The population of the region was 5,,, making it the largest bi-national conurbation shared between the United States and Mexico, and the second-largest shared between the US and another country. San DiegoβTijuana traces its European roots to , when the land was explored by Portuguese explorers on behalf of the Spanish Empire. In , it was mandated by the Spanish viceroy in Mexico City that safe ports be found, one of which would be San Diego Bay , for ships of the Manila galleon.
The metropolitan region is host to 13 consulates for several countries. Cabrillo first named San Diego , San Miguel.
Initial expeditions by the west to the Californias were followed by pacification and conversion efforts by the Spanish Empire and the Catholic Church. The first Catholic religious order to visit the region was the Jesuits in , followed by the Franciscans in , and the Dominicans in the s.
The metropolitan region was historically united as part of the province of Alta California under the Viceroyalty of New Spain. In , Mexico won its independence from the Spanish crown and kept the area under the jurisdiction of Alta California.
From the late s Mission lands were granted as ranchos to Californio gentry. These distributions of lands accelerated after the Missions were secularized in , ending the dominance of the Missions in the economy. San Diego Bay became a port of call for whalers and hide traders from the United States. In the war ended with the Fall of Mexico City and boundaries were redrawn which created a border between San Diego and Tijuana, 3 miles 4. Americans flocked to the city, which had become a major destination for the Hollywood elite, which led to the construction of the Agua Caliente Tourist Complex which in turn spurred the rise of hotels and overall growth in the city.
