Travel Guide: San Diego - California - United States

Lindburg Field
photo by: Patrick Dunnigan Jr.

San Diego is a city located in the southwestern corner of the state of California (and thus in the southwestern corner of the continental United States). The city is noted for its temperate climate and excellent beaches. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 1,223,400.

Many people only visit San Diego as an adjunct to Los Angeles, focusing on Seaworld and San Diego Zoo.  Whilst both of these are excellent attractions, to visit only these would be missing out on so much.

Water sports are popular here, and the Gaslamp Quarter downtown offers a nightlife. The city's proximity to the beach, desert, mountains, and Mexico makes it a wonderful vacation destination.

San Diego is the home of numerous military facilities including Navy ports and Marine bases. It is the home port of two Navy carriers, the USS John C. Stennis and the USS Constellation, five amphibs, and numerous smaller ships. One of only two of the United States Marine Corps' Recruit Depots is located here.   Close by is Coronado and one of the finest beaches in California, right by the renowned Hotel Del Coronado which was famously featured in "Some Like It Hot".

San Diego has some wonderful museums at Balboa Park, located just north of downtown. An IMAX theater, a science center, a natural history museum, an art museum, and an anthropology museum, among others, are all housed in beautiful buildings, built in the Spanish colonial style.

The beaches are fantastic. but the jewel in the crown is La Jolla, a peaceful and picturesque beach to the north of the city.

Top Destinations in San Diego