San Diego County, created in 1850 as California became a state, was one of the original counties of California. It was named for San Diego Bay.
According to the original 1850 map, San Diego County was then quite large, encompassing all of the southernmost area south and east of Los Angeles County. As such it included parts of what are now Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, and all of Riverside and Imperial Counties. It originally extended from the Pacific Ocean all the way to the Colorado River, and covered the entire border between California and Mexico.
The numerous changes made to create the new counties altered San Diego County’s border. Imperial County was the last new county to be established in California, and after this division, San Diego no longer extended as far east, or all the way across the border.
Although San Diego County and Imperial County are part of the Southern Border Region, the two counties have little in common outside their shared border. Imperial County, with thousands of acres of farmland, is primarily an agricultural area; San Diego County has as its seat and largest city San Diego, with the second-most-populous county in California.
San Diego County offers many notable sites and attractions, including the Ramona Valley wine-producing region, located 28 miles northeast of the capital city; and San Diego Zoo, located in Balboa Park.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located at the western end of Mission Valley, north of Downtown San Diego, preserves and recreates the original settlement of San Diego during its early periods through 1872. Legoland California is a “Lego” theme park in Carlsbad, and the only Legoland outside of Europe.
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