North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second-most populous region in the county (after San Diego), with an estimated population of 826,985. North County is well known for its affluence, especially in Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach, where house prices range, on average, above one million dollars. Cities along the 78 freeway (Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido) have more mixed incomes.
Beach culture is very prominent in the area, and many of the region's beaches and lagoons are protected areas to help ensure the environment remains pristine.
Video North County (San Diego area)
History
The name dates to at least the 1970s, when many of the communities in the area were yet to become incorporated cities and local community decisions were made 40 miles away at the county seat. The North County section of San Diego County has historically been the most expensive region of San Diego, with such affluent neighborhoods as Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Carlsbad, Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Encinitas, Olivenhain, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach.
In modern times, North County continues to grow as a highly influential region of Greater San Diego. The top twenty-five employers in San Diego County are closer to the North County city of Carlsbad than San Diego proper.
Maps North County (San Diego area)
Geography
North County is commonly divided into coastal and inland regions, with
- coastal cities being Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, Encinitas, Del Mar, and Solana Beach, and
- inland cities being Escondido, Fallbrook, San Marcos, Poway, Valley Center, Ramona. Some consider communities in the northern parts of the city of San Diego like Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos as North County as well.
Both coastal and inland North County contain two types of topography. In North County Coastal, the land is generally flat with low rolling hills. The beaches are sandy with occasional tidepools and rocky reefs. In some cases the coast is dominated by bluff type geography, where the land meeting the ocean sharply drops into the sea with a short beach. In some cases, such as in Encinitas, a whole city is bisected by a coastal foothill ridge. The foothills of mountains soon become visible as one travels further inland and encounters the rocky peaks of North County Inland. Such peaks include San Marcos Mountain, Palomar Mountain, Twin Peaks in Poway, Mount Woodson in Ramona, and Iron Mountain in unincorporated territory between the two cities. The coastal area also becomes more rugged to the north, where the Santa Margarita Mountains dominate the area within the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Rivers and creeks that flow west from the mountains farther inland mostly end up draining into the region's four main lagoons. Throughout their course these rivers are interrupted by many lakes and reservoirs which support an array of native species.
Definitions vary, but almost always include the communities and cities along Interstate 5 north of Carmel Valley Road, and Interstate 15 north of Lake Hodges. For both geographic and political reasons, opinions differ as to whether to include the northern communities within the city limits of San Diego (such as La Jolla, Rancho Bernardo, or Scripps Ranch), or close-in communities and cities such as Solana Beach, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Aviara, Del Mar, Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch etc.
Spanning 125,000 acres (506 km2) in the northwestern corner of the county, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton forms a large buffer separating the coastal populated areas of North County from neighboring Orange County, preventing the creation of a coastal megalopolis stretching from Santa Monica to Imperial Beach
Ecology
The region has strong ties to its coastline. Its has made notable efforts to preserve many marine environments, including lagoons and tidal wetlands, many of those being the final few on the South Coast. Unlike developments in many Orange County coastal cities, the lagoons and large areas of coast have not yet been so heavily developed. Major lagoons and inlets lining the coast from north to south include: Oceanside Harbor, Buena Vista Lagoon, Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Batiquitos Lagoon and San Elijo Lagoon.
Flora and fauna
The lagoons provide valuable wetland habitat for many birds, reptiles, fish, and plant species. The waters off the coast are also very rich in species diversity, supporting large kelp forests and rocky reefs.
Fish species included the tidewater goby, topsmelt, striped mullet, surfperch and Pacific staghorn sculpin. Leopard sharks forage near the lagoons, and their pups frequent the shallow rocky reefs off the coast.
Bird species included the great blue heron, snowy plover, Ridgway's rail and least tern. The lagoons support various species of shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, raptors and diving birds. The number of bird species in the San Dieguito wetlands have tripled due to restoration projects by Del Mar.
Culture
Recreation
North County contains forty golf courses, including Torrey Pines, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open. North County is also known for its beaches, which stretch about thirty miles from Del Mar to San Onofre. These beaches experience a large tourist influx from June to November. Symbolic of North County's surf culture are the various statues proliferating the region including the Cardiff Kook in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. As surf culture is an integral part of North County, so is equestrian culture. Numerous equestrian centers, including the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Rancho Camino Equestrian Center, and San Diego Country Estates International Equestrian Center, are found in the region from Del Mar to San Diego Country Estates.
North County is home to Southern California's only five-star and five-diamond restaurants: Addison at The Grand Del Mar, and El Bizcocho at Rancho Bernardo Inn.
Fairs and shopping
The Del Mar Fair is home to one of the most famous racetracks in the world and is the site of the annual San Diego County Fair. Shopping malls include the North County Fair in Escondido and Plaza Camino Real in Carlsbad. The Cedros Design District in Solana Beach offers more than 85 shops, boutiques and galleries that specialize in antiques, handmade jewelry, unique artifacts, fine art, etc. Famous beaches include Moonlight Beach in Encinitas and the Oceanside Pier.
