of the scandal, San Diego briefly removed references to its longtime nickname, "America's Finest City", from its official city website, as reported by the Associated Press
. As of December 5, 2005, the nickname appeared on San Diego's website once again, as pledged by mayor Jerry Sanders at his inauguration ceremony.
Other recent problems for San Diego have revolved around the city's troubled relationship with the San Diego Chargers
and that football team's request for an improved venue. The somewhat embittered negotiations between the City and the Chargers have led many to speculate that the Chargers will attempt to leave San Diego, with Los Angeles as the supposed destination.
, the area has been rejuvenated. Since the 1980s
the city has seen the opening of Horton Plaza, the revival of the Gaslamp Quarter, and the construction of the San Diego Convention Center
. A recent boom on the construction of condos and skyscrapers (especially focusing on mixed-use facilities), a gentrification
trend especially in Little Italy
, and the inauguration of Petco Park
in the once blighted East Village
highlight the continuing development of downtown. Center city population is expected to rise to 90,000 residents within a decade; 30,000 people currently reside in downtown San Diego.
A successful renewal by 'gentrification
' is the Hillcrest
neighborhood, known for its historic architecture, tolerance, diversity, and locally-owned businesses, including restaurants, cafés, bars, clubs, trendy thrift-stores, and other independent specialty stores. Hillcrest has a high population density, compared to many other neighborhoods in San Diego, and it has a large and active lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT
) community.
This renewal extended to the surrounding neighborhoods in the 1990s, especially in older urban neighborhoods immediately north of Balboa Park such as North Park
and City Heights
.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, region goes back to the Spanish penetration of California in the 16th century.
Pre-colonial and colonial period
The area has long been inhabited by the KumeyaayKumeyaay
The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai, Kamia, or formerly Diegueño, are Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. They live in the states of California in the US and Baja California in Mexico. In Spanish, the name is commonly spelled...
Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people. The first European to visit the region was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...
. Cabrillo was Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
(his name in Portuguese was Joao Rodrigues Cabrilho) but he was a long-term resident of Spanish America. He was commissioned by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza
Antonio de Mendoza y Pacheco, Marquis of Mondéjar, Count of Tendilla , was the first viceroy of New Spain, serving from April 17, 1535 to November 25, 1550, and the second viceroy of Peru, from September 23, 1551 to July 21, 1552...
to continue the explorations of California. In 1542, Cabrillo discovered San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
, which he named San Miguel. He went ashore, probably in the Ballast Point
Ballast Point Light
Ballast Point Light was a lighthouse in California, situated on Ballast Point, a tiny peninsula extending into San Diego Bay from Point Loma, San Diego, California. The lighthouse was torn down in 1960; the site is now on the grounds of Naval Base Point Loma. Ballast Point was the last lighthouse...
area of Point Loma
Point Loma, San Diego, California
Point Loma is a seaside community of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town and the north by the San Diego River...
. His landing is re-enacted every year at the Cabrillo Festival sponsored by Cabrillo National Monument
Cabrillo National Monument
Cabrillo National Monument is located at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California. It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later...
.
The bay and the area of present-day San Diego were given their current name sixty years later by Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
when he was mapping the coastline of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
for Spain in 1602. The explorers camped near a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
village called Nipaguay and celebrated mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
in honor of San Diego de Alcala (Saint Didacus of Alcalá
Didacus of Alcalá
Saint Didacus of Alcalá, , Saint Diego, was a lay brother of the Order of Friars Minor who died at Alcalá de Henares, Spain, November 12, 1463.-History:...
). California was then part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain under the Audiencia of Guadalajara
Real Audiencia of Guadalajara
The Real Audiencia of Guadalajara was the highest tribunal of the Spanish crown in what is today northern Mexico and the southwestern United States in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was created by royal decree on February 13, 1548, and was originally located in Compostela and permanently seated...
.
In 1769, Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar de Portolà i Rovira was a soldier, governor of Baja and Alta California , explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey. He was born in Os de Balaguer, province of Lleida, in Catalonia, Spain, of Catalan nobility. Don Gaspar served as a soldier in the Spanish army in Italy and Portugal...
and his expedition founded the Presidio of San Diego
Presidio of San Diego
El Presidio Reál de San Diego is an historical fort established on May 14, 1769, by Commandant Pedro Fages for Spain. It was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Coast of the United States. As the first of the presidios and Spanish missions in California, it was the base of...
(military post), and on July 16, Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra
Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...
