WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO COUNTY

As you will soon discover, San Diego County combines the charm of its historic Spanish heritage with the bustling energy of one of the nation's most diversified and innovative regional economies. Fueled by the advanced research in San Diego's world-class universities and institutes, the region is nationally recognized as one of the best places to launch a new business or pursue a career.

The elements that contribute to San Diego's phenomenal growth and development are also the drivers of a high quality of life. One of the world's finest year-round climates combines bright sunshine with comfortable temperatures and the serenity of the Pacific Ocean. Residents can easily travel from the beach or mountains to the hauntingly beautiful desert. At the same time, they can enjoy the changing of seasons in the mountainside town of Julian or drive a short distance to the lake and alpine recreation in the mountains that tower above Los Angeles.

Few areas in the nation or even in the world offer as many lifestyle and environmental possibilities within a reasonable distance of major employment centers as San Diego County. Sheer land mass factors into this equation, since San Diego County sprawls over a vast area that is approximately the same size as the state of Connecticut. Because the county is so expansive and geographically varied, the communities that dot the landscape are usually categorized by regions.

Services

Throughout the county, residents enjoy first-rate services that include efficient transportation facilities, state-of-the-art healthcare, and a complete selection of respected public and private schools. At the forefront of medical technology, San Diego’s healthcare system is characterized by quality treatment, cost effectiveness, and easy access to a wide variety of healthcare facilities. The interplay of the nation's most diversified high-tech economy with hundreds of biotech, communications, software, Internet, and information technology companies combines with world-class institutions like the University of California-San Diego, Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute, and the Burnham Institute to continually drive the region toward excellence in every endeavor. Several of the county's leading hospitals are affiliated with these premier institutions, including the University of California San Diego Medical Center.

As the only university-based health care system in the region, UCSD Healthcare has provided leadership in patient care, biomedical research, education, and community service for more than four decades. In several specialty areas, UCSD physicians are consistently included in local and national “best physician” rankings. The health system includes two university hospitals, the UCSD Medical Center Hillcrest and the John M. and Sally B. Thornton Hospital in La Jolla. Also within this system are several centers of excellence, including the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center — the region's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — and the Shiley Eye Center. Throughout the county, a network of general and specialty hospitals combine with every imaginable support facility from home health and rehabilitation to hospice. Conveniently located after-hours treatment and emergency centers are ideal for those who want to avoid emergency room charges or relocating families who are not yet established with a family physician.

The region's outstanding institutions of higher education and research also set the pace for educational excellence. "Personal choice" is a hallmark of the public education system, and parents can enroll their children in Magnet School programs that are outside of their neighborhood boundaries or take advantage of the "School Choice Program" when openings are available. Magnet programs offer specialized curriculums with a strong emphasis in areas like science, math, computers, foreign language, and performing arts. Throughout the county, academic programs are designed to accommodate challenged students and to stimulate the gifted and talent. Abundant options for private education include independent schools on every academic level and parochial or Christian schools. The options for higher education are many, from vocational and career institutes and community colleges to nationally recognized public universities and private colleges. Within a reasonable commute, Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Riverside County expand the opportunities to attend elite private and public institutions.

Lifestyle

The San Diego County terrain is known for its natural beauty and wide variation. White-sand beaches, tranquil bays, sparkling lakes, and rolling rivers grace lush valleys, dramatic canyons, quiet valleys, alpine highlands, and Pacific Ocean seashore. Newcomers will discover nature’s finest playground in a region that offers a breathtaking backdrop for every outdoor sport and activity. More than 1,200,000 acres of San Diego County have been designated as recreational land, supporting hiking, biking, fishing, camping, picnicking, and nature study. Temperate weather, the Pacific Ocean, and exceptional natural harbors provide spectacular possibilities for outdoor living. Southern California is the largest marine sport-fishing center in the world with more than 800 varieties of game fish in its waters. The region's ideal climate encourages year-round tennis, golf, racquetball, volleyball, biking, running, off-roading, backpacking, hang-gliding, and surfing.

Truly a shopper’s paradise, San Diego County features contemporary regional shopping malls as well as unique village and resort districts where one-of-a-kind boutiques and elite shops are interspersed with outdoor cafes and fine restaurants. Historical districts have often been transformed into exciting retail centers where art galleries and antique shops mix with gift and apparel stores. Families will never be at a loss for ways to fill leisure hours with quality experiences. Aquariums, children's museums, grand-scale playgrounds, and amusement centers combine with internationally famous attractions like SeaWorld San Diego, the San Diego Zoo and its Wildlife Park, and LEGOLAND California. Close enough for a day's outing, the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area adds Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland, and California Adventure amusement parks to an already exhaustive list of major attractions.

Museums celebrating such varied subjects as contemporary art, aerospace, natural history, and oceanography are scattered throughout the region. Historic sites are equally prolific, preserving everything from remnants of Native American cultures to beautiful missions. The fine and performing arts are well represented in the glittering city of San Diego but also in suburban towns and smaller cities. Venues of every size host theatre, musical concerts, dance, and comedy to showcase local, regional, national, and even international talent. San Diego City is home to a number of celebrated permanent companies that include the San Diego Symphony, the San Diego Opera, the San Diego Master Chorale, the San Diego Ballet, and the California Ballet Company.

Residential communities within the county tend to vary as richly as the friendly people who have chosen to call this beautiful area their home. Welcoming neighborhoods and master-planned areas provide a wide spectrum of choices in home styles and settings. Other options include cozy bungalows in the heart of a city neighborhood, horse properties or generous acreage in the country, seaside cottages, high-rise condominiums, elegant Victorians, or magnificent estates that command spectacular ocean views. San Diego County supports every imaginable lifestyle choice from urban chic to rural tranquility.