12 Things You Didn’t Know About San Diego

San Diego is home to a culture unlike anywhere else, with a deep history that has some pretty remarkable things tied to it. Whether you’re a trivia buff that likes knowing random facts about things, or you just want to impress visiting friends and family, we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting and unusual facts about San Diego.

1. San Diego has more than 7,000 farms in the city! In fact, the city has the most farms of any one city in the United States, along with 347 organic-produce growers. Are you obsessed with avocados? Well, you’re living in the right place, because 90 percent of the nations avocados come from San Diego County.

2. When the incredible San Diego-Coronado Bridge was first opened in 1969, former President Ronald Reagan was the first person to drive over it. In 2011, there was even a petition to rename the bridge after Reagan.

3. San Diego is the birthplace of California, with the first European exploration of the West Coast landing here on September 28. 1542. Due to this early exploration, San Diego County also has the most missions in all of the State, with four in all.

4. The Giant Dipper, a wooden roller coaster located in Belmont Park along Mission Beach, is one of only two oceanside coasters on the West Coast. The ride was first built in 1925, and can boast as being the only roller coaster in the U.S. to have National Landmark status and be on the National Register of Historic Places.

5. The iconic Hotel Del Coronado has hosted countless celebrities and public figures, including ten U.S. presidents. But besides the gorgeous scenery and top-tier service, rooms on the third floor, gift shop, and other locations within the hotel are said to be haunted, with countless reports of ghostly apparitions and strange occurrences.

Giant Dipper by MIke Fernwood via CC 2.0

6. Break a leg! San Diego has a thriving theatre scene, and has sent more shows to Broadway than any other city in the U.S. Check out The Old Globe and the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse for some of the best plays San Diego has to offer.

7.  With the weather in San Diego being pretty much perfect year-round, it’s no wonder there is such a thriving skateboard scene here. With that, it makes sense that Olympian Shaun White and the legendary Tony Hawk were both raised in San Diego. Tony Hawk has made thousands of dollars in donations to help build skate parks throughout the county. San Diego officials have even declared May 29th to be Tony Hawk day in the city.

8. San Diego likes green eggs and ham! The University of California, San Diego Geisel Library in La Jolla is home to the largest collection of original Dr. Seuss manuscripts and other materials in the nation. The library is named after Ted Geisel, the author behind the Dr. Seuss books, as he was once a one-time resident of La Jolla.

The Geisel Library by O Palsson via CC 2.0

9. The Star of India is the world’s oldest active-sailing ship, and it docks in a San Diego port. The nearly 150-year old has survived being stuck in ice in Alaska and going aground in Hawaii.

10. The city of San Diego imports an estimated 80 to 90 percent of its water, totaling about 168 million gallons a day.

11. Those who enjoy pop-punk will probably love to hear that Blink 182 hails from the San Diego area.

12. The country’s first drive-in restaurant, Oscar’s, was opened in San Diego by Robert Oscar Peterson. Later on, Peterson went on to found the fast food chain Jack in The Box in 1951.