AMERICA’S DIVERSITY SHINES IN SAN DIEGO

 

Residents in the Washington County area assume that local communities represent good examples of American diversity. After all, numerous ethnic groups settled in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Each brought with them a plethora of traditions and religious backgrounds. The many food festivals and multicultural events are a constant reminder that the region is not homogeneous.

Our recent visit to Southern California exposed us to a very different experience concerning American diversity. In fact, a week in San Diego felt like a visit to another country. From the climate, architecture, food, attractions, and explosion of Mexican culture, two wide-eyed Pennsylvanians could only react like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. We were not in Washington County anymore.

The historic sites in Old Town San Diego were the location of the first European settlement in California. This was a good place for us to begin our understanding of local history. The old adobe church and early haciendas were carefully reconstructed and contained many exhibits highlighting the area’s past.

Traditionally, elementary school students are taught the history of Plymouth, Massachusetts. America’s first permanent English settlement led to the establishment of the original thirteen colonies. The west-coast Spanish colonization that began in Old San Diego can claim an equally important American origination story. These events culminated in the formation of California as the thirty-first state in 1850. Unfortunately, this important chapter of American history is largely ignored in most elementary school history books.

Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. “Alta California,” which includes present day California and portions of six other states became a Mexican province. Initially, California residents were descendants of agricultural families and retired soldiers from Mexico. By the 1830s, white settlers from Canada and the United States began populating Southern California.

In 1835, President Andrew Jackson was unsuccessful in negotiating the purchase of Texas and Alta California with the Mexican government. In July 1846, Commodore Robert Stockton, under instructions from his superiors, issued a proclamation annexing California to the U.S. and raised the American flag over San Diego. Following a sporadic military conflict, peace negotiations with Mexico resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848. This treaty required Mexico to cede 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah and most of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

The population of San Diego when California became a state was only 650. Now, over 1,374,000 inhabit the area with thirty-four percent claiming a Mexican-American heritage. Twenty-three percent of all citizens were born outside of the United States, more than double the U.S. average. San Diego County is home to more than 100,000 active-duty service members and 240,000 veterans, making it one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the country.   This unique composition of Hispanic/military residents adds to the diversity.

No conversation of San Diego would be complete without a discussion of the Zoo and Zoo Safari Park. Both are world famous for their size, assortment of animals, and wildlife rescue operations. Several highlights of our visits were a thirty minute up close observation of a mother tiger and her twin cubs at play and an encounter with a young giraffe, only feet from our safari tram. We were fortunate to be enjoying both attractions between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the crowds were thin. The zoo community was buzzing with anticipation at a possible return of giant pandas, after Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted at this possibility while visiting California in November.

San Diego has a year-round “Goldilocks” climate. It is never too hot, too cold, or too humid. The basic climate features are sunny/dry summers with cooler/wetter winters. Normally, 344 days a year are hotter than 60 °F, but only 25 days are hotter than 80 °F. Customarily, there are 146 sunny days and 117 partly cloudy days a year compared with our region that averages 306 cloudy days and 59 clear days.

San Diego has an uncommon marine climate, strongly influenced by cool Pacific Ocean temperatures. The ocean air spreads inland from the beautiful beaches, gradually warming inland valleys. Despite the warm climate, winter skiing is only three hours away in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The close proximity to Mexico makes Hispanic cuisine a major attraction. We ate in a one star Michelin restaurant in La Jolla, an upscale beach town near San Diego. The airy establishment featured exceptional, gourmet tacos and desserts like the mango cake that had us begging for more. All of the locals boast of their “secret” carne asada and margarita recipes.

San Diego offers the perfect vacation and cultural trip. While the travel time to this sunny location takes longer than a jaunt to South Florida, the rewards far outweigh the effort. Seventy miles of shoreline full of marine life and tidal pools are unique to Southern California and fun to explore.

The median age of San Diego residents is 35. Young families are everywhere enjoying the pleasant weather. The city has the highest percentage of those who walk or bike to work, the lowest percentage of obesity, and the most dog parks per capita.

San Diego is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse places in the nation. It has earned the title of “America’s finest city.”  It is a place to admire as we consider the benefits of a young, vibrant, and growing, multicultural community.