, Juan Viscaino and Fernando Parron raised and 'blessed a cross', establishing the first mission in upper Las Californias
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
, Mission San Diego de Alcala
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, in San Diego, California, was the first Franciscan mission in the Las Californias Province of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was founded in 1769 by Spanish friar Junípero Serra in an area long inhabited by the Kumeyaay Indians...
. Colonists began arriving in 1774. In the following year the Kumeyaay
Kumeyaay
The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai, Kamia, or formerly Diegueño, are Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. They live in the states of California in the US and Baja California in Mexico. In Spanish, the name is commonly spelled...
indigenous people rebelled against the Spanish. They killed the priest and two others, and burned the mission. Father Serra organized the rebuilding, and two years later a fire-proof adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
and tile-roofed structure was built. By 1797 the mission had become the largest in California, with a population of more than 1,400 presumably converted
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
Native American "Mission Indians
Mission Indians
Mission Indians is a term for many Native California tribes, primarily living in coastal plains, adjacent inland valleys and mountains, and on the Channel Islands in central and southern California, United States. The tribes had established comparatively peaceful cultures varying from 250 to 8,000...
" relocated to and associated with it.
Mexican period
In 1821 Mexico won victory over the Spanish EmpireSpanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
in the Mexican War for Independence. The Mexican Province of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
was created. The San Diego Mission was secularized in 1834, and 432 people petitioned Governor José Figueroa
José Figueroa
General José Figueroa , was a General and the Mexican territorial Governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835.Figueroa oversaw the initial secularization of the missions of upper California, which included the expulsion of the Spanish Franciscan mission officials.This also involved the issuing of...
to form a pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
. Commandant Santiago Arguello
Santiago Argüello
-Life:Santiago Argüello was born in Monterey, California, the son of José Darío Argüello, a soldier, and María Ignacia Moraga, a niece of the acting governor of Alta California. Argüello was tall and stout. His fair complexion and black hair, along with his reserved manner gave him a regal...
endorsed it. Juan María Osuna
Juan María Osuna
Juan María Osuna was an early settler of San Diego, California-Life:Juan María Osuna was born 1785 in California to Juan Hismerio Osuna and Maria Alvarado. He was a soldier and corporal of the San Diego Company and settled in San Diego...
was elected the first alcalde ('mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
'), winning over Pío Pico
Pío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
in the 13 ballots cast. Beyond town Mexican land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
s expanded the number of California Ranchos that modestly added to the local economy.
The original town of San Diego was located at the foot of Presidio Hill, in the area which is now Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the town of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was...
. The location was not ideal, being several miles away from navigable water. Imported goods and exports (primarily tallow and hides) had to be carried over the La Playa Trail to the anchorages in Point Loma
Point Loma, San Diego, California
Point Loma is a seaside community of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town and the north by the San Diego River...
. This arrangement was suitable only for a very small town. In 1830 the population was about 600; in 1838 the town lost its pueblo status because of its dwindling population, estimated as 100 to 150 residents.
Joining the United States
Alta California became part of the United States in 1850 following the U.S. victory in the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
. San Diego, still little more than a village, was incorporated as a city and was named the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the newly established San Diego County. The United States Census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
reported the population of the town as 650 in 1850 and 731 in 1860.
In 1867 a newcomer to San Diego named Alonzo Horton
Alonzo Horton
Alonzo Erastus Horton was an American real estate developer in the nineteenth century. The Horton Plaza mall in downtown San Diego is named for him.-Early life:...
became convinced that the town needed a location nearer the water to improve trade. He bought 960 acres (388.5 ha) of bayfront land several miles south of the town, an area that would become Downtown San Diego. He built a wharf and began to promote development there. The area was referred to as New Town or the Horton Addition. Despite opposition from the residents of the original settlement, which became known as “Old Town”, businesses and residents flocked to New Town and San Diego experienced the first of its many real estate booms. In 1871 government records were moved to a new county courthouse in New Town, and by the 1880s New Town (or downtown) had totally eclipsed Old Town as the heart of the growing city.
In 1878, San Diego was predicted to become a rival of San Francisco’s trading ports. As a result, the manager of Central Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
at the time, Charles Crocker
Charles Crocker
Charles Crocker was an American railroad executive.-Early years:Crocker was born in Troy, New York, to a modest family and moved to an Indiana farm at age 14. He soon became independent, working on several farms, a sawmill, and at an iron forge. In 1845 he founded a small, independent iron...
