Why is San Diego such a special place?

Our ideal climate, our diversified economy, our world-renowned research institutions or collaborative spirit? Many say San Diego is America’s biggest small town. It is a matrix of communities across the region that San Diegans call home. A collaborative business community is vital, exceptional talent is key, and a responsive government important to making any company successful.

Housing
From coastlines to inland valleys, San Diego's unique geography provides a landscape that has something for everyone. San Diego offers a wide array of housing opportunities including affordable apartments, first-time-buyer condominiums, suburban single family homes, and luxury oceanfront or rural estates. The urban housing market has opportunities for households of every size and income level. Within 20 minutes of your location you can have ocean surf, metropolitan nightlife, or a horse park in your backyard.

Climate
Clearly one of the world's best climates and an unparalleled quality of life with 70 miles of coastline, 33 beaches, and an average daily temperature of 70.5 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. United States Weather Bureau describes San Diego's weather as the closest thing to perfect in America. Holiday Magazine described San Diego as the "only area in the United States with perfect weather". Pleasant Weather Rating Service Poll voted San Diego as the best year-round weather in the nation, and the second best in the world.

K-12 Education
14 of Newsweek magazine’s top 500 public high schools are located in San Diego. Award winning districts including Coronado, Del Mar, and Poway are within 20 minutes of Motorola Mobility’s campus. More than 75 public charter schools operate throughout San Diego County including High Tech High, which began in 2000 as a single charter high school launched by a coalition of San Diego business leaders and educators. It has evolved into an integrated network of schools spanning grades K-12. 100 percent of graduates have been accepted to college, 80% to four-year institutions – Bill Gates is has given $17 million to San Diego's High Tech High since 2000. Almost 100 independent K-12 schools operate in the county, both religious and non-sectarian.

San Diego has an expansive university system that includes California State University, San Marcos, National University, Point Loma Nazarene University, University of California, San Diego, University of San Diego, and San Diego State University. The region provides the highest level of educational opportunities for our residents, and enriches the workforce available to local companies. In fact, 40% of San Diego’s adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Healthcare
The healthcare system in San Diego County is among the best in the nation. There are 26 accredited hospitals with more than 6,600 beds available. Six hospitals in the region offer AMA residency programs. According to a report by Northwestern National Life, San Diego ranked in the top three cities for quality and costs of healthcare. The UCSD School of Medicine is one of the top research hospitals in the country and Rady Children’s Hospital is one of the top-ranked in the nation.

Arts and Culture
Dozens of museums abound in San Diego focusing on history, technology, culture, and art. Annual music and stage festivals in the City include the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Opera, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre, Mainly Mozart Festival, San Diego Street Scene, Adams Avenue Music and Arts Festival, and Adams Avenue Roots Festival. Our theatres regularly create Broadway hits such as Jersey Boys, Memphis, The Who’s Tommy, and 7 others in the past 10 years. The San Diego Symphony benefits from a generous endowment and is one of the Nation’s top 20 symphonies. There are nearly 200 movie screens in the City featuring everything from blockbuster motion pictures and other current releases to foreign, independent and cult films, and major film festivals. The San Diego region is home to 4,290 arts-related businesses, both for profit and nonprofit, ranking 8th among the top largest US cities — ahead of Denver, Boston and Philadelphia. These businesses employ 22,727 people, placing San Diego 9th overall.

Parks and Recreation
The City of San Diego alone has 34,260 acres of developed and undeveloped open space, including three regional parks, 190 community and neighborhood parks, seven open-space parks, 26 shoreline parks, and 25 miles of ocean and bay beaches. Balboa Park is a national treasure, housing museums, theatres, and the San Diego Zoo. With its year-round mild weather and multitude of beaches and parks, San Diego is a sports haven. It should be no surprise that outdoor sports are extremely popular for participants of all ages. 

Our local municipal course, Torrey Pines, hosted the 2008 U.S. Open golf tournament and is available to all residents. It is one of 90 courses in San Diego that are open all year long. Spectator sports are major draws including the San Diego Chargers NFL team, and the San Diego Padres MLB baseball club in beautiful Petco Park. San Diego State University and the University of San Diego have several NCAA Division I teams.

San Diego is a safe and beautiful region rich in culture and entertainment. We are known world-wide as a popular destination for major attractions including Sea World, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, and Legoland California. However, those of us who live here know we have so much more to offer.

Please contact their EBC Resource Center for more information.
402 West Broadway, Suite 1000
San Diego, California 92101-3585
Tel: 619.544.1333
Fax: 619.744.7433
FAQ E-Mail: webinfo@sdchamber.org