San Diego: Where California Begins
Sandwiched between the U.S. Mexico Border and Orange County, San Diego is quintessential California. In fact, San Diego is considered the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California and the birthplace of a state that is considered the 5th largest economy in the world.
Home to 3.3. million people, San Diego is comprised of 18 cities that offer a wide variety of geographic and lifestyle offerings.
Cali-Baja: Two countries, one region
San Diego and Baja California – or Cali-Baja – work together to produce high-value goods and offer their residents a superior quality of life.
The Cali Baja binational region (San Diego – Imperial County – Baja California) is a global leader in advanced manufacturing, including:
- Medical devices
- Electronic/semiconductor components
- R&D services
- Wireless communications
- Navigation instruments
Additionally, $6.2 billion of the binational region’s exports stay within the CaliBaja region.
FDI in San Diego
$32.4B
in total exports from the San Diego region (2022)
$1.5B
in foreign direct investment into San Diego County (2022)
71.8K
employed by FOEs (Q1 2023)
$4.9B
in VC funding (2022)
San Diego’s Innovation Economy
We are Collaborative, Educated, Mission-Driven
#1 in California for bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering and computer science
#2 biomedical engineering/bioengineering program in the U.S.
#2 concentration of workforce in science and engineering jobs in the U.S.
#2 return on investment for public companies in the U.S.
#3 best city in the U.S. to launch a startup
30+ incubators and startup accelerators
80+ research institutions
Upgrade Your Quality of Life
- Year-round sunshine and temperate weather
- Home to surf, sun, the Gaslamp Quarter, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and the world famous San Diego Zoo
- Among the top three best cities for recreation in the U.S
- One of the top three healthiest cities in the U.S
- Just across the border from the culturally-rich, Mexican city of Tijuana
San Diego Has Changed the World…And We’re Not Done Yet
A cure for Ebola
Researchers at Scripps Research – the #1 most influential research institute in the world (Nature Index) – discovered a vaccine for Ebola and continue their work to cure cancer and HIV.
The $100 genome
Illumina, the world’s leading genomics technology provider, is well on its way to sequencing the human genome for $100, down from $10 million a little over a decade ago, opening new possibilities in the field of precision health and giving greater access to patients everywhere.
The creation of 5G
Wireless semiconductor and telecommunications
company Qualcomm connected the phone to the internet for the first time and is now pioneering the use of 5G technology across the globe, powering smart cities, robotics, and connected devices.
Smart Mass Transit
Cubic Transportation Systems simplified how millions of people move through the biggest metros in the world, including London and New York. And, now it’s leading the way on a new generation of mobility solutions.
Learn more about living and working in San Diego
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