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Brief San Diego History:

The San Diego area has long been occupied by the Kumeyaay people. The first European to visit the area was Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese sailing for Spain, in 1542. At the beginning, He named it San Miguel. The San Diego Bay and the area of present day San Diego were called their present names in 1602 by Sebastian Vizcaino when he was mapping the coastline of Alta California for Spain. The explorers camped near a Native American village called "Nipaguay" and distinguished Mass in honor of San (or Saint) Diego de Alcala (Saint Didacus of Alcalá). California was after that part of the colony of New Spain.

In 1769, Gaspar de Portolá and his expedition established a presidio (or military post) and on Sunday July 16, Franciscan Fathers Junípero Serra, Juan Viscaino and Fernando Parron raised and blessed a cross, creating the initial mission in Upper California, Mission San Diego de Alcala. Colonists started arriving in 1774, and the following year, 1775 the native people rebelled. They murdered the priest and two others, and burned the mission. Father Serra planned the rebuilding and two years later a more fire-proof adobe structure was ongoing. By 1797 the mission had become the biggest in California, with over 1,400 natives associated with it.

In 1821, Spain documented Mexico's independence. The governor of Alta California and Baja California moved the capital to San Diego from Monterey. In 1834 and 432, the mission was secularized persons petitioned Governor José Figueroa to shape a town, and Commandant Santiago Arguello authorized it. Juan Maria Osuna was chosen the first alcalde (or mayor), winning over Pio Pico in the 13 ballots cast. Though the population of the town shrank to little over a hundred persons, and by the late 1830s it lost its township until the region of Alta California turn out to be part of the United States of America in 1850 following the Mexican-American War. The village was chosen the seat of the newly designated " San Diego County" and incorporated as a city. In 1885, San Diego was connected to the rest of the nation by railroad. In 1886, San Diego was incorporated as a city.