Lake San Marcos, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lake San Marcos
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Location in San Diego County and the state of California
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 Lake San Marcos, California
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | San Diego |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.807 sq mi (4.679 km2) |
| • Land | 1.721 sq mi (4.457 km2) |
| • Water | 0.086 sq mi (0.223 km2) 4.76% |
| Elevation | 525 ft (160 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 5,328 |
| • Density | 2,948.5/sq mi (1,138.70/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code |
92078
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| Area codes | 442/760 |
| FIPS code | 06-39724 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1660879 |
Lake San Marcos is a special kind of community in the North County part of the San Diego metropolitan area. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it's not officially a city. Instead, it's governed by the county. The United States Census Bureau also calls it a census-designated place (CDP) for counting people. Even though it's surrounded by the city of San Marcos, it gets some services from the city.
History of Lake San Marcos
People have lived in the Lake San Marcos area for a very long time. Native American tribes lived and thrived near the San Luis Rey River even before the Spanish arrived. The Spanish built the Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769.
Much of this land was once part of a large area called Rancho Vallecitos de San Marcos. In 1840, Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado gave this 8,877-acre ranch to Don Jose Maria Alvarado.
Geography and the Lake
Lake San Marcos is located in San Diego County. It's like an island of county land surrounded by the City of San Marcos. The community is built around the beautiful Lake San Marcos reservoir.
The area covers about 1.8 square miles (4.7 square kilometers). Most of this is land, but about 0.1 square miles (0.2 square kilometers) is water. The lake itself is a large, artificial body of water. It was originally made to help with irrigation and watering cattle. Today, it's mainly used for fun activities and businesses. The lake was created when a concrete dam was built between 1946 and 1951.
People of Lake San Marcos
In 2010, about 4,437 people lived in Lake San Marcos. This was an increase from the 4,138 people counted in 2000. Many retired and older people choose to live here. However, more and more younger families with children are also moving into the community.
See also
In Spanish: Lake San Marcos para niños
