SAN DIEGO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Women’s History Month is celebrated annually in March as a way to honor the contributions women have made to American society and history.

While there have been thousands of women who have contributed to this nation’s progress and impacted generations to come, it’s important to also honor those women who have made an impact at a local level.

Afterall, San Diego didn’t become “America’s Finest City” by happenstance, but by the trailblazing efforts by many women to make it the city it is today.

Here are 5 women who made a lasting impact on San Diego.

Dr. Martha Dunn Corey

Dr. Martha Dunn Corey was the first female doctor in San Diego. She practiced medicine out of her home at 2104 Diamond Street in Pacific Beach, which still stand today.

Corey later moved to La Jolla and established a medical practice there. She retired in 1925, moving back to a different home in Pacific Beach. Her old home in La Jolla is also still standing and is a designated Historic Landmark of the City of San Diego.

Lilian Jeannette Rice

Lilian Jennette Rice was born in National City in 1888. She was the first woman to earn a degree in architecture from the University of California Berkeley in 1910.

After graduating, Rice returned to San Diego where she worked with the architect Hazel Waterman on projects like the reconstruction of Casa Estudillo in Old Town San Diego.

She eventually joined the architectire for Requa & Jackson, where she helped lead a project for a new residential community, Rancho Santa Fe.

The neighborhood’s architecture was inspired by her affinity toward indigenous architecture, personal travel to Spain and Latin cultures, according to the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society.

Mabel Bell

Mabel Bell and her husband were the first African American to purchase property in La Jolla. They reportedly came to visit from Texas in 1942 and decided to never leave, like lots of people do when they visit San Diego.

In a book written by her nephew Charley Buchanan, she was described as beloved by the community, but also faced pushback and racism when she initially moved to the area.

Bell founded Strongly Oriented for Action, which lobbied for affordable housing in La Jolla, according to San Diego Magazine.

Bell lived in La Jolla until her death in 2007. Mabel Bell Lane, which is located between Eads and Draper Avenues, was named after her.

Lucy Killea

Lucy Killea was a pioneer who served on San Diego City Council, in the California State Assembly and in the State Senate. She also served with an organization now known as the CIA in 1946.

Killea also helped to establish foreign relations with Mexico and created Fronteras de las Californias, a nonprofit liaison. She also fought to create a licensed midwife program and was a strong pro-choice advocate. She was inducted into the San Diego Woman’s Hall of Fame.

Judith N. Keep

Judith Keep served as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. When she graduated from law school in 1970, less than 5% of lawyers were women at the time, according to the U.S. General Services Administration.

She was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to the federal bench in 1980. She was the first female federal judge in her district and the first female chief judge.

In 2014, President Barack Obama approved renaming the San Diego U.S. Courthouse to the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse.

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