Escondido (
"eskun-DEE-doe") is a city located in California
, just north of the city of San Diego
. The name means "hidden" in
Spanish—it occupies a shallow valley ringed
by rocky hills.
Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest
cities in San Diego
County
. The city has an estimated population of
128,819. The city is known as
Eskondiid in
Diegueño.
A
nationwide study in 2005 ranked Escondido #11 out of 25 of the most
conservative
cities in America.
History
Escondido was originally settled by Native American tribes.
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." The land that would become
Escondido was
Rancho Rincon del Diablo, a land grant that
was given to Juan Bautista Alvarado in 1843 by the Mexican
governor.
In 1846, war broke out
between the
United States and Mexico, and a key battle was fought in the
area just south of Escondido. Known as the
Battle of San Pasqual, it pitted
Mexican
Andrés Pico (the brother of
then California governor
Pío Pico)
against Americans Kearny, Gillespie, and
Kit
Carson. A large park in Escondido is named for Carson.
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 1886 a group of investors called the Escondido Land &
Town Company purchased the area. 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,
orange 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.
From 1964–1968, the
San Diego
Chargers, then of the now-defunct
AFL, held training camp in
Escondido.
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.
36 Escondido homes were destroyed or damaged in the October 2007
Witch Creek Fire.
Education
Escondido is served by the
Escondido Union School
District, the Escondido Union High School District, and the San
Pasqual Unified School District. The city has 19 elementary, five
middle, and seven high schools.
Public high schools:
There is a wide range of
API
scores for Escondido schools, reflecting the demographic
diversity of the city. As of 2007, six elementary schools in the
district scored above the 80th percentile of all schools in the
state, and eight elementary schools scored below the 20th
percentile.
The
Escondido Public
Library system consists of the Main Branch, the East Valley
Branch, Pioneer Room, Computer Center, and a
bookmobile.
Little League
In 1981,
Escondido
National Little League became the 19th team to make it to the
Little League World
Series from the state of California. The team was first
District 31 champions, then District 8 champions.
They then won the
Southern California Divisional
Tournament at Youth Athletic Park by beating San
Bernardino
Civitan 3-2 in the quarterfinals, then beating
Granada Hills American 5-1 in the semifinals and then beating
Ladera National 7-5 in the finals to earn a trip to the Western
Regional. At the
Western
Regional in San Bernardino, the Escondido team won four
straight games to earn the trip to Williamsport.
Points of interest
Grand Avenue and Downtown
Downtown Escondido (centered on Grand Avenue) has become more
active in the past few years with the opening of restaurants,
cafes, and galleries. Every Friday night from April through
September, the Downtown Business Association hosts the popular
"Cruisin' Grand," where the public can show and view hot rods and
historic cars. A different car club and/or featured attraction
(i.e. antique fire trucks, nitro night, midget and sprint cars) is
highlighted each week. Cruisin' Grand also features a DJ, hula hoop
contests for children, and 7 trophies each night.
In addition to the many art galleries on Grand, a branch of the
Mingei International
Museum has recently opened there. This museum displays
handcrafts from around the world. Just one block off Grand Ave. is
Grape Day Park with the civic center and the
California Center for the
Arts, Escondido that features two theaters, a visual arts
museum, an educational complex, and a conference center. The
Escondido Children's Museum and the Escondido History Center, two
independent non-profit museums, are located in Grape Day Park. The
Children's Museum features hands-on exhibits and programs for
children up to 10 years of age, with an authentically regional
perspective on natural and social science. The History Center
features the city's original Santa Fe Depot, first library,
Victorian house, barn, and blacksmith shop. The Pioneer Room of
Escondido Public Library
(located in the Mathes Center building next to the Main Library)
has photographs, maps, oral histories, genealogical collections,
directories and yearbooks documenting Escondido's history.The San
Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau
[16080] is
located in the California Center for the Arts, and sells half price
arts performances and is the only ARTS TIX outlet in San Diego
North. The Visitors Bureau also provides literature, maps, and
their Travel & Planning Guide free of charge to visitors.
Palomar Medical
Center
, located just east of downtown, is the city's
largest employer and the only designated trauma center in northern San Diego
County
Wild Animal Park
A major
tourist attraction just outside Escondido is the San Diego Wild
Animal Park
, sister park of the San Diego Zoo
. The Wild Animal Park shows world animals in
open habitat, where they can roam, graze, and fly.
Valley Center
Valley
Center
is located just north of Escondido. With a
history in agriculture, there are many farms and wineries around
Escondido, some of which offer tours. Today, Valley Center is
portrayed with an image of exo-suburban prosperity, when
multi-million dollar homes and properties appeared in the 1990s and
now residential and commercial development covers the landscape in
the formerly farm-based community. Valley View Casino, owned by the
San Pasqual Band of
Mission Indians,
is located in Valley Center.
