Frosted chocolate cupcakes

A cupcake (also British English: fairy cake; Australian English: patty cake or cup cake) is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations, such as sprinkles, are common on cupcakes.

Although their origin is unknown, recipes for cupcakes have been printed since at least the late 12th century.

History

A Hostess CupCake, showing the typical "snack cake" style of cupcake.

The first mention of the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe notation of "a cake to be baked in small cups" was written in American Cookery by Amelia Simms. The earliest documentation of the term cupcake was in “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats” in 1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook.

In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name cup cake or cupcake. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in. This is the use of the name that has persisted, and the name of "cupcake" is now given to any small cake that is about the size of a teacup. The name "fairy cake" is a fanciful description of its size, which would be appropriate for a party of diminutive fairies to share. While English fairy cakes vary in size more than American cupcakes, they are traditionally smaller and are rarely topped with elaborate icing.

The other kind of "cup cake" referred to a cake whose ingredients were measured by volume, using a standard-sized cup, instead of being weighed. Recipes whose ingredients were measured using a standard-sized cup could also be baked in cups; however, they were more commonly baked in tins as layers or loaves. In later years, when the use of volume measurements was firmly established in home kitchens, these recipes became known as 1234 cakes or quarter cakes, so called because they are made up of four ingredients: one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, and four eggs. They are plain yellow cakes, somewhat less rich and less expensive than pound cake, due to using about half as much butter and eggs compared to pound cake. The names of these two major classes of cakes were intended to signal the method to the baker; "cup cake" uses a volume measurement, and "pound cake" uses a weight measurement.

In the early 21st century, a trend for cupcake shops was reported in the United States, playing off of the sense of nostalgia evoked by the cakes. In New York City, cupcake shops like Magnolia Bakery gained publicity in their appearances on popular television shows like HBO's Sex and the City. In 2010, television presenter Martha Stewart published a cook book dedicated to cupcakes.

Cupcakes have become more than a trend over the years; they've become an industry. Rachel Kramer Bussel, who has been blogging about cupcakes since 2004 at Cupcakes Take the Cake, said that "in the last two years or so, cupcakes really exploded" with more cupcake-centric bakeries opening nationwide.

Cupcake recipes

A selection of gourmet cupcakes

A standard cupcake uses the same basic ingredients as standard-sized cakes: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Nearly any recipe that is suitable for a layer cake can be used to bake cupcakes. Because their small size is more efficient for heat conduction, cupcakes bake much faster than layer cakes.

Variants

• A "cake in a mug" is a variant that gained popularity on many internet cooking forums and mailing lists. The technique uses a mug as its cooking vessel and can be done in a microwave oven. The recipe often takes fewer than five minutes to prepare.
• A butterfly cake is a variant of cupcake, also called fairy cake for its fairy-like "wings". They can be made from any flavor of cake. The top of the fairy cake is cut off or carved out with a spoon, and cut in half. Then, butter cream, whipped cream or other sweet filling (e.g. jam) is spread into the hole. Finally, the two cut halves are stuck into the butter cream to look like butterfly wings. The wings of the cake are often decorated using icing to form various patterns.
• A cake ball is an individual portion of cake, round like a chocolate truffle, that is coated in chocolate. These are typically formed from crumbled cake mixed with frosting, rather than being baked as a sphere.
• A gourmet cupcake is a somewhat recent variant of cupcake. Gourmet cupcakes are large and filled cupcakes, based around a variety of flavor themes, such as Tiramisu or Cappuccino. In recent years there has been an upcropping of stores that sell only gourmet cupcakes in metropolitan areas, such as Crumbs Bake Shop.
• A fairy cake is a much smaller version of a cupcake.^{[citation needed]} Usage more common in Britain and Ireland.

Pans and liners

A cupcake pan, made of tinned steel.

Originally, cupcakes were baked in heavy pottery cups. Some bakers still use individual ramekins, small coffee mugs, large tea cups, or other small ovenproof pottery-type dishes for baking cupcakes.

Cupcakes are usually baked in muffin tins. These pans are most often made from metal, with or without a non-stick surface, and generally have six or twelve depressions or "cups". They may also be made from stoneware, silicone rubber, or other materials. A standard size cup is 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter and holds about 4 ounces (110 g), although pans for both miniature and jumbo size cupcakes exist. Speciality pans may offer many different sizes and shapes.

Individual patty cases, or cupcake liners, may be used in baking. These are typically round sheets of thin paper pressed into a round, fluted cup shape. Liners can facilitate the easy removal of the cupcake from the tin after baking, keep the cupcake more moist, and reduce the effort needed to clean the pan. The use of liners is also considered a more sanitary option when cupcakes are being passed from hand to hand. Like cupcake pans, several sizes of paper liners are available, from miniature to jumbo.

In addition to paper, cupcake liners may be made from very thin aluminum foil or, in a non-disposable version, silicone rubber. Because they can stand up on their own, foil and silicone liners can also be used on a flat baking sheet, which makes them popular among people who do not have a specialized muffin tin. Some of the largest paper liners are not fluted and are made out of thicker paper, often rolled at the top edge for additional strength, so that they can also stand independently for baking without a cupcake tin. Some bakers use two or three thin paper liners, nested together, to simulate the strength of a single foil cup.

As an alternative to a plate of individual cakes, some bakers place standard cupcakes into a pattern and frost them to create a large design, such as a basket of flowers or a turtle.

