Short answers, pulled from the story.
Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into the bay in 1542 and claimed the land for the Spanish Empire. This event marked the first European visit to what is now California.
Franciscan friars under Junipero Serra founded Mission San Diego de Alcala in May 1769. The mission became the southern anchor of El Camino Real and eventually housed over 1,400 neophytes by 1797.
The San Ysidro Port of Entry stands as the busiest international land border crossing in the world outside Asia. It serves as a critical hub for cross-border commerce and migration between the United States and Mexico.
Qualcomm was founded and is headquartered in the city serving as one of the largest private-sector employers. Other wireless manufacturers like Nokia, LG Electronics, and Kyocera International maintain U.S. headquarters here.
The 2010 census recorded a population of 1,307,402 distributed over a land area of 372 square miles. Racial composition showed 58.9 percent White, 6.7 percent Black, 15.9 percent Asian, and 28.8 percent Hispanic or Latino residents.