In the media
Locations in North County appear in popular television and films. Camp Pendleton is often featured in military-themed shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles, and is the setting of the first season of Major Dad. The Del Mar Fair is also portrayed in shows such as Entourage. Veronica Mars is set in a fictional city north of San Diego; much of the show was filmed in Oceanside. Another crime drama, Animal Kingdom, is filmed and set in Oceanside. Other North County locales are frequently featured, particularly San Onofre and San Marcos, where a fictional jail is located. (The real jail is in Vista.) For two seasons the Showtime comedy Weeds was set in the fictional San Diego suburb of Ren Mar, which is implied to be in North County. The Big Bang Theory, which is set in Pasadena, features an episode ("The Zarnecki Incursion") where the main characters make a three-hour drive to Carlsbad to confront a World of Warcraft hacker.
A notable fictional character from North County is shock jock Dave Rickards' "Aunt Edna", frequently featured on the popular Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw radio program, which airs in the San Diego area.
Demographics
North County is considered wealthier and more socially conservative than other parts of the metropolitan area such as South Bay. It is the second-largest region of the San Diego metropolitan area. There are 325,995 people residing in the San Diego city region of North County alone.
In North County, White-collar jobs outnumber blue-collar jobs at a ratio of 3:1. More people have Bachelor of Arts degrees than associate's degrees at a ratio of 2:1. More people are married than single by 2:1. Statistics compiled by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reveal that coastal North County is 59% white, 18% Hispanic and 6% Asian, with blacks and people of other races less than 5%. Inland North County has roughly the same racial makeup, except that 9% are Asian. 19% of coastal North County residents make more than $100,000 per year, and 44% make less than $45,000, with the rest in the medium income range. Inland North County income stats are largely the same, except that only 42% make less an $45,000.
Cities
Incorporated cities
Populations listed are from the 2010 U.S. Census
- Oceanside - 183,095
- Escondido - 143,911
- Carlsbad - 105,328
- Vista - 93,834
- San Marcos - 83,781
- Encinitas - 59,518
- Poway - 47,811
- Solana Beach - 12,867
- Del Mar - 4,161
Unincorporated CDPs
Populations listed are from the 2010 U.S. Census
- Fallbrook - 30,534
- Ramona - 20,292
- Camp Pendleton South - 10,616
- San Diego Country Estates - 10,109
- Valley Center - 9,277
- Camp Pendleton North - 5,200
- Lake San Marcos - 4,437
- Hidden Meadows - 3,485
- Bonsall - 3,982
- Fairbanks Ranch - 3,148
- Rancho Santa Fe - 3,117
- Rainbow - 1,832
- San Luis Rey - not known
Education
Primary and secondary
School districts in the region include the:
- Bonsall Union School District
- Cardiff School District
- Carlsbad Unified School District
- Encinitas Union School District
- Escondido Union School District
- Escondido Union High School District
- Fallbrook Union High School District
- Oceanside Unified School District
- Poway Unified School District
- Ramona Unified School District
- San Dieguito Union High School District
- San Pasqual Union School District
- San Marcos Unified School District
- Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
- Vista Unified School District
School districts overlap city boundaries. Depending on the zip codes of the cities and their proximity to respective schools and school districts, school districts will serve parts of different cities.
Colleges and universities
North County is home to several colleges:
- California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), four-year university in San Marcos, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs
- Palomar College, a community college based in San Marcos, with six other education sites in North San Diego County
- MiraCosta College, a community college in Oceanside.
Media
Newspaper
In 1995, several local newspapers merged to form the North County Times. This newspaper served the region until 2012, when it was purchased by Doug Manchester and became an edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Radio
In addition to being served by radio stations from San Diego and Tijuana, North County is served by FM stations KYDQ, KSSD, KKLJ, and KSDW and AM stations KFSD, KPRZ, and KKSM. Several Los Angeles stations can also be picked up, including KYSR, KIIS-FM, and KBIG.
Television
North County is served by the ABC affiliate KGTV, CBS affiliate KFMB, NBC affiliate KNSD, FOX affiliate KSWB, and CW affiliate XETV--all San Diego stations. Other local stations include KUSI and 4SD in San Diego and KTLA in Los Angeles.
Landmarks
Important landmarks in North County include Del Mar Racetrack, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, Lake San Marcos, Oceanside Pier, Stone Steps, Twin Peaks, and Palomar Mountain, home of the Palomar Observatory.
Politics
Most of North County is located within County Supervisorial District 5, and is represented on the county's Board of Supervisors by Bill Horn. The remainder of North County is in Districts 2 and 3, represented by Dianne Jacob and Kristen Gaspar, respectively.
See also
- East County
- South Bay
References
External links
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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