CLUB PROFILE

v                  Official club name: The Friendship Force of San Diego County

v                  Closest major airport(s): San Diego Lindbergh Field located 10 minutes from downtown San Diego.

v                  The maximum number of Ambassadors our club can host: 21-25

v                  About the club: We have 94 members, including both singles and couples. We have 10 meetings a year. About 1/3 of our members live in San Diego. The others live in communities around the county. We like two incoming and two outgoing exchanges each year.

v                  About the region: San Diego County offers a variety of scenery: rolling hills, mountains, canyons, desert, and the ocean. Palomar Observatory houses the 200-inch Hale Telescope. We have the world famous San Diego Zoo, located only 5 minutes from downtown San Diego, and the Wild Animal Park, located 30 minutes from downtown San Diego in Escondido, they both house and breed many endangered species.

 
San Diego is the oldest and the second largest city in California. People have been drawn to the area by the climate and beautiful harbor, over 60 miles of beaches, and virtually smog-free environment. Our climate is considered one of the most ideal in the nation, seldom varying more than 30 degrees year round. Shelter Island and Harbor Island are man-made, offering marina, fishing piers, restaurants and hotels with spectacular vistas. Coronado Island is famous for its Del Coronado Hotel, an historical Victorian landmark built in 1888. The Star of India, a sailing vessel built for commercial trade over 100 years ago, is now home to the Maritime Museum. A very popular attraction is the retired USS Midway aircraft carrier that offers tours of the ship and views of many aircraft used in the military.
 
Old Town is the site of the first permanent settlement in California established in 1769 by Spanish missionaries and reflects the Spanish, Mexican, Indian and other American early settlements. Presidio Park and Museum are the site of the first California mission and borders Old Town, an historical park. The adobe buildings, shops and restaurants all contribute to an old world ambiance. Mission San Diego de la Alcala, formerly located in Old Town, was moved to Mission Valley in 1774 and is the first of 21 missions established by Father Junipero Serra on his travels through California. Cabrillo National Monument commemorates the 1542 arrival of Juan Rodriques Cabrillo who claimed the land for Spain. This Point Loma site offers a panoramic view of San Diego:  Coronado and Mexico are to the south, beaches and cliffs of La Jolla to the west, and northern San Diego County, and east to the mountains.

Balboa Park began in 1868. Its 1400 acres contain museums, the Spreckles Organ pavilion, and Old Globe Theater. International Bay Park is 46 acres of fill land which include Sea World, a golf course, hotels and marinas, tennis town which hosts the University of California San Diego campus, Salk Institute, Stephen Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institute of Oceanography and many more scientific research facilities.

 
The San Diego Opera, The San Diego Symphony, California Ballet, and innumerable dramatic and music organizations throughout the county offer a wide variety of culture and the arts to the community and the visitor.  San Diego is the home of the San Diego Chargers professional football team and the San Diego Padres baseball team. San Diego is a center of learning, offering such outstanding universities as UCSD, San Diego State University, and the University of San Diego, as well as community colleges throughout the county.

 
San Diego is home to the Naval Air Station in Coronado, the Miramar Naval Air Base, 32nd street Naval Base, and the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot. The Mexico-United States International Border, the busiest in the world, is 20 minutes south from downtown San Diego.  Over 76 golf courses are throughout San Diego County.  The beautiful Borrego Springs desert is within 90 miles and the mountainous quaint town of Julian is 70 miles.

In the same day you can travel from the ocean, to the mountains, and to the desert, and return to downtown San Diego all in the same day.