More About San Diego
San Diego is a coastal southern California city located in the southwestern corner of the continental United States. It is the county seat of San Diego County & the second-largest city in California and the seventh-largest in the United States and is noted for its temperate climate and many beaches. Known for its superb climate and recreational attractions, San Diego also has one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the nation. Along its shores is the principal West Coast base of operations for the United States Navy and a busy commercial port.
The historic heart of the city is a colorful 16-block district known as the Gas lamp Quarter, where restored Victorian-era buildings house shops and restaurants. On the west side of the district is Horton Plaza, a modern shopping and dining complex with six landscaped open-air levels. Just to the north of this historic district is the San Diego Concourse, a multipurpose convention and performing arts complex. Along the city's waterfront is an art deco-style cruise ship terminal, serving the most popular cruise ship port on the West Coast; the San Diego Maritime Museum, showcasing the 18th-century windjammer Star of India; and the architecturally distinguished San Diego Convention Center. North of the downtown area is Balboa Park, home of the world-class San Diego Zoo.
Northwest of the downtown is Old Town, site of the original Spanish settlement. Extending northward along the coast are popular oceanfront communities, including Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. Farther north is La Jolla, home to the San Diego campus of the University of California, leading research institutes, and an upscale shopping district called the Golden Triangle. On the peninsula forming San Diego Bay is the independent resort city of Coronado, connected to downtown San Diego by a long bridge.
San Diego is a popular year-round resort city. In Balboa Park is the San Diego Zoo, one of the nation's largest and home to more than 4200 animals, including representatives of 78 species considered endangered? Sea World of California (Mission Bay) features a killer whale and the world's largest collection of sharks. San Diego Wild Animal Park (Escondido) is a wildlife preserve that presents more than 3000 animals in open-range exhibits.
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