External links

• "The Cupcake Revival" at BBC Magazine

City of San Clemente
—  City  —
The San Clemente Pier and central San Clemente Beach on the Pacific Ocean
Seal
Location of San Clemente within Orange County, California.
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Government
• Type	February 28, 1928
• Mayor	Lori Donchak
Area Zipcodes : 92672, 92673, 92674
• Total	19.468 sq mi (50.422 km2)
• Land	18.711 sq mi (48.461 km2)
• Water	0.757 sq mi (1.961 km2)  3.89%
Elevation	250 ft (71 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	63,522
• Density	3,262.9/sq mi (1,259.8/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	92672-92674
Area code(s)	949
FIPS code	06-65084
GNIS feature ID	1661376
Website	http://ci.san-clemente.ca.us/

San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish Colonial style architecture. San Clemente's city slogan is "Spanish Village by the Sea". The official City flower is the Bougainvillea and the official City tree is the Coral tree.

History

The pier in San Clemente, at the end of Avenida Del Mar, part of the original village created by Ole Hanson.

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the area was inhabited by what came to be known as the Juaneño Indians. Long admired by explorers and passing settlers, it remained virtually uninhabited until 1776, when Mission San Juan Capistrano was established by Father Junipero Serra and led both Indian and Spanish settlers to set up villages nearby. After the founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano, the local natives were conscripted to work for the mission.

Property rights to the land exchanged hands several times, but few ventured to build on it until 1925, when former Mayor of Seattle, Ole Hanson, with the financial help of a syndicate headed by Hamilton Cotton, purchased and designed a 2,000-acre (8.1 km²) community. Hanson believed that the area's pleasant climate, beautiful beaches and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians who were tired of "the big city". He named the city after San Clemente Island, which in turn was named by the explorer Vizcaino in 1602 after Saint Clement, whose feast day occurs on November 23, the day of Vizcaino's arrival on the island.

Hanson envisioned it as a Spanish-style coastal resort town, his "San Clemente by the Sea" (it was many years later that a few misguided people change Ole Hanson's original city name to Spanish Village by the Sea). In an unprecedented move, he had a clause added to the deeds requiring all building plans to be submitted to an architectural review board in an effort to ensure that future development would retain some Spanish-style influence (for example, for many years it was required that all new buildings in the downtown area have red tile roofs).

Hanson succeeded in promoting the new area and selling property to interested buyers. The city was to consist of buildings built in the classic Spanish style with red tile roofs. He built public structures such as the Beach Club, the Community Center, the pier and San Clemente Plaza, now known as Max Berg Plaza Park, which were later donated to the city. The area was officially incorporated as a City on February 27, 1928 with a council-manager government.

Referring to the way he would develop the city, Hanson proclaimed, "I have a clean canvas and I am determined to paint a clean picture. Think of it – a canvas five miles (8 km) long and one and one-half miles wide!"

Largest Historic Landmark in San Clemente: Soon after San Clemente was incorporated, the need for a "Fire House" was realized. The headlines in San Clemente’s first newspaper, "El Heraldo de San Clemente" June, 1928 read: "Building to house local fire department will be constructed by popular subscription and turned over to the city when completed!" Individual subscriptions were received in the amounts from $6.00 to $1500.00 from the local citizenry.

In 1969, an event occurred which accelerated the growth and reputation of San Clemente. In that year President Richard Nixon purchased a Spanish mansion in the southern part of town that Hamilton Cotton had built in 1927. This "Western White House" became the site of numerous historical meetings. The Old City Plaza also at one time had a small Nixon museum inside when the city occupied the premises.

Nixon's "Western White House"

In 1968 President Richard Nixon bought part of the H. H. Cotton estate, one of the original homes built by one of Hanson's partners. Nixon called it "La Casa Pacifica", but it was nicknamed the "Western White House", a term now commonly used for a President's vacation home. It sits above one of the West Coast's premier surfing spots, Trestles, and just north of historic surfing beach San Onofre. During Nixon's tenure it was visited by many world leaders, including Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Prime Minister of Japan Eisaku Sato, and Henry Kissinger, as well as businessman Bebe Rebozo. Following his resignation, Nixon retired to San Clemente to write his memoirs. He sold the home in 1980 and moved to New York City, later to Saddle River, New Jersey, and then eventually to Park Ridge, New Jersey. The property also has historical ties to the Democratic side of the aisle; prior to Nixon's tenure at the estate, H.H. Cotton was known to host Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would visit to play cards in a small outbuilding overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

A view of Santa Catalina Island, California from San Clemente. The city is known for its mild weather and mediterranean climate

San Clemente is located at 33°26?16?N 117°37?13?W? / ?33.43778°N 117.62028°W? / 33.43778; -117.62028 (33.437828, -117.620397).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.5 square miles (51 km²). 18.7 square miles (48 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (3.89%) is water.

Climate

San Clemente enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 70's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 °F (26 °C). The coldest month is December with an average temperature of 64 °F (18 °C). The annual rainfall in 2010 was 10.5 inches (270 mm) and the annual days of sunshine was 310.

