S an Diego, California, known for its 70 miles of pristine beaches and stunning array of world-class family attractions, including the world-famous San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, SeaWorld San Diego and LEGOLAND is the state's second largest city and the seventh largest city in the United States. San Diego is often praised as the only city in the US with a perfect climate. High temperatures rarely exceed 77 degrees and low temperatures rarely dip below 50 degrees. With slightly more than 10 inches of rainfall annually, San Diego has many days of sunshine to enjoy its famous beaches and the warmest ocean waters along the California coast.

The city is located on the site of the first European settlement in California. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay in 1542 and claimed the land for Spain. It was almost 200 years later that Gaspar de Portola and a group of Spanish settlers founded a military outpost on what is now Presidio Hill in 1769. At the same time, Franciscan friar Junipero Serra founded Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, the first of the chain of 21 California Spanish Missions.

San Diego is both a modern metropolis, with the accompanying cultural advantages, as well as a year-round resort. It is a city with population of nearly 1.3 million residents and more than 2.8 million residents countywide. Within its borders of 4,200 sq. miles, San Diego County encompasses 18 incorporated cities and numerous other unique neighborhoods and communities, including downtown's historic Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, Coronado, La Jolla, Del Mar, Carlsbad, Escondido, Pacific Beach, El Cajon, Hillcrest, Barrio Logan, Chula Vista and more.

There is an excellent natural harbor here, which has made San Diego an important shipping and receiving point for Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico's Baja California. It is also headquarters for the 11th U.S. Naval District with major naval and marine training bases also located here. San Diego has large aerospace, electronic and shipbuilding industries, and is an important center for biomedical research and oceanography. It is also a distributing and processing point for the highly productive Imperial Valley agricultural area to the east. Median incomes vary throughout the region from $45,041 in San Diego to $94,052 in Del Mar, $60,107 in Carlsbad and $48,020 in Chula Vista.

San Diego County is the state's seventh market to hit the $500,000 mark for single-family resale houses - a remarkable development given that just a year ago only 25 percent of resale houses sold above that figure. The median price of all sales in the county increased 21 percent from May 2003 to May 2004. The median price for single-family resale houses rose a record $115,000, or 29.9 percent, and resale condos were up 28.6 percent to $355,000. But newly built houses, condos and condo conversions were down 4.4 percent to $454,000. The median represents the midpoint of all sales, with half above and half below that figure. For the lowest 25 percent of all sales, the median was a more affordable $360,000.

In San Diego you can enjoy coastal, mountain and desert environments and even another country all in the space of one day. In San Diego's North County, the land produces large quantities of flowers, vegetable crops, as well as quality grapes that become excellent wines. Along the west, miles of Pacific Ocean coastline not only encourages year-round outdoor recreation, such as surfing, boating, sailing and swimming, but also provides leading scientific research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In San Diego's East County, the landscape varies from moderate foothills to mile-high mountains, down to the 600,000-acre Anza Borrego Desert State Park, offering outdoor lovers numerous opportunities to hike, camp, fish, and observe wildlife. To the south, it's a whole other world, Mexico, featuring its own cultural heritage in various towns along the Baja Peninsula, including Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada.

The arts and culture scene in San Diego are making a name for themselves, both nationally and internationally. Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the U.S., features 15 museums, numerous art galleries, beautiful gardens, the Tony Award-winning Globe Theatres and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The region is also a hot spot for new burgeoning talent within culinary arts, who prepare award-winning meals in many of the region's 6,400 eating establishments.

The metropolitan area also features 92 golf courses and a variety of exciting participatory and spectator sports. Petco Park is the newest ballpark and home of the San Diego Padres. It is located in the East Village area of downtown San Diego, a couple of blocks east of the Gaslamp District, the city's most electrifying and eclectic entertainment hub featuring more than 80 nightclubs, restaurants, theaters and galleries. San Diego is also home to the San Diego Chargers, and World Indoor Soccer League, the San Diego Soccers.

San Diego County has 42 school districts, 590 public schools, and 470,494 students within its borders. The region is known for providing an outstanding educational experience, with cutting edge programs. San Diego is the seat of the University of California at San Diego, San Diego State University, United States International University, the University of San Diego, Electronic Technical Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, as well as numerous community colleges.

There is no place on Earth like San Diego...with warm delightful weather, legendary beaches, world-class culture and attractions and a thriving economy. This is an ideal place to live, work, retire or raise a family. If you are considering moving to the area or would like more information, please feel free to request a "free relocation package" today!