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However, after the Mexican-American War, California became a part of the United States in 1848 and was admitted into the union as a state in 1850. It was a part of the Mexican Empire in 1821. The area was originally named ‘San Miguel’ by the explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo before being later renamed as San Diego after a Spanish monk. San Diego is commonly referred to as the ‘Birthplace of California’ as it was the first site on the western coast of the USA to be settled by Europeans. Foodies will love to visit in autumn as culinary festivals like Restaurant Week are held in September. As such, the best times to visit are from March through May or September through November when you can find great travel deals and lesser crowds. San Diego has a Mediterranean climate with hot sunny and dry summers and cool and wet winters. Los Angeles, the famous home of Hollywood, is located 120 miles northwest of San Diego. The landscape becomes hillier to the north in the La Jolla region and eastward to a range of mountains along the edge of the city. It has a varied topography of broad mesas, canyons, and wide valleys. The city consists of two unequal portions, the larger part extends north and east of San Diego Bay and the smaller one stretches southeastward from the bay to the Mexican border. San Diego is situated along the Pacific Ocean in the U.S.