Transportation

Interstate 5 runs through San Clemente. The Foothill Transportation Corridor has proposed to connect Mission Viejo to the Orange/San Diego county line, running along the east side of San Clemente and through San Onofre State Beach on its way to I-5. The California Coastal Commission soundly rejected this proposal by an 8–2 vote. Reasons cited for rejection included: the road's alignment through a state park, endangered species habitat, and a native American archaeological site, and the runoff from the road damaging the state park and surf break. The Federal Government rejected the proposal to place the toll road in accordance with the TCA proposal. This decision was viewed as a major defeat for the TCA and great victory for The Surfrider Foundation, which is based in San Clemente, and assorted environmental groups.

At the south end of town is located Camp Pendleton and Trestles surf beach. Additionally, the city is served by numerous daily trains operated by Amtrak and Metrolink between Los Angeles and San Diego.

Economy

ICU Medical and Pick Up Stix are based in San Clemente.

Largest employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Surfing legacy

A view of the pier in San Clemente, a popular surfing spot in the city.

San Clemente catches swells all year long. Going from South to North, they include Trestles (technically just south of the city line), Twon's Sandbox, State Park, Riviera, Lasuens (commonly mistaken as Lost Winds),The Hole, T-Street, The Pier, Linda Lane, 204, North Beach, and Poche Beach.

San Clemente is also the surfing media capital of the world as well as a surfing destination. It is home to Surfing Magazine, The Surfer's Journal, and Longboard Magazine, with Surfer Magazine just up the freeway in San Juan Capistrano.

The city has a large concentration of surfboard shapers and manufacturers including Lost Surfboards, Stewart Surfboards, Cole, Timmy Patterson Surfboards, Terry Senate and Dewey Weber Surfboards. Additionally, many world renowned surfers were raised in San Clemente or took up long-term residence in town, including Shane Beschen, Mike Parsons (originally from Laguna Beach), and many others.

San Clemente High School has won 6 out of 7 most recent NSSA national surfing titles. One title was won by Capistrano Connections Academy. San Clemente Surfboards & Art by Paul Carter sanclementesurfboards.com http://www.ocregister.com/news/surfboards-163804-surfing-shape.html

Government

Of the 32,569 registered voters in the city, 18,320 (56.2%) are Republicans, 7,532 (23.1%) are Democrats, 5,132 (15.8%) declined to state political affiliation, and the remaining 1,585 (4.9%) are registered with a minor party.

In the state legislature San Clemente is located in the 38th Senate District, represented by Republican Mark Wyland, and in the 73rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Diane Harkey. Federally, San Clemente is located in California's 44th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +6 and is represented by Republican Ken Calvert.

Education

The city is served by Capistrano Unified School District.

Within the city, there are six elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. There is also one virtual public K-12 school: Capistrano Connections Academy with flexible hours for students. The elementary schools are: Concordia Elementary, Truman Benedict, Vista Del Mar, Las Palmas, Marblehead Elementary, and Lobo Elementary. The middle schools are Bernice Ayer, Shorecliffs, and Vista Del Mar.

Las Palmas Elementary is well known for its dual immersion program.

San Clemente High School has an IB (International Baccalaureate) Program and a large number of advanced placement courses. Students at San Clemente High School have proven to be well rounded and versatile, receiving academic accolades as well as hosting groups ranging from national title winning dance teams to award winning orchestras, bands, voice groups and one of the nation's most skilled athletic programs; these groups have even received opportunities to perform at various venues including Carnegie hall (madrigals and orchestra), various venues in Hawaii (marching band), and many others.

Media

San Clemente was the setting of the MTV reality show, Life of Ryan.

It was also the setting of the 2005 film Brick. The town was chosen because it was particularly close to the director Rian Johnson who lived there and went to San Clemente High School, which was the school depicted in the film. Many of the locations in the film are still identical to the real ones, with the exception of the Pin's house which was flattened a week after exterior shooting; the interior was constructed in a local warehouse. The phone booths that were used all through the film are mostly props that were placed on location.

Notable natives and residents

Brian de la Puente

• Donald Baillargeon, international television host
• Paul Carter, Surfer/Shaper/Artist. sanclementesurfboards.com
• Lon Chaney, Jr., actor
• Anthony Cumia, Radio Show Host
• Brian de la Puente, NFL football player
• Sue Enquist, Hall of Fame UCLA Softball Coach
• Cara Fawn, porn star and mainstream science fiction actress and producer
• Greyson Fletcher, professional skateboarder/ actor
• Jorge Garcia, actor
• Ole Hanson, former mayor of Seattle and founder of San Clemente
• Annie Hardy, musician with Giant Drag
• Rian Johnson, director
• Carl Karcher, founder of Carl's Jr. and CKE Enterprises^{[citation needed]}
• Karch Kiraly, Olympic gold medalist in volleyball
• Colin McPhillips, professional longboarder
• Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States and Pat Nixon, former first lady
• Dominic Purcell, actor
• Michael Robertson, author
• Ryan Sheckler, professional skateboarder
• Jean Vander Pyl, actress
• Katie Vernola, Playboy Playmate Miss June 2010
• Connor De Phillippi, Race Car Driver
• Tommy Witt, longboard surfer

External links

• City of San Clemente official website
• City of San Clemente Demographic and Statistical Information
• The San Clemente Sun Post News, the town's oldest newspaper
• San Clemente Times community newspaper
• Old Town San Clemente

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
San Diego County, California
MCB Camp Pendleton Insignia
Type	Military base
Built	March 1942 (1942-03)
In use	September 25, 1942—present
Controlled by	United States Marine Corps
Garrison	I Marine Expeditionary Force
Shown within San Diego County, California

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base. It is located on the Southern California coast, in San Diego County, and bordered by Oceanside to the south, San Clemente, Cleveland National Forest, Orange and Riverside counties to the north, and Fallbrook to the east.