Lakes
Three lakes are located in or near Escondido:
- Dixon Lake is located in the north and is well known for
fishing and has a number of boating opportunities.
- Lake Wohlford is located on the north eastern fringe of the
city limits, and also offers boating and fishing.
- Lake Hodges
is located in the south western portion of the
city, and also offers boating and fishing. A part of Lake Hodges
is crossed by Interstate
15 via the Lake
Hodges Bridge
. Often this part of the lake is dry.
Stone Brewing Company
In 2006,
Stone Brewing Company moved
its headquarters and brewery from San Marcos, California
to a new, much larger facility in the Quail Hills
area of Escondido.
Queen Califia's Magical Circle
Queen Califia's Magical Circle, the last major
international work by French artist
Niki de Saint Phalle, is located in Kit
Carson Park.
De Saint Phalle, a colleague of Salvador Dalí and Jasper Johns, is best known for her Stravinsky
Fountain
, located in Paris, France. The artist chose
Escondido as the site for her final work because it reminded her of
Italy.
Deer Park Monastery
Deer Park Monastery is a
Buddhist sanctuary that occupies 400 acres
in the hills north of Escondido and west of Daley Ranch. It is one
of the two monasteries in the United States under the direction of
a well known
Zen teacher
Thich Nhat Hanh. Deer Park Monastery is home
to 27 Buddhist monks and nuns, and it frequently hosts events and
retreats that bring people from all over the western United States
and from abroad.
Geography
Dixon Lake at Daley Ranch.
Escondido is located at 33°7'29" North, 117°4'51" West (
33.124794, -117.080850).
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
94.5 km² (36.5 mi²). 94.0 km² (36.3 mi²) of it is land
and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.52%
water.
The city
is growing at a rapid rate with new communities like Hidden
Trails
appearing at the east end of E Valley Pkwy.
The city proper is surrounded by several sparsely populated
unincorporated communities.
These include Jesmond
Dene
and Hidden Meadows
to the north; Felicita Park to the southwest; and
Rincon Del Diablo to the southeast. Residents of these
communities have Escondido mailing addresses and zip codes, and
they are sometimes assigned to Escondido schools, but they can't
participate in city-wide elections, such as elections of city
council.
Climate
Escondido tends to have warmer summers and wetter winters than its
neighbor San Diego. Yearly precipitation averages around 15 inches
and varies from year to year. More than 80% of all precipitation
takes place from November through March. Snow is very uncommon.
Climate is mild enough to allow widespread cultivation of
avocados and
orange.
Escondido is located in a plant
hardiness
zone 9.
Government
Local
Escondido is governed by a
mayor-council system. The city council
consists of a mayor and four City Council Members. Along with the
City Treasurer, they are elected at large to four-year terms. The
current mayor is
Lori Holt
Pfeiler. Current City Council Members are
Sam Abed,
Olga Diaz,
Dick M. Daniels, and
Marie
Waldron. The current City Manager is
Clay Phillips. The current City Treasurer is
Ken Hugins. The most recent election was
held on November 7, 2006. Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler won 59% of the
vote, defeating challenger Tim Dagosta. Councilmember Marie Waldron
led the seven-way race for city council, after basing her
re-election platform on a controversial housing ordinance that
seeks to ban the city's illegal immigrant population from renting
apartments. The ordinance is being challenged by the
ACLU in court and might be ruled unconstitutional under
California law. Retiring councilmember Ron Newman was replaced by
newcomer Dick Daniels. Issues in the municipal election included
managing growth and improving opportunities for business and
recreation.
Due to the public outcry and legal challenges to the aforementioned
housing ordinance, and the election of Olga Diaz to the City
Council, it has since ceased any overt attempts to battle the
problem of illegal immigrant population in the city (which, by
councilmember Sam Abed's estimates, possibly constituted as much as
35,000, or 25% of the city population in 2006), and focused on
"quality of life" issues instead. Periodic police checkpoints are
instituted to catch unlicensed drivers. An active area of debate is
an overnight parking ordinance that would limit the number of cars
each household can legally park on city streets. Nevertheless, the
perception of City Council and the city as hostile to illegal
immigrants remains. Possibly due to this perception, the city is
estimated to have lost as much as a quarter of its non-citizen
population between 2006 and 2007.
State and Federal
In the
state
legislature Escondido is located in the 38th
Senate District, represented by
Republican Mark Wyland, and in the 74th and 75th
Assembly District, represented by
Republicans
Martin Garrick and
Nathan Fletcher respectively.
Federally, Escondido is located in
California's 50th
congressional district, which has a
Cook PVI of R +5 and is
represented by Republican
Brian
Bilbray.
