San Diego Family Magazine - A Look Back

SDFM has been San Diego County’s best parenting resource since 1982. Each issue is now available online. You can also connect with us via Facebook, Twitter and email. It’s never been easier to access your favorite family guide!

1982

• The 8-page Parents’ Press sells for $1.25.
• A pack of Pampers Newborn Diapers sells for about $2.95.
• The Old Globe Theater opens in Balboa Park.
• Pete Wilson becomes the first elected U.S. senator from San Diego.
• A first-class postage stamp costs 20 cents.

1984

• Sharon and Larry Bay purchase San Diego Family, a free publication reaching 40,000 readers.
• Horton Plaza shopping center opens in downtown San Diego, part of a 140 million dollar redevelopment project.
• The San Diego Symphony gets a new home at Symphony Hall (formerly the Fox Theatre).
• Padres win National League Pennant and World Series games first played in San Diego.

1986

• SD Family Press reaches 53,000 readers.
• North County Fair shopping center opens in Escondido.
• Maureen O'Connor is elected as San Diego's first woman mayor.
• The San Diego Supercomputer Center opens at the University of California, San Diego, providing the national research community with access to the highest-performance computers available.

1988

• Family Press changes its format from a newspaper to a magazine.
• San Diego hosts its first Super Bowl at Jack Murphy Stadium.
• America’s Cup, an international yacht race, is held in San Diego.

1990

• SD Family Press gets a glossy cover. It offers the first local education and after-school enrichment guides.
• The population of the City of San Diego hits 1,110,549.
• Former Mayor Pete Wilson is elected Governor of California, becoming the first governor from San Diego.
• California State University, San Marcos, opens.

1993

• The magazine boasts a readership of 120,000.
• The magazine moves into its downtown office.
• There were 48,810 births in San Diego County.

1994

• The California Center for the Arts opens in Escondido.
• A first-class postage stamp costs 29 cents.

2002

• The renamed San Diego Family Magazine celebrates its 20th year of publication and reaches 120,000 readers.
• San Diego population reaches 2.9 million
• Del Mar Fair changes its name back to San Diego County Fair, which it was since 1954

2010

• SDFM gets a fresh new look, from cover to cover.
• SanDiegoFamily.com wins a Gold Award from Parenting Publications of America.
• Now you can friend SDFM on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
• The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park changes its name to San Diego Zoo's Safari Park
• Still San Diego County’s best events and parenting resource!

2014

• San Diego Family expanded by forming the nonprofit Special Needs Resource Foundation of San Diego to work with the special needs community in San Diego County.
• The San Diego County Fair ended its season on July 6 with the second highest attendance ever with nearly 1.5 million visitors.

2016

• San Diego Family Magazine went to glossy coated paper. 

• Balboa Park celebrates it's 100th Birthday!