The base was established in 1942 to train U.S. Marines for service in World War II. By October 1944, Camp Pendleton was declared a "permanent installation" and by 1946, it became the home of the 1st Marine Division. It was named after Marine General Joseph Henry Pendleton (1860–1942), who had long advocated in setting up a training base for the Marine Corps on the west coast. Today it is the home to myriad Operating Force units including the I Marine Expeditionary Force and various training commands.

History

Prior to World War II

In 1769, a Spaniard by the name of Capt. Gaspar de Portola led an expeditionary force northward from lower California, seeking to establish Franciscan missions throughout California. On July 20 of that same year, the expedition arrived at the location now known as Camp Pendleton, and as it was the holy day St. Margaret, they baptized the land in the name of Santa Margarita.

During the next 30 years, 21 missions were established, the most productive one being Mission San Luis Rey, just south of the present-day Camp Pendleton. At that time, San Luis Rey Mission had control over the Santa Margarita area.

In 1821, following Mexico’s independence from Spain, Californios became the new ruling class of California, and many were the first generation descendants of the Portola expedition. The Mexican governor awarded land grants and ranchos to prominent businessmen, officials and military leaders. In 1841, two brothers, Pio Pico and Andres Pico, became the first private owners of Rancho Santa Margarita. More land was later added to the grant, giving it the name of Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, which stayed with the ranch until the Marine Corps acquired it in 1942. The design of the ranch's cattle brand is seen in the base's logo today.

In 1863, an Englishman named John (Don Juan) Forster (Pio Pico’s brother-in-law) paid off Pico’s gambling debts in return for the deed to the ranch. During his tenure as owner of the ranch, he expanded the ranch house, which was first built in 1827, and developed the rancho into a thriving cattle industry.

Forster’s heirs, however, were forced to sell the ranch in 1882 because of a string of bad luck, which included a series of droughts and a fence law that forced Forster to construct fencing around the extensive rancho lands. It was purchased by wealthy cattleman James Flood and managed by Irishman Richard O’Neill who was eventually rewarded for his faithful service with half ownership. Under the guidance of O’Neill’s son, Jerome, the ranch began to net a profit of nearly half a million dollars annually, and the house was modernized and furnished to its present form.

World War II

The main gate of Camp Pendleton; this is the main road for traffic into the base. This gate has been open and manned by Marines 24 hours a day since 1942.^{[citation needed]} 33°12?53?N 117°23?15?W? / ?33.2147°N 117.3875°W? / 33.2147; -117.3875

In the early 1940s, both the Army and the Marine Corps were looking for land for a large training base. The Army lost interest in the project, but in February 1942 it was announced that the 122,798 acres (497 km²) of Rancho Santa Margarita y Los Flores was about to be transformed into the largest Marine Corps base in the country. It was named for Major General Joseph Henry Pendleton who had long advocated the establishment of a West Coast training base. Construction began in April but the base was considered a temporary facility so it was built to minimum standards of wood frame construction. After five months of furious building activity, the 9th Marine Regiment, under then Colonel Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., marched from Camp Elliott in San Diego to Camp Pendleton to be the first troops to occupy the new base. On September 25, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the base.

Present

President George W. Bush addressing Marines and sailors at Camp Pendleton in December 2004.

An M1 Abrams breaches the obstacle belt during an amphibious exercise in 1997.

The base's diverse geography, spanning over 125,000 acres (506 km²), plays host to year-round training for Marines in addition to all other branches of the U.S. military. Amphibious and sea-to-shore training takes place at several key points along the base's 17 miles (27 km) of coastline. The main base is in the Mainside Complex, at the southeastern end of the base, and the remote northern interior is an impact area. Daytime population is around 100,000. Recruits from nearby Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego spend a month on Pendleton's Edson Range receiving field training, and after graduating from boot camp return to the base's School of Infantry for further training. Camp Pendleton remains the last major undeveloped portion of the Southern California coastline, save for a few small state parks. In this way, it acts as a kind of buffer between Orange County and San Diego County.

Beginning in 1954, Camp Pendleton has hosted a variation of Basic Training familiarization for teenagers age 14 to 17. This training, called "Devil Pups", promotes physical fitness, instills discipline and promotes love of country and the Marine Corps.

Since August 2004, Camp Pendleton has been one of five locations in the Department of Defense to operate the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) air radar. The STARS radar allows the facility to simulate air traffic for training purposes.^{[citation needed]}

On Tuesday, September 20th, 2011, a AH-1W Super Cobra military helicopter crashed during a training exercise, killing two Marines.

