The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-05-02
FROM CALIFORNIA.

our former and well known townsman
E S. Beach, from which we are permit
ted to publish the writer's views on San
Diego, California, as resident town as
compared with Long Beach.
Long Beach, Cal, April %, 1o14.
My impressions Of San Diego as a
place to live, in comparison with Long
Beach
did not conclude, from a weeks
stay there, that San Diego was as pleas
| ant a place in which to live as here. 1t
may have slight advantage over US III
the way of more even temperature
In fact, the IS. Agricultural Report
seems TO prove this contention. It
gives the highest temperature for the
year 1912 as 81 degrees; lowest, 50 de-
grees. l was unable to get the report
for the year 1918, but was reliably in
| all Southern California had the freak
hot weather two or three days that it
was hotter in San Diego than anywhere,
the merucry reaching 120 in the shade.
! 1t averaged warmer there while we
were there than here, both might and
| day, the mercury around 81 each day;
| hRt they nearly always have a nice sea
breeze from II Il. m. to 4 D. m, which Is
| exceedingly pleasant. Our unpleasant
| ~ warm weather comes with a land
breeze from the north, and am l inclin
ed to believe we get more Of this than
they do.
Our city has two principal business
streets, Pine and American, both end
| ing at Ocean Avenue, which parallels
| the Ocean aud the Pike, where are shad
| ed seats without number, Municipal
Band concerts every day, and all are
| free, making very attractive center
| for an idler like myself
| San Diego is on San Diego Bay is
very billy city. has no nearby beach,
and no desirable one anywhere. 1t is
reached only by one railroad-the San
ia Fe The business center is pretty
nearly in a square, FIVE by six blocks,
centering on Broadway and Fifth near
| the Z. 5 Grant Hotel, a very handsome
| building with five-hundred rooms, and
| it seems to be THE hotel of the city.
| In front of it is small plaza, half
| block in extent. No seats in It. no
comfort station there or elsewhere.
There bave been built in the city IN the
| last year thirty five large hotels. con-
tanning from one to two hundred seven
| ty-fve rooms each, and my best judg
ment is not to exceed 20 per cent of
| these many rooms are at present in use,
and many new business rooms are not
and have not been yet occupied. Thev
| have a good street railway system and
>
ates; extending we'll out from the bust
ness district, are we'll paved The real
| estate agents, and their number is Ie-
gion, claim they have $4,000 people.
| The conservative and more relia BE
| ones say about 10000: but all admit the
| city has doubled in population during
! the last six years. There is not much
| building being done now excepting in
| their 141A acre park, which was gift
/ to the city many years ago and so &C
| cepted by it that it cannot sell or lease
any part of it, and at present time, not
| to exceed 20 per cent of the ground Is
| improved or beaUtihed The balance of
| it is covered with sagebrush and grease
| wood. In this park they are building
and making great preparations for the
coming San DiegO-Panama Exposition
| The city first voted 81, GOO, 10000 to fl
pance the project. They then raised
another million by subscription. Later
| they voted another million to complete
| their extended plan In addition to
| this, the State is donating their m ain
Exhibition Building, an immense struct-
ure well along toward completion, with
| a 235 foot tower.
| The building permits for San Diego
| in the year 1912 were a little over ten
| millions; in the year 1913, seven millions.
| From January 1. 1914 to now, 1925, 600
/ In addition to their other bonded enter
prises, they are building a Municipal
| Wharf to cost 81 900, coo 90. Their pres
ent wharves are very poor.
The one beauty spot they have is
Mission Cliff Garden, four miles out.
presented co the city and kept up by
the city railway system; in other words,
/ Spreckels 1t Is on the highest ground
in the city, contains forty acres of cuiti-
waited ground filled with tropical plants,
shade trees, many nice walks and shad-
ed seats. From it one gets a nice view
of Mission Valley, some four hundred
. feet below. 1t is a mile or more in
width and about eight miles long, with
the San Diego river winding down
through it to the ocean. Some three
miles up the Valley, one can see the
walls and all that remains of the Sar
Diego Mission which was established il
1893, and was the first Mission built, as
well as the first white settlement IN Cal
: n1rnia.
Like all tourists, we made a trip t.
Tia Juana, twenty miles south of SaI
Diego. 1t is a small frontier Mexican
town, with only one street and ao0u
twenty-five one-stOry buildings, Full
| half of them have a sign saloon
| All the rest sell Mexican curios.
Ed BEACH.