North County (San Diego area) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
North County
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Region of the San Diego Metro Area
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Oceanside Pier in North County
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North County cities (blue and yellow) and census-designated places (pale blue and cream). Certain neighborhoods in northern San Diego may also be considered part of North County.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County |  San Diego |
| Population | 869,322 |
North County is a special area in the northern part of San Diego County, California. It's the second-biggest region in the county by population, with about 869,322 people living there. North County is known for being a wealthy area, especially in cities like Encinitas, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Poway, and Solana Beach. In these places, house prices are often over $1,000,000. Cities along the 78 freeway, such as Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido, have a wider mix of incomes.
The area has a strong "beach culture." Many beaches and lagoons are protected to keep the environment clean and beautiful.
Contents
History of North County
The name "North County" has been used since at least the 1970s. Back then, many communities here were not yet official cities. Decisions about the local area were made far away in the county seat, about 40 miles (64 km) away. Historically, North County has been the most expensive part of San Diego. It includes wealthy neighborhoods like Aviara, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Carlsbad, Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Costa, Leucadia, Olivenhain, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach.
Today, North County continues to grow and is an important part of the larger San Diego area. Many of the top employers in San Diego County are actually closer to Carlsbad in North County than to downtown San Diego.
Geography of North County
North County is usually split into two main parts: the coastal area and the inland area. The coastal part includes cities like Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, and Del Mar. It also includes Camp Pendleton South. The inland part has cities like Escondido, Vista, and San Marcos. It also has many areas that are not part of any city.
Some communities like Valley Center and Ramona used to be mostly farms. Now, more people live there and travel to work in the bigger cities. These are usually considered part of inland North County. Other communities like Julian and Borrego Springs are farther away and usually not included. Some people also think that northern parts of San Diego city, like Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, and Carmel Valley, are part of North County.
Landscapes and Features
Both coastal and inland North County have different types of land. Near the coast, the land is mostly flat with small, rolling hills. The beaches are sandy, and you can sometimes find tidepools and rocky areas. In some places, like Encinitas, the land drops sharply into the ocean, forming cliffs called bluffs.
As you go further east, you start to see the rocky peaks of inland North County. These include Black Mountain, San Marcos Mountain, and Palomar Mountain. The coastal area also gets rougher to the north, where the Santa Margarita Mountains are found near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
North San Diego County is known for having many different landscapes. It has bluffs, sandy beaches, canyons, and rolling hills on the coast. Inland, there are humid valleys, rocky foothills, mountains, grasslands, and large lakes and rivers. Far to the east, you can find dry deserts, green oases, and sand dunes.
Rivers and creeks flow west from the mountains and usually end up in the region's four main lagoons. Along their way, these rivers are stopped by many lakes and reservoirs. These water bodies are home to many different native animals and plants.
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton covers a huge area of about 125,000 acres (506 km²) in the northwest corner of the county. It acts like a big natural barrier. This prevents the coastal areas of North County from joining completely with Orange County to the north. This means there isn't one giant city stretching all the way from Santa Monica to Imperial Beach.
Nature and Wildlife
The region cares a lot about its coastline and has worked hard to protect many ocean environments. This includes lagoons and tidal wetlands, which are important natural areas. Many of these are some of the last remaining ones on the South Coast. Unlike some coastal cities in Orange County, the lagoons and large parts of the coast here have not been built on too much. The main lagoons and inlets along the coast from north to south are: Oceanside Harbor, Buena Vista Lagoon, Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Batiquitos Lagoon, San Elijo Lagoon, and Los Peñasquitos Lagoon.
The lagoons provide valuable wetland homes for many birds, reptiles, fish, and plant species. The ocean waters off the coast are also full of different species. They support large kelp forests and rocky reefs.
Fish species found here include the tidewater goby, topsmelt, striped mullet, surfperch, and Pacific staghorn sculpin. Leopard sharks hunt near the lagoons, and their babies often swim in the shallow rocky reefs off the coast.
Bird species include the great blue heron, snowy plover, Ridgway's rail, and least tern. The lagoons are home to many types of shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, raptors, and diving birds. Thanks to restoration projects by Del Mar, the number of bird species in the San Dieguito wetlands has tripled.
The Torrey Pine is also one of the most famous trees in this region.
Culture and Fun in North County
Things to Do
North County has forty golf courses, including Torrey Pines. This famous course hosted the U.S. Open golf tournament in 2008 and 2021. North County is also famous for its beaches, which stretch about thirty miles from Del Mar to San Onofre. Many tourists visit these beaches from June to November.
The area has a strong surf culture. You can see this in the various statues around, like the "Cardiff Kook" in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Besides surfing, horse riding is also a big part of North County's culture. There are many horse riding centers, including the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Rancho Camino Equestrian Center, and San Diego Country Estates International Equestrian Center.
North County is home to some very fancy restaurants. Addison at The Grand Del Mar has three Michelin stars, and El Bizcocho at Rancho Bernardo Inn also has high ratings.