Unit locations (by area)

• 11 Area — 1st Marine Division headquarters
• 13 Area (Mainside) — Headquarters Area - 1st Marine Logistics Group; 9th Communications Battalion; 1st Radio Battalion; 1st Intelligence Battalion; 1st Dental Battalion; Marine Corps Installations West Headquarters
• 14 Area — Combat Logistics Regiment 1; Combat Logistics Regiment 17; 7th Engineer Support Battalion; Combat Logistics Battalion 1
• 15 Area — Security Battalion
• 21 Area (Camp Del Mar) — I Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters; 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion; Combat Logistics Battalion 5; Field Medical Training Battalion.
• 22 Area (Camp Chappo) — 1st Medical Battalion
• 23 Area (MCAS Camp Pendleton) — Marine Aircraft Group 39
• 24 Area (Camp Vado Del Rio) — MAG-39 Barracks; Base Brig
• 25 Area (Vado Del Rio) Marine Wing Support Squadron 372
• 31 Area (Edson Range) — Weapons & Field Training Battalion
• 32 Area — MASS-3, 3d LAAD Bn, MACS-1 Det A
• 33 Area (Camp Margarita) — 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
• 41 Area (Camp Las Flores) — 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion; 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company
• 43 Area (Camp Las Pulgas) — 11th Marine Regiment; 1st Maintenance Battalion
• 52 Area (Camp San Onofre) — United States Marine Corps School of Infantry
• 53 Area (Camp Horno) — 1st Marine Regiment; 1st battalion, 4th Marine Regiment
• 62 Area (Camp San Mateo) — 5th Marine Regiment; 1st Combat Engineer Battalion
• 63 Area (Camp Talega) — Reserve Support Unit (West)

Ecology

Camp Pendleton was built on a wide swath of coastal land that once supported an estuary at the mouth of the Santa Margarita River and extensive salt marsh habitat. Outlying land within the base is made up of floodplain, oak woodlands, coastal dunes and bluffs, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and several types of wetlands, including ephemeral wetlands such as vernal pools. Wildfire is not uncommon. Research in ecology takes place in undeveloped areas of base, which contain examples of rare and endangered California habitat types. The Department of Defense has issued management plans for various ecosystems on this territory.

Land within the base still includes breeding habitat for birds such as the Western Snowy Plover and California Gnatcatcher. The coastal bluffs have many of the few existing specimens of the Pendleton button-celery, which was named for the base. Rare mammals on the base include the Pacific pocket mouse and Stephens' kangaroo rat.

External links

• Camp Pendleton (official site)
• [http://www.usmclife.com/ An Insider's Guide to USMC Bases
• Camp Pendleton (GlobalSecurity.org)
• Marine Corps Community Services at Camp Pendleton
• Historical Society
• Camp Pendleton Personnel/Vets Locator
• Camp Pendleton Base Overview & PCS Information (MarineCorpsUSA.org)
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KNFG
  • ASN accident history for NFG
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KNFG
  • FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 17 November 2011

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station
Location of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California
Country	United States
Location	San Diego County, California
Status	Operational
Commission date	Unit 1: January 1, 1968 Unit 2: August 8, 1983 Unit 3: April 1, 1984
Licence expiration	Unit 2: February 16, 2022 Unit 3: November 15, 2022
Decommission date	Unit 1: November 30, 1992
Operator(s)	Southern California Edison
Architect(s)	Bechtel Power Corporation, a subsidiary of Bechtel[citation needed]
Reactor information
Reactors operational	1 x 1172 MW 1 x 1178 MW
Reactor type(s)	pressurized water reactor
Reactor supplier(s)	Westinghouse (Unit 1) Combustion Engineering (Units 2 & 3)
Power generation information
Annual generation	17,204 GW·h
Website www.sce.com/.../SanOnofreNuclearGeneratingStation/
As of 2008-11-25

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is a nuclear power plant located on the Pacific coast of California. The 84-acre (34 ha) site is in the northwestern corner of San Diego County, south of San Clemente, and surrounded by the San Onofre State Park and next to the I-5 Highway.

Unit 1 is no longer in service and has been dismantled. It is being used as a storage site for spent fuel. It had a spherical containment of concrete and steel with the smallest wall being 6 feet (1.8 m) thick. This reactor was a first generation Westinghouse pressurized water reactor that operated for 25 years, closing permanently in 1992. Units 2 and 3, Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors, continue to operate and generate 1,172 MWe and 1,178 MWe respectively.

The July 12, 1982 edition of Time (magazine) states, "The firm Bechtel was further embarrassed in 1977, when it installed a 420-ton nuclear-reactor vessel backwards" at San Onofre.

The plant is operated by Southern California Edison. Edison International, parent of SCE, holds 78.2% ownership in the plant; San Diego Gas & Electric Company, 20%; and the City of Riverside Utilities Department, 1.8%. The plant employs over 2000 people.

The plant is located in Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region IV.

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of San Onofre was 92,687, an increase of 50.0 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 8,460,508, an increase of 14.9 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include San Diego (45 miles to city center).

Environmental mitigation

Strong, spherical containment buildings around the reactors are designed to prevent unexpected releases of radiation. The closest tectonic fault line is the Cristianitos fault, which is considered inactive. Southern California Edison states the station was "built to withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake directly under the plant".

Unlike many pressurized water reactors, but like some other seaside facilities in Southern California, the San Onofre plant uses seawater for cooling, and thus lacks the iconic large cooling towers typically associated with nuclear generating stations. However, changes to water-use regulations may require construction of such cooling towers in the future to avoid further direct use of seawater. Limited available land next to the reactor would likely require the towers to be built on the opposite side of the Interstate 5 highway.

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at San Onofre was 1 in 58,824, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.

