Escondido Basic Data

Escondido
—  City  —
City of Escondido
Downtown — Grand Avenue.
Nickname(s): Hidden Valley; The Hidden City; The Heart of San Diego North; Esco
Location of Escondido, California
Coordinates: 33°7′29″N 117°4′51″W / 33.12472°N 117.08083°W / 33.12472; -117.08083 Coordinates: 33°7′29″N 117°4′51″W / 33.12472°N 117.08083°W / 33.12472; -117.08083
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
Incorporated	October 8, 1888 (1888-10-08)
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Lori Holt Pfeiler
Area
- Total	36.5 sq mi (94.5 km)
- Land	36.3 sq mi (94.0 km)
- Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km)
Elevation	646 ft (197 m)
Population (Jan. 2010)
- Total	147,514
- Rank	4
- Density	3,681.4/sq mi (1,421.4/km)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code	92025-92027, 92029
Area code(s)	760 and 442 (overlay plan)
FIPS code	06-22804
GNIS feature ID	1652706
Website	www.ci.escondido.ca.us

Photos of Escondido and surrounding area

Escondido History

The Escondido area was first settled by Native American tribes. The Luiseño established campsites and villages along the creek running through the area. They named the place "Mehel-om-pom-pavo". The Kumeyaay migrated from areas near the Colorado River, settling both in the San Pasqual Valley and near the San Dieguito River in the southwestern and western portions of what is now Escondido. Most of the villages and campsites today have been destroyed by development and agriculture.

Spain controlled the land from the late 1700s to the early 1800s, and established many missions in California to convert the indigenous people. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain, the local land was divided into large "ranchos." Most of Escondido occupies the former Rancho Rincon del Diablo. Rincon del Diablo ("Devil's Corner") was a Mexican land grant given to Juan Bautista Alvarado (distinct from the governor of the same name) in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. Alvarado was a Regidor of Los Angeles at the time, and the first Regidor of the pueblo of San Diego. In addition, the southern area of Escondido occupies the former Rancho San Bernardo, granted in 1842 and 1845..

The Mexican-American War began in 1846. The Battle of San Pasqual was fought southeast of Escondido, pitting Mexican Andrés Pico (brother of then-California-governor Pío Pico) against Americans Stephen W. Kearny, Archibald Gillespie, and Kit Carson. A park in Escondido is named for Carson.

In 1853, there was a proposal backed by pro-Southern Copperheads to divide the state of California, creating a new Territory of Colorado (at this time the territory that would become the state of Colorado was still named Jefferson). San Diego Judge Oliver S. Witherby predicted that the capitol of the new territory would be located in Rancho Rincon del Diablo. He envisioned a railroad connecting San Diego to Fort Yuma through an area about two miles south of the current Escondido site, heading east through San Pasqual. He planned to profit off the town that he believed would form from the dividing point on the railroad below the eastern hills. With a series of deeds in 1855 and 1856, the rancho was transferred from the heirs of Juan Bautista Alvarado to Witherby.

The proposal for splitting the state and creating the new territory passed in the California legislature, but died in Congress in the run-up to the Civil War. It was effectively killed in 1861 when Congress organized the Territory of Colorado in the area previously occupied by the Jefferson Territory. With Witherby's vision of owning a bustling state capitol unrealized, he set up a mining operation on the rancho instead.

In 1868, Witherby sold the rancho for $8000 to Edward McGeary and John, Josiah, and Matthew Wolfskill. McGeary owned one half of the rancho, while the three Wolfskill brothers each owned an equal share of the other half. John Wolfskill farmed sheep, horses, and cattle on the rancho for a number of years. Wolfskill had frequent conflicts with the Couts family, owners of the neighboring Guajome, Buena Vista, and San Marcos ranchos, over grazing lands and watering holes.

Incorporation and growth

The city was home to a large Spanish-speaking population in the first census back in 1850, but after the US won the war, non-Hispanic settlers came to Southern California in increasing numbers. The decade of the 1880s is known as the "Southern California Land Boom" because so many people were moving to the state.

In October 1883, a group of Los Angeles investors purchased Rancho Rincon del Diablo. This group sold the land to the newly-formed Escondido Company in 1884. On December 18, 1885, investors incorporated the Escondido Land and Town Company, and in 1886 this company purchased the 12,814-acre (52 km) area for approximately $100,000. Two years later, in 1888, Escondido was incorporated as a city - the vote was 64 in favor of cityhood with 12 votes against. Railroads like the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific were laid in the 1880s, and the opening of U.S. Route 395 in 1930 boosted economic growth in Escondido.

Escondido was primarily an agricultural community, growing muscat grapes initially. After a dam was built in 1894-5 to form what is known today as Lake Wohlford, oranges and lemons were planted in large quantity, as well as a number of olives and walnuts. By the 1960s avocados became the largest local crop. Since the 1970s, Escondido has lost most of its agricultural landscape to new housing developments.

Through the 20th century the community grew and the economy diversified. Today the community has approximately 140,000 residents, and an economy based on agriculture, tourism, retail, services, light industry, and high tech. Escondido no longer has a large lower-middle-class population as it once had: most of this socioeconomic group had to move elsewhere when housing prices soared and older neighborhoods were bulldozed or renovated. Escondido has a high real estate appraisal rating, a phenomenon in North San Diego County since the population began to rise steadily in the 1970s.

City Information

Never Married	(26.8%)
Married	(55.0%)
Separated (Married)	(2.5%)
Widowed	(6.0%)
Divorced	(9.8%)
Races
White Non-Hispanic	(51.9%)
Hispanic	(38.7%)
Other race	(19.2%)
Two or more races	(4.8%)
American Indian	(2.3%)
Black	(2.3%)
Ancestries
German	(13.1%)
Irish	(9.1%)
English	(8.5%)
Italian	(4.3%)
United States	(3.9%)
French	(2.6%)
Schooling
High School	(72.6%)
Bachelors	(20.1%)
Graduates	(6.6%)