Explore San Diego: City of Beaches, Harbors & Culture - Essay Sample

Introduction

San Diego is a town found in the United States of California located on the Pacific Ocean's coast. San Diego is adjacent to the Mexico border and about 120 miles south of the Los Angeles. Having an approximate population of about 1, 419,516 recorded in 1st July in 2017. The town is the second largest town in California. The city is much known due to its mild ecology throughout the year, a deep natural harbor, extensive beaches, a great relationship with American Navy and the emergence of the town as a biotechnology and healthcare development centre.

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Throughout history, San Diego has been rendered as a home to people of Kumeyaay as it was the initial site visited by the Europeans. During 1821, San Diego was rendered as an essential part of the Mexican Empire in the United States which later changed to the initial Mexican Republic. The town forms the seat of the San Diego County, and it is rendered as the only economic centre of the area and the metropolitan region of San Diego and Tijuana.

The original inhabitants of the area are referred to as La Jolla and San Dieguito people. People from Kumeyaay mainly inhabit the region of San Diego. The first European visitors in the area were Juan Rodgriguez who was sailing under the Castile's flag. Sailing the flagship, the San Diego's bay was claimed for Spanish Empire during 1542. The permanent colonization of San Diego and California started in 1769 which was marked by the arrival of the four contingents of the Spaniards from the New Spain and California peninsula. During 1821, San Diego became a central part of Alta California that was a Mexican territory.

Mexican and American cultures greatly influence San Diego's culture as a result of its border position. San Diego has a history of being part of Mexico and Spanish America. The extended period association of San Diego with the United States military is found to have a significant contribution to its culture. The culture of San Diego in the present day includes several tourists and historical attractions, a thriving theatrical and musical scene, many special events and craft brewing. Tourism has influenced San Diego's culture (Lew and Larson 78). The Spanish influence of San Diego is seen in the different historical sites which are found across the town. As a result of the city's cultural and ethnic mix, San Diego has several cuisines. Inside the city, one may find Spanish, Italian, Filipino, French, Mexican and East Asian food. There are many seafood steakhouses and restaurants. San Diego is known for having a vibrant craft brewing town that features several microbreweries (Lightner 12). San Diego has developing art scene. Several museums found in San Diego feature many types of arts.

San Diego community is committed to creating a region which is establishing better health, thriving, and living safely. The San Diego's neighborhood usually exemplifies its values of stewardship, integrity as well as commitment to attain excellence.

In the Senate of California State, San Diego town includes three significant districts, 38th, 39th, and 40th; each represented Brian Jones, Toni Atkins, and Ben Hueso respectively. In the assembly of California, San Diego is represented with four central districts; 77th, 78th, 79th, and 80th. In the American House of Representatives, San Diego entails five major congressional districts; 49th, 50th, 51st, 52nd, and 53rd.

Geographic Landscape

The physical conditions of San Diego include several factors of nature, such as the ocean, natural vegetation, air, and trees. The primary indicator of the physical environment of San Diego consists of the quality of air. San Diego community is made up of a mixture of rural and urban societies, from the coastal beachfront to the mountains and desert. San Diego covers a part which includes 4,300 square miles having 70 miles of the beach along the Pacific Ocean (Wells et al. 143). San Diego borders Riverside and Orange counties to the North side, Mexico in the South, the Imperial community to the East, and the Pacific Ocean in the West. Among the 58 counties of California, San Diego is categorized as the second most popular community. In the United States of America, the county of San Diego is the fifth-largest counties in the country.

Much of the land contained in the San Diego County is found being covered by agriculture which offers a prominent component of the economy of the county. The varied and steep topography and the proximity to the ocean usually create several distinct habitats within the limits of the city, including canyons and tidal marsh (Benumof et al. 1170). The coastal sage and chaparral scrub habitats in the low elevations along the county's coastal region are prone to the wildlife. As a result of having a steep topography, the San Diego County is limited to building along with individual preservation efforts. The snow that is found in the city is rare in a manner that has only been witnessed six times during the century. The San Diego community was initially centered on Old Town District; however, by 1860s the focus had changed to the county's bay front. The development of the skyscrapers is attributed to the construction of the city's tallest building.

Demographic Profile

The population indicators of San Diego include life expectancy, quality of life, education, unemployment rate, and income. The rate of mortality determines the expected number of years that an individual will live. The life expectancy is used to indicate the health of a population. The life expectancy of San Diego is 81.6 years. The quality of life indicator is used in San Diego to estimate the percent of the people, which is adequately healthy in a manner that they are living independently.

The quality of life indicator of the San Diego community is determined by the self-reporting that explain the ability to carry out various activities of daily living. The community population that is included does not entail individuals living in hospitals, nursing homes, jails or mental health institutions. The quality of life of San Diego population is estimated at 94.6%. The education indicator is used to determine population with 25 years and above (Nielsen et al. 172). San Diego community has 84.6 educated people who have acquired a high school diploma or equivalent. The unemployment rate indicator of the population is limited to the people that are unemployed and has 16 and over the years. The rate of unemployment in San Diego is 9.9%. The income population indicator is determined by the percent of the population that is spending less than a third of the household income for housing needs. In the San Diego community, the income of the population is 49% which include the population spending less than a third of their household income on the housing.

Works Cited

Benumof, Benjamin T., et al. "The relationship between incident wave energy and seacliff erosion rates: San Diego County, California." Journal of Coastal Research (2000): 1162-1178.

Lew, Daniel K., and Douglas M. Larson. "Valuing recreation and amenities at San Diego County beaches." Coastal management 33.1 (2005): 71-86.

Lightner, James. San Diego County Native Plants. San Diego, California: San Diego Flora, 2006.

Nielsen, Amie L., et al. "Racial/ethnic composition, social disorganization, and offsite alcohol availability in San Diego County, California." Social Science Research 39.1 (2010): 165-175.

Wells, Michael L., et al. "Variations in a regional fire regime related to vegetation type in San Diego County, California (USA)." Landscape Ecology 19.2 (2004): 139-152.