In the seven-plus years I’ve worked here, I never knew the original title of this publication was actually Magazine San Diego. The chamber of commerce had produced a promotional pamphlet called San Diego Magazine, and even though they discontinued it when World War II began, they didn’t want to let go of the name.
Ours was the first independent city and regional magazine in the United States, and it was launched 70 years ago this month. Two boyhood friends each put up $1,000 to get it rolling. In October 1948, Mission Valley was farmland, Coronado had no bridge, and streetcars toddled down Broadway, where our present-day office is located. I’m extremely proud to be a part of this magazine, and of its history—so proud that I often find myself browsing through the vintage covers in our archives. You can take a tour through the decades and see some of that retro style, too.
This is also our annual Top Doctors issue. Every year, the San Diego County Medical Society recognizes peer-reviewed physicians. All 717 of them, in 88 specialties, are listed. We also interviewed five of these top docs to find out how they deal with delivering difficult diagnoses, how they stay strong for their patients, and what they do with all the emotion they bring home at the end of the day. I will warn you, I always read everything in the magazine multiple times, and these raw, candid stories yanked on my heartstrings. A few of them made me cry on every single read.
And now, with the serious stuff behind us, I’d like to look toward the future. We just launched San Diego Magazine Insiders, a membership program that’s like a big psst to the smart people who sign up. You can read all about our perks at sdmag.com/insiders, but the biggies include two free members-only happy hours each month, front-of-the-line entry to all our events, and great deals curated by the editors and friends of the magazine. There will also be invitations to unique experiences, like dining with our food critic, Troy Johnson, and access to a private Facebook group where you can get recommendations from our staff.
Thank you for supporting us for 70 years—for reading our stories, attending our parties, listening to our podcast, subscribing to our newsletters and, hopefully, for becoming an Insider. See you on the inside—or inside the next issue!
June/July 1955