In popular culture

In the James W. Huston book, Fallout, Pakistani Air Force Pilots attempt to bomb San Onofre using stolen California Air National Guard F-16s. In the James Bond book License Renewed by John Gardner, it was one of six nuclear power stations in the terrorist/blackmail plot "Meltdown" planned by The Laird of Murcaldy, Anton Murik. In the science fiction novel Timescape, by Gregory Benford, the nuclear plants at San Onofre raised the water temperature along the adjacent coast, which stimulated aquatic life.

The generating station was also featured in the 1983 film Koyaanisqatsi and the 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!.

In the 2011 TV series The Event, the fuel rods were removed and transported from San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station to thwart the aliens' plan to steal the uranium to build their specialized transport array. The transport array was utilized to transport the citizens from their own planet to Earth.

See also

• Diablo Canyon Power Plant
• Anti-nuclear movement in California

External links

• "NRC: San Onofre - Unit 1". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. February 7, 2011. http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/power-reactor/san-onofre-unit-1.html. Retrieved 2011-03-17. 
• "San Onofre 2 Pressurized Water Reactor". Operating Nuclear Power Reactors. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). February 14, 2008. http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/sano2.html. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 
• "San Onofre 3 Pressurized Water Reactor". Operating Nuclear Power Reactors. NRC. February 14, 2008. http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/sano3.html. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 
• "San Onofre Power Plant Emergency". Operating Nuclear Power Reactors. NRC. November 2, 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/01/san-onofre-power-plant-emergency_n_1070492.html. Retrieved 2011-11-2. 
• SCE SONGS webpage
• Edison SONGS webpage
• Why Domes at San Onofre from North County Times
• So. Calif. nuclear plant worker faked fire checks
• Decommission San Onofre Fukushima USA

County of San Diego
—  County  —
Seal
Location in the state of California
California's location in the United States
Country	USA
State	California
metropolitan area	San Diego metropolitan area
municipal corporation	1850
county seat	San Diego
largest city	San Diego
Area
• Total	4,525.52 sq mi (11,721 km2)
• Land	4,199.89 sq mi (10,877.7 km2)
• Water	325.62 sq mi (843.4 km2)
Population (2010 Census)
• Total	3,095,313
• Density	684/sq mi (264.1/km2)
Time zone	Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)
Zipcodes & Cities: Alpine 91901, 91903 Bonita 91902 Bonsall 92003 Borrego Springs 92004 Campo 91906 Camp Pendelton 92055 Cardiff-by-the-Sea 92007 Carlsbad 92008-92009, 92013, 92018 Chula Vista 91909-91915, 91921 Coronado 92118, 92178 Del Mar 92014 Dulzura 91917 El Cajon 92019-92022, 92090 Encinitas 92023-92024 Escondido 92025-92027, 92029-92030, 92033, 92046 Fallbrook 92028, 92088 Imperial Beach 91932-91933 Jacumba 91934 Jamul 91935 Julian 92030 La Jolla 92037-92039, 92092-92093 La Mesa 91941-91944 Lakeside 92040 Lemon Grove 91945-91946 MCAS Miramar 92145 Mt. Palomar 92060 National City 91950-91951 Ocean Beach 92107 Oceanside 92049, 92051-92052, 92054-92058 Pacific Beach 92109 Pala 92059 Pine Valley 91962 Potrero 91963, 91990 Ramona 92065 Rancho Bernardo 92128 Rancho Santa Fe 92067, 92091 San Diego (communities) 92101-92124, 92126-92140, 92142, 92143, 92145, 92147, 92149, 92150, 92152-92155, 92158-92179, 92182, 92184, 92186, 92187, 92190-92199 San Marcos 92069, 92078-92079, 92096 Santa Ysabel 92070 Santee 92071-92072 San Ysidro 92143, 92173 Solana Beach 92075 Spring Valley 91976-91979 Valley Center 92082 Vista 92083-92085 Warner Springs 92066, 92086
Website	sdcounty.ca.gov

San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000 U.S. Census. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, San Diego County had a population of 3,095,313 people, making it the second-most-populous county in California, just behind its northern neighbor Los Angeles County. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 3,208,466, making it the fifth most-populous county in the United States and giving it a population greater than 20 of the 50 U.S. states.

San Diego County has 70 miles (110 km) of coastline. It has a mild Mediterranean to semi-arid climate. Also in this county are 16 significant naval and military locations of the United States Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Coast Guard, including Naval Base San Diego, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and Naval Air Station North Island.

San Diego County defines the metropolitan statistical area of San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, and in its metropolitan capacity is also known as Greater San Diego. In addition, San Diego County is part of the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area, an area with above five million people and the largest bi-national metropolitan area shared between the United States and Mexico. Arising from an effort by the state government to identify regional economies, San Diego County and Imperial County are part of the Southern Border Region, one of nine such regions. As a regional economy, the Southern Border Region is the smallest but most economically diverse region in the state, though the two counties maintain weak relations and have little in common, aside from their border proximity.

San Diego County extends south all the way to the Mexican border, which is also the northern border of the State of Baja California and the northern municipal limits of Tijuana Municipality and Tecate Municipality. San Diego County is bordered by Orange County and Riverside County on its north, by Imperial County on its east, and the Pacific Ocean on its west and southwest.

History

The area which is now San Diego County has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years by Kumeyaay (also called Diegueño), Luiseño, Cupeño and Cahuilla Indians.

