Quicknation    California Escondido

Images of Escondido: G Y AOL AV MSN News of Escondido: G Y Books of Escondido: B

Escondido is a city located in northern San Diego County, California just north of San Diego, California, USA. The name means "hidden" in Spanish-- it occupies a shallow valley ringed by hills. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city has a mild climate, a growing population, and a diverse economy.

Downtown Escondido (centered on Grand Ave.) is seeing somewhat of a renaissance, with many restaurants, cafes, and galleries having opened over the past few years. Every Friday night during the summer, downtown hosts the popular "Cruisin' Grand", where the public can show and view hot rods and historic cars.

In addition to the many galleries on Grand, a branch of the Mingei museum has recently opened there. This museum displays handcrafts