, decided not to build a station from Northern California to San Diego, fearing that San Diego would take all the trades from coming in to San Francisco. Although he had wanted to build a railway to Southern California to engage in trade, Crocker decided on the then small town Los Angeles, which did not have any sort of trading port at the time.
In 1885 a transcontinental railroad transfer route came to San Diego, and the population boomed, reaching 16,159 by 1890. In 1906 the San Diego and Arizona Railway
San Diego and Arizona Railway
The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a short line American railroad founded by "sugar heir," developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels, and dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved...
of John D. Spreckels
John D. Spreckels
John Diedrich Spreckels , the son of German-American industrialist Claus Spreckels, founded a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
was built to provide San Diego with a direct transcontinental rail link to the east by connecting with the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
lines in El Centro, California
El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also...
. It became the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line American railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels...
, and then in 1933 the Spreckels' heirs sold it to the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Military presence
Significant U.S. Navy presence began in 1901, with the establishment of the Navy Coaling Station in Point LomaPoint Loma, San Diego, California
Point Loma is a seaside community of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town and the north by the San Diego River...
, and expanded greatly during the 1920s. Camp Kearny was established in 1917, closed in 1920, later reopened, and eventually became the site of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , formerly Naval Air Station Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force...
. Naval Base San Diego was established in 1922, as was the San Diego Naval Hospital
Bob Wilson Naval Hospital
Naval Medical Center San Diego , also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", is a technologically advanced Navy medical treatment facility. Located within the grounds of Balboa Park in San Diego, the hospital has played a role in the history of San...
. The Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former Naval Training Center San Diego...
was commissioned in 1921 and the San Diego Naval Training Center
Naval Training Center San Diego
Naval Training Center San Diego is a former United States Navy base located at the north end of San Diego Bay. The Naval Training Center site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and many of the individual structures are designated as historic by the city of San Diego.The base...
in 1923. (The Naval Training Center was closed on April 30, 1997.)
World's Fairs
San Diego hosted two World's Fairs, the Panama-California ExpositionPanama-California Exposition (1915)
The Panama-California Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California between March 9, 1915 and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, and was meant to tout San Diego as the first U.S. port of call for ships traveling north after passing westward...
in 1915, and the California Pacific International Exposition
California Pacific International Exposition (1935)
The California Pacific International Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California during May 29, 1935–November 11, 1935 and February 12, 1936–September 9, 1936...
in 1935. The expositions left a lasting legacy in the form of Balboa Park
Balboa Park (San Diego)
Balboa Park is a urban cultural park in San Diego, California. The park is named after the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa...
, the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
, and popularizing Mission Revival Style
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
and Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
locally and in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
as a regional aesthetic, and influencing design in the nation.
Modern San Diego
Since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the military has played a leading role in the local economy. Following the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the military presence diminished considerably. San Diego has since become a center of the emerging biotech industry and is home to telecommunications giant Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
.
Recent scandals
Beginning in 2003, the public became aware of an ongoing pension fund scandalSan Diego Pension Scandal
The San Diego City Employee's Retirement Pension Fund was the source of a multiyear scandal and has been an ongoing financial concern for the city of San Diego, California. This scandal has been compared to a similar scandal in Bell, California...
which left the city with an estimated $1.4 billion pension fund gap. Despite mounting problems with city finances, the incumbent Mayor Dick Murphy
Dick Murphy
Richard M. Murphy is a former U.S. politician. He served as the 33rd Mayor of San Diego, California from 2000 to 2005-Early life:...
narrowly won re-election in 2004 with a plurality of votes. The result was controversial because a third candidate, city councilmember Donna Frye
Donna Frye
Donna Frye was a member of the San Diego City Council, representing District 6. Her term ended December 6 2010.Frye was born in 1952 in Pennsylvania, the second of three children...
, had run as a write-in candidate in the general election despite uncertainty about whether that was permitted by the city code and city charter. Frye may have gotten more votes than Murphy, but more than 5,000 write-in votes for her were disqualified because the voter did not fill a bubble in addition to writing in her name. Just a few months into his second term and under mounting pressure, Murphy announced in April 2005 that he would resign by mid-July.
A few days after his resignation took effect, two city councilmembers, Ralph Inzunza
Ralph Inzunza
Ralph Inzunza was a San Diego City Council District Eight representative elected in February 2001 who resigned in 2005 along with Councilman Michael Zucchet after being involved in a corruption scandal...
and deputy mayor Michael Zucchet
Michael Zucchet
Michael J. Zucchet is a San Diego-born American Democratic politician, a former member of the San Diego City Council, and a former Deputy Mayor of San Diego...