European settlement in what is now San Diego County began with the founding of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, by Spanish pioneers, in 1769. This county was part of Alta California under the Viceroyalty of New Spain until the Mexican revolution. From 1821 through 1848 this area was part of Mexico.

San Diego County became part of the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, ending the U.S.-Mexican War. This treaty designated the new border as terminating at a point on the Pacific Ocean coast which would result in the border passing one Spanish league south of the southernmost portion of San Diego Bay, thus ensuring that the United States received all of this natural harbor.

San Diego County was one of the original counties of California, and it was created at the time of California statehood in 1850. San Diego County was named for San Diego Bay, which had been renamed in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno in honor of the Franciscan St. Didacus of Alcalá, known in Spanish as San Diego de Alcalá de Henares, and whose name was borne by Vizcaíno's flagship.

At the time of its establishment in 1850, San Diego County was relatively large, and included all of southernmost California which was south and east of Los Angeles County. As such it included areas of what are now Inyo County and San Bernardino County, as well as all of what is now Riverside County and Imperial County.

During the later part of the 19th century, there were numerous changes in the boundaries of San Diego County, when various areas became separated for the counties mentioned above. The most recent changes were the establishments of Riverside County in 1893 and Imperial County in 1907. Imperial County was also the last county to be established in California, and after this division, San Diego no longer extended from the Pacific Ocean to the Colorado River, and it no longer covered the entire border between California and Mexico.

Geography

North County communities. Coastal cities are in dark blue, unincorporated coastal communities are in light blue. Inland cities are in dark yellow, unincorporated inland communities are in light yellow.
*This map does not show neighborhoods of the city of San Diego that are considered to be part of North County, such as Del Mar Heights, Rancho Peñasquitos, and Rancho Bernardo)
*Some areas in white in this general region that are in white would be also considered part of North County, but only cities and unincorporated communities are colored on this map.

East County communities in red. In dark red are the cities and towns of Santee and El Cajon which mark the western edge of East County. Unincorporated communities are in light red, including Lakeside and Alpine.

South Bay communities of San Diego County. The cities and towns of National City, Chula Vista, and Imperial Beach are in dark orange. The unincorporated community of Bonita is in light orange. San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, neighborhoods of the city of San Diego, are in pink.

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 4,525.52 square miles (11,721.0 km²), of which 4,199.89 square miles (10,877.7 km²) (or 92.80%) is land and 325.62 square miles (843.4 km²) (or 7.20%) is water.

The county is larger in area than the combined states of Rhode Island and Delaware.

San Diego County has a varied topography. On its western side is 70 miles (110 km) of coastline. Most of San Diego between the coast and the Laguna Mountains consists of hills, mesas, and small canyons. Snow-capped (in winter) mountains rise to the northeast, with the Sonoran Desert to the far east. Cleveland National Forest is spread across the central portion of the county, while the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park occupies most of the northeast. Although the western third of the county is primarily urban, the mountains and deserts in the eastern two-thirds of the county consist primarily of undeveloped backcountry. Most of these backcountry areas are home to a native plant community known as chaparral. San Diego County contains more than a million acres (4,000 km²) of chaparral, twice as much as any other California county.

North San Diego County is known as North County; the exact geographic definitions of "North County" vary, but it includes the northern suburbs and sometimes certain northern neighborhoods of the City of San Diego.

The eastern suburbs are collectively known as East County, though most still lie in the western third of the county. The southern suburbs and southern detached portion of the city of San Diego, extending to the Mexican border, are collectively referred to as South Bay.

Largest cities in San Diego County by population

Largest cities (2010 census population):

Cities and towns in San Diego County

Incorporated cities and towns

Many of the cities seen from the sky as part of the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area.

• Carlsbad
• Chula Vista
• Coronado
• Del Mar
• El Cajon
• Encinitas (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia, Olivenhain)
• Escondido
• Imperial Beach
• La Mesa
• Lemon Grove
• National City
• Oceanside
• Poway
• San Diego
• San Marcos
• Santee
• Solana Beach
• Vista

Unincorporated communities

Indian reservations

San Diego County has 18 federally recognized Indian reservations, more than any other county in the United States. Although they are typical in size to other Indian reservations in California (many of which are termed "Rancherías"), they are relatively tiny by national standards,^{[citation needed]} and all together total 200.2 square miles (518.5 km²) of area.

Boundaries (counties and municipalities)

San Diego

Orange

Riverside

Imperial

Tijuana,

Baja California,

Mexico

Tecate,

Baja California,

Mexico

Pacific

Ocean

Counties adjacent to San Diego County, California

National protected areas

• Cabrillo National Monument
• Cleveland National Forest (part)
• San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes several individual wildlife refuge areas:
  • San Diego Bay South Bay
  • San Diego Bay Sweetwater Marsh
  • Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge
  • Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (located in Orange County)
  • San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
  • Vernal Pools

State parks and protected areas

• Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (portions are also in Imperial and Riverside counties)
• Torrey Pines State Reserve
• Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
• Palomar Mountain State Park
• San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
• Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
• Border Field State Park
• Tijuana River Natural Estuarine Research Reserve
• San Onofre State Beach
• Moonlight State Beach
• Carlsbad State Beach
• South Carlsbad State Beach
• Leucadia State Beach
• San Elijo State Beach
• Cardiff State Beach
• Torrey Pines State Beach
• Silver Strand State Beach