Fairs and Shopping
The Del Mar Fairgrounds is home to one of the most famous racetracks in the world. It also hosts the yearly San Diego County Fair, which is a huge event. For shopping, you can visit the North County Mall in Escondido or The Shoppes at Carlsbad in Carlsbad. The Cedros Design District in Solana Beach has over 85 unique shops, boutiques, and galleries. They sell antiques, handmade jewelry, art, and more. Famous beaches include Moonlight Beach in Encinitas and the Oceanside Pier.
North County in Movies and TV
You might have seen places in North County in popular TV shows and movies. Camp Pendleton is often shown in military-themed shows like NCIS: Los Angeles. It was also the setting for the first season of Major Dad. The Del Mar Fair has appeared in shows like Entourage. The show Veronica Mars is set in a made-up city north of San Diego, and much of it was filmed in Oceanside. Other crime shows, like TNT's Animal Kingdom and Netflix's American Vandal, are filmed and set in Oceanside.
For two seasons, the Showtime comedy Weeds was set in a fictional San Diego suburb called Ren Mar, which was meant to be in North County. In an episode of The Big Bang Theory, the main characters drive to Carlsbad to find a hacker.
People and Politics
North County is generally wealthier and more politically conservative than the city of San Diego. It has traditionally supported the Republican Party. However, in recent years, like many educated areas in the U.S., the region has started to lean more towards the Democratic Party and more liberal ideas. This change is strongest along the coast, while some inland communities, especially rural ones, still tend to support Republicans.
In North County, there are three times more "white-collar" jobs (office jobs) than "blue-collar" jobs (manual labor jobs). Also, twice as many people have Bachelor of Arts degrees compared to associate's degrees. More people are married than single, by a ratio of 2 to 1.
Statistics from the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency show that coastal North County is about 59% white, 18% Hispanic, and 6% Asian. Black residents and people of other races make up less than 5%. Inland North County has a similar mix, but with 9% Asian residents. About 19% of coastal North County residents earn more than $100,000 per year, and 44% earn less than $45,000. The rest are in the middle-income range. Inland North County income numbers are similar, but only 42% make less than $45,000.
Communities in North County
The populations listed below are from the 2020 census.
Cities
- Oceanside - 174,068 people
- Escondido - 151,038 people
- Carlsbad - 114,746 people
- Vista - 98,381 people
- San Marcos - 94,833 people
- Encinitas - 62,007 people
- Poway - 48,841 people
- Solana Beach - 12,941 people
- Del Mar - 3,954 people
Census-designated places (CDPs)
- Fallbrook - 32,267 people
- Camp Pendleton South - 12,468 people
- San Diego Country Estates - 10,395 people
- Valley Center - 10,087 people
- Camp Pendleton Mainside - 9,683 people
- Lake San Marcos - 5,328 people
- Bonsall - 4,546 people
- Hidden Meadows - 4,484 people
- Rancho Santa Fe - 3,156 people
- Fairbanks Ranch - 3,002 people
- Harmony Grove - 2,079 people
- Rainbow - 1,884 people
- Pala - 1,490 people
- Elfin Forest - 600 people
- Del Dios - 396 people
Education in North County
Schools for Kids and Teens
Many school districts serve the region, including:
- 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 district boundaries often don't exactly match city limits. Depending on the ZIP codes and how close schools are, districts might serve parts of different cities.
Colleges and Universities
North County is home to several colleges:
- California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM) is a four-year university in San Marcos. It offers programs for undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate degrees.
- Palomar College is a community college based in San Marcos. It has six other learning sites across North San Diego County.
- MiraCosta College is another community college located in Oceanside.
Media in North County
Newspapers
In 1995, several local newspapers joined together to create the North County Times. This newspaper served the region until 2012. Then, it was bought by Doug Manchester and became a part of The San Diego Union-Tribune. On March 7, 2013, the separate U-T North County Times name was removed. Now, there is a U-T North County edition that includes pages specific to North County.
Radio Stations
North County receives radio stations from San Diego and Tijuana. It also has its own FM stations like KSSX, KMYI, KLQV, KARJ, KSSD, KKLJ, and KSDW. AM stations include KFSD, KPRZ, and KKSM. You can also pick up several Los Angeles stations, such as KYSR, KIIS-FM, KBIG, KLYY, and KDLD.
Television Stations
North County is served by San Diego TV stations. These include the ABC channel KGTV, CBS and CW channel KFMB, NBC channel KNSD, and FOX channel KSWB. Other local stations include KUSI in San Diego.
Famous Places in North County
Important landmarks in North County include the Del Mar Racetrack, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, Lake San Marcos, Oceanside Pier, Twin Peaks, and Palomar Mountain. Palomar Mountain is home to the famous Palomar Observatory.
Images for kids
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Del Mar Racetrack
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Oceanside Pier
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Twin Peaks, Poway