, were convicted for taking bribes in a scheme to get the city's "no touch" laws at strip clubs repealed. Zucchet, as deputy mayor, was slated to replace Murphy as mayor. Inzunza and Zucchet resigned; a third accused councilmember died before trial. Zucchet's conviction was later overturned.
On July 26, 2005, a special election was held to replace Murphy. Frye received the most votes in the primary with 43% of the vote, but lacked the majority required to win outright. She lost the run-off election to the second place finisher, former San Diego police chief Jerry Sanders
Jerry Sanders (politician)
Gerald Robert "Jerry" Sanders is an American politician, Mayor of San Diego, California, and former Chief of Police.-Personal life:...
, on a November 8, 2005 ballot.
Beyond the issues regarding the city government, San Diego has experienced scandal on the Federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
level as well. On November 28, 2005, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, resigned after a bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
scandal. Cunningham represented California's 50th congressional district, one of San Diego's congressional district
Congressional district
A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...
s. Because of the scandal, San Diego briefly removed references to its longtime nickname, "America's Finest City", from its official city website, as reported by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. As of December 5, 2005, the nickname appeared on San Diego's website once again, as pledged by mayor Jerry Sanders at his inauguration ceremony.
Other recent problems for San Diego have revolved around the city's troubled relationship with the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and that football team's request for an improved venue. The somewhat embittered negotiations between the City and the Chargers have led many to speculate that the Chargers will attempt to leave San Diego, with Los Angeles as the supposed destination.
Urban renewal projects
The downtown area of San Diego suffered from neglect and blight in the 1960s, but under the initiative of the Centre City Development CorporationCentre City Development Corporation
The Centre City Development Corporation is a public, non-profit corporation created by the City of San Diego in 1975 to staff and implement Downtown redevelopment projects and programs.-About:...
, the area has been rejuvenated. Since the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
the city has seen the opening of Horton Plaza, the revival of the Gaslamp Quarter, and the construction of the San Diego Convention Center
San Diego Convention Center
The San Diego Convention Center is the primary convention center in San Diego, California. It is located in the Marina district of downtown San Diego near the Gaslamp Quarter, at 111 West Harbor Drive...
. A recent boom on the construction of condos and skyscrapers (especially focusing on mixed-use facilities), a gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
trend especially in Little Italy
Little Italy, San Diego, California
Little Italy is a somewhat hilly neighborhood in Downtown San Diego, California that was originally a predominately Italian fishing neighborhood...
, and the inauguration of Petco Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
in the once blighted East Village
East Village, San Diego, California
East Village is a neighborhood in San Diego, California. It is the largest district in the downtown of San Diego, and is located east of the Gaslamp Quarter and southeast of the Core district and Cortez Hill. East village has gone through extensive and rapid redevelopment, especially near Petco...
highlight the continuing development of downtown. Center city population is expected to rise to 90,000 residents within a decade; 30,000 people currently reside in downtown San Diego.
A successful renewal by 'gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
' is the Hillcrest
Hillcrest, San Diego, California
Hillcrest is a neighborhood in San Diego, California northwest of Balboa Park and south of Mission Valley.Hillcrest is known for its tolerance, diversity, and locally-owned businesses, including restaurants, cafés, bars, clubs, trendy thrift-stores, and other independent specialty stores...
neighborhood, known for its historic architecture, tolerance, diversity, and locally-owned businesses, including restaurants, cafés, bars, clubs, trendy thrift-stores, and other independent specialty stores. Hillcrest has a high population density, compared to many other neighborhoods in San Diego, and it has a large and active lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) community.
This renewal extended to the surrounding neighborhoods in the 1990s, especially in older urban neighborhoods immediately north of Balboa Park such as North Park
North Park, San Diego, California
North Park is a neighborhood in San Diego, California, USA. It is situated to the northeast of Balboa Park, bounded on the north by the canyons overlooking Mission Valley, on the south by Switzer Canyon and the South Park neighborhood, on the east by Interstate 805 and City Heights, and on the...
and City Heights
City Heights, San Diego, California
City Heights is a large community in the eastern part of San Diego, California, known for its ethnic diversity. Along the main streets one can find Hispanic, White American, East African, African American, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian businesses...
.