Mountains

• Cuyamaca Mountains
• In-Ko-Pah Mountains
• Jacumba Mountains
• Laguna Mountains
• Palomar Mountain
• Peninsular Ranges
• San Ysidro Mountains
• Santa Ana Mountains
• Volcan Mountains

There are 236 mountain summits and peaks in San Diego County including:

• Black Mountain
• Cuyamaca Peak (second highest point in San Diego County)
• Cowles Mountain (highest point in the city of San Diego)
• Mount Helix
• Hot Springs Mountain (highest point in San Diego County)
• Mount Soledad
• Stonewall Mountain

Bays and Lagoons

• Buena Vista Lagoon
• Agua Hedionda Lagoon
• Batiquitos Lagoon
• San Elijo Lagoon
• Mission Bay
• San Diego Bay

Lakes

Rivers

• San Diego River
• San Luis Rey River
• San Dieguito River
• Sweetwater River (California)
• Otay River
• Tijuana River

Transportation in San Diego County

Major Highways

Border crossings to Mexico

San Ysidro Border Crossing
Otay Mesa Border Crossing
Tecate Border Crossing

Railroads

AMTRAK (Pacific Surfliner)
Metrolink
The Coaster
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad Sprinter (North County)

Light rail and local transit

San Diego Trolley
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
Sprinter
North County Transit District

The Port of San Diego

Embarcadero (San Diego)

Primary Civilian Airports

• Lindbergh Field (San Diego International Airport) (SAN)
• Montgomery Field, (MYF)
• McClellan-Palomar Airport, (CLD or CRQ) a.k.a. Palomar Airport or Carlsbad Airport
• Gillespie Field, (SEE) in El Cajon
• Agua Caliente Airport
• Borrego Valley Airport
• Fallbrook Airport
• Oceanside Municipal Airport
• Ocotillo Airport
• Ramona Airport, (RNM)
• Brown Field Municipal Airport, (SDM) (formerly East Field, NAAS Otay Mesa, and NAAS Brown Field)

Education

San Diego County contains three public state universities: University of California, San Diego; San Diego State University; and California State University, San Marcos. Major private universities in the county include University of San Diego (USD), Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU), Alliant International University (AIU), and National University.

Within the county there are 24 public elementary school districts, 6 high school districts, and 12 unified school districts. There are also 5 community college districts.

There are two separate public library systems in San Diego County: the San Diego Public Library serving the city of San Diego, and the San Diego County Library serving all other areas of the county. In 2010 the county library had 33 branches and two bookmobiles; circulated over 10.7 million books, CDs, DVDs, and other material formats; recorded 5.7 million visits to library branches; and hosted 21,132 free programs and events. The San Diego County Library is one of the 25 busiest libraries in the nation as measured by materials circulated.

Significant Naval and Military stations

U.S. Navy

• Naval Base San Diego, also known as "32nd Street Naval Station"
• Naval Amphibious Base Coronado
• Naval Air Station North Island
• Naval Base Point Loma, which includes the Submarine Base and the Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Training Center
• Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SPAWAR)
• Bob Wilson Naval Hospital, formerly the Naval Medical Center San Diego, also known as Balboa Naval Hospital

U.S. Marine Corps

• Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
• Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego

U.S. Coast Guard

• Coast Guard Air Station San Diego

Sites of interest

• Anza-Borrego State Park, the largest state park in California with high levels of both plant and animal biodiversity
• Mount Laguna Observatory, owned and primarily operated by San Diego State University
• Palomar Observatory, owned and primarily operated by the California Institute of Technology
• The Ramona Valley wine-producing region, located 28 miles (45 km) northeast of the City of San Diego
• San Diego Zoo Safari Park, formerly known as the San Diego Wild Animal Park, 35 miles (56 km) north of the San Diego Zoo and east of Escondido
• Sea World of San Diego, on Mission Bay.
• Mission Bay Recreation Area, including Fiesta Island, a sheltered bay popular for water sports, also known for the annual Over the line tournament.
• Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first of California's 21 Spanish missions. It is an operating Roman Catholic parish and also is open for historical interest tours during the week. It is located near the interchange of Interstates 8 and 15.
• Balboa Park, with numerous museums and other cultural locations, located just north of Downtown San Diego.
• 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. It preserves and recreates the original settlement of San Diego during its pueblo, Alta California, and early American periods, through 1872.
• Presidio Park, located on a bluff directly above Old Town, a city historic park on the site of the San Diego Presidio, the first European settlement in California.
• Cabrillo National Monument, located at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula. It has historical exhibits about Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and World War II as well as the Old Point Loma Lighthouse which is open to the public. It offers striking views of the harbor and ocean, natural areas for hiking and bird watching, and tide pools.
• San Diego Bay contains the aircraft carrier USS Midway now used as a memorial ship and as a floating museum, and the eight floating museum ships of the San Diego Maritime Museum. Harbor cruises, sailing, and sport fishing are also available.
• Legoland California is a "Lego" theme park in Carlsbad.
• Alta Vista Gardens is a Botanical Garden in Vista dedicated to bringing together 'People, Nature & Art'.

External links

• Official Travel Resource for the San Diego Region
• County of San Diego Official Website
• San Diego Geographic Information Source Website
• San Diego County Water Authority Map
• California State Association of Counties (CSAC)
• The San Diego Union-Tribune Website
• San Diego Lifestyle Website