Home to bright sunshine, spectacular views, calm beaches and stunning parties, San Diego is that gem of the west coast which brings the perfect summer vibe for its locals and visitors. But it is so much more than all these things. The border town has a rich heritage with influences from Mexican culture. To know San Diego, you must spend a day under its sunny skies doing nothing on a beach. The city endows upon its population a golden state of mind but apart from all the hype about its beaches and golden atmosphere, you can find a unique experience in many of the other aspects of the city which seldom remains concealed from the mainstream.
Here are 15 cool facts about San Diego for you to enjoy the other side of the San Diego coin. Know the city inside out and expand your golden horizon for the facts about San Diego.
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San Diego was the first area of California to be inhabited by the Europeans. As the initial site for the first permanent Spanish settlement in California, it is called the birthplace of California. Historically home to the Kumeyaay people, Old Town which was the first civilian settlement for the city still houses the ruins and standings of some old mansions.
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With more than a quarter thousand trees, 14 flourishing gardens, cultural institutions, San Diego Zoo and seven diverse museums, Balboa Park also hosts the Old Globe Theatre. It is the home to the iconic 1910 construction of Herschell-Spillman menagerie carousel. Located just north of downtown, the park is the country's largest urban, cultural and recreational space. It also has a song written by Bruce Springsteen named after it!
3. The gesture of Japanese friendship: Japanese Friendship Garden
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Balboa Park houses the symbolic Japanese Friendship Garden which was founded as a wave of friendship between Yokohama and San Diego. A symbol for the ‘sister city’ bond between San Jose, Japan and Okayama, the place provides a beautiful backdrop for events like weddings and other celebrations.
4. Home to the Comic-Con International
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San Diego with its iconic Legoland and Comic-Cons can be considered as the haven for all the comic and creative nerds. Every July the city hosts the official Comic-Con making it a home for diverse costumes and grand celebration of the art of comic writing and production. The festival was first organised in 1970 with only 100 people attending the event but it has exponentially expanded its fan base by recording more than 100,000 attendees every year since then.
5. The city is an official botanic garden
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With over 700,000 flora, the San Diego Zoo champions as an official botanical garden. The city houses some very rare plants amidst the assortment of native vegetations across its canyons and desert. Torrey Pine is one such endangered tree that can be spotted on Santa Rosa Island as well as at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve located in the county’s northern coastal area. San Diego is the second of the only two places which nourish the magical and rare species of Torrey Pine.
6. House of Dr Seuss
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With Geisel Library housing the largest collection of the original manuscripts of the famous children’s author Theodor Geisel, San Diego also hosted the popular ‘Dr. Seuss’ in its La Jolla region. He was among the prominent residents of La Jolla which also housed the first creator of the successful Polio vaccine, Dr Jonas Salk.
7. The 25th Street Bridge: a musical instrument
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Amidst thousands of public art spread across the city, the 25th Street Bridge is the most unassuming one producing palindromic music. The pedestrian way of the bridge is lined with rails covered with chimes. You can hear the music if you strike the chimes with sticks while walking rhythmically. The palindrome music is named as “Crab Carillon” and will sound the same when stroked from either end of the bridge. It produces a wave of echoes when combined with the roaring sound of traffic.
8. Whaley House Museum - "the country's most haunted house"
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What is a city with no horror stories and legends? The answer would be ‘not San Diego’! The oral narratives, myths and legends run throughout the neighbourhood of San Diego. Whaley House Museum in San Diego has been referred by The Travel Channel as "the country's most haunted house." There have been multiple features of the so-called house hauntings on TV programs and in publications since the museum's inauguration in 1960.
9. Colony of Harbor Seals on Children’s Pool Beach
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Harbor Seals surrounds the Children’s Pool Beach in La Jolla and can be considered as an interesting marine life attraction of the city. Since the mid-1990, the seals have made a home for themselves on the beach making it inaccessible for people to take a swim in the water. The water in the area has a particular issue as the seal poops that pollute the sea near the beach making it impossible for visitors to swim.
10. San Diego: The King of Farms
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San Diego nourishes over 7,000 farms and remains the largest producer of avocados in the US. Visit the place to have the best and wholesome guacamole. The city holds the record of having the greatest number of farms in the country. Its streets and large areas remain covered with palm farms, coffee farms, avocado farms and passion fruit farms throughout the year.
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One of the most popular destinations of San Diego contains a hoax in its taxonomy. The status of ‘island’ to Coronado is not essentially correct as the area remains surrounded by water, yes, but it is connected to the mainland by a strip of land rightly called the Silver Strand.
12. Visit the City anytime: Idyllic climate
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Any fact about the golden city of San Diego remains influenced by its beautiful bright climate. The city promises its visitors with the best summer vibe through its beaches, parks, hiking experience and eateries all year-round. You can take a trip to the city in any of the twelve months and San Diego will endow upon you its bright sun rays and the feeling of never going back!
13. No snow for a long time
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The bright atmosphere of the golden city contains its summer vibes year long as it has been devoid of any snowfall since a very long time. The record states that snowfall in San Diego is so rare that it has been witnessed only a handful of times by the population. For a century and a half, the snow has been felt by the city for only five times.
14. The California burrito originated in San Diego
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This cheesy and guacamole flavoured popular food item now transcends the boundaries of continents and cities and has become a staple for many around the globe. The California burrito with a stuffing of carne asada and fries has originated in the restaurant named El Indio Mexican near Mission Hills of San Diego.
15. The glory of ‘The Giant Dipper’
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San Diego house inside its premises a historic 94-year-old wooden roller coaster named The Giant Dipper. The coaster features on the National Register of Historic Places as the only roller coaster from the US amidst other four roller coasters. Plan your trip to the Belmont Park of Mission Beach to enjoy this 1925 adventure ride as it is one of the two remaining coasters of the west coast.
San Diego as the finest city of America keeps a range of qualities with its climate, beaches and parks holding the fort for tourism. But the city is so much more than what meets the eyes. For the next time that San Diego and its golden vibe crosses your mind, the article might help you to elevate your idea of the city through these amazing facts of the city.
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