In the
United
States presidential election of 2008, 53.3% of residents of
incorporated Escondido voted for John McCain, 44.9% voted for
Barack Obama, and 1.8% voted for one of the third-party candidates.
Unincorporated areas were considerably more conservative: among
voters in neighborhoods of Rincon Del Diablo, Hidden Meadows, and
Valley Center, 62.3%, 65.5%, 66.9% of voters respectively cast
their votes for John McCain.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there are 133,559 people, 43,817 households,
and 31,153 families residing in the city. The
population density is 1,421.4/km²
(3,680.9/mi²). There are 45,050 housing units at an average density
of 479.4/km² (1,241.6/mi²). According to the 2000 census, the
racial makeup of the city is 51.9%
White, 2.25%
African American, 1.23%
Native American, 4.46%
Asian, 0.23%
Pacific Islander, 19.19% from
other races, and 4.81% from two
or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 38.7%
of the population.
There are 43,817 households of which 39.1% have children under the
age of 18 living with them, 53.9% are
married
couples living together, 28.9% are non-families, and 11.7% with
a female householder with no husband present. 22.4% of all
households are made up of individuals and 10.1% have someone living
alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size
is 3.01 and the average family size is 3.50.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.7% under the age
of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to
64, and 11.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is
31 years. For every 100 females there are 98.4 males. For every 100
females age 18 and over, there are 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $42,567, and the
median income for a family is $48,456. Males have a median income
of $32,627 versus $27,526 for females. The
per capita income for the city is $18,241.
13.4% of the population and 9.3% of families are below the
poverty line. Out of the total population,
17.9% of those under the age of 18 and 5.7% of those 65 and older
are living below the poverty line.
The city can be divided into two demographically distinct areas.
Peripheral hilly areas to the north, southeast, and southwest are
relatively wealthy and populated by non-Hispanic whites, and flat
areas adjacent to the downtown are predominantly Hispanic. As of
2006-07 school year, non-Hispanic white children comprise 71.7% of
all students in Bernardo Elementary School (southwest), 60.8% of
all students in L.R. Green Elementary School (southeast), and 54.7%
of all students in Reidy Creek Elementary School (north); on the
other hand, Farr Avenue, Pioneer and Lincoln Elementary schools
(three large schools just north of the downtown) all have more than
85% of Hispanic and less than 6% non-Hispanic white students.
Crime
In 2007, there were 657 violent crimes and 4,329 property crimes in
Escondido. There were 4 murders, 28 rapes, 280 robberies, 345
aggravated assaults, 808 burglaries, 2,428 larceny thefts, 1,093
vehicle thefts, and 23 arsons.
The city ranked #65 by violent crimes per capita and #58 by
property crimes per capita among 165 cities in California with
populations greater than 50,000. Compared with 12 largest cities in
San Diego County, it ranked 6th in both categories. Its crime rate
was lower in both categories than in San Diego, El Cajon, and
National City; higher in both categories than in San Marcos,
Carlsbad, Encinitas, and Santee. Escondido had higher violent crime
rates but lower property crime rate than La Mesa and Chula Vista,
lower violent crime rates but higher property crime rates than
Vista and Oceanside.
Transportation
Escondido is served by two highways,
Route 78 and
Interstate 15. Local bus service
is operated by the
North
County Transit District (NCTD), with connections to San Diego's
Metropolitan Transit
System and
Riverside
Transit Agency. NCTD began operating the
Sprinter, a light rail service, on
March 9, 2008.
The rail line links Escondido to Oceanside
using the existing -long Escondido Branch trackage
of the San Diego Northern
Railroad. This made Escondido one of the first cities in
the United States to operate
Desiro-class
diesel multiple units
manufactured by
Siemens in Germany.The
California High Speed
Rail Association chose Escondido as a proposed stop along the
proposed high speed rail system that will reach from Southern to
Northern California.
A section of the line between San Francisco
and Los
Angeles
was approved by voters in the November 2008
elections.
Notable residents
See also
References
- 2007 American Community Survey estimates of social
characteristics of Escondido, CA
- Study Ranks America’s Most Liberal and Conservative
Cities.govpro.com.
- Escondido Union
School District
- Escondido
Unified High School District
- Valley High page at EUHSD
- 2007 API scores of Escondido elementary
schools
- West Region State Little League Champions
- 1981 Southern California Little League Tournament
Results
- 1981 Little League World Series Rosters
- Pioneer Room
- Article in North County Times
- General Municipal Election
- City delays adoption of parking ordinance
- http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/09/23/business/zd7019718d243a59d882574cd0079bfdd.txt
Escondido faces another fiscal obstacle: fewer people
- http://censtats.census.gov/data/CA/1600622804.pdf
censtats.census.gov
- California - Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by
State by City, 2007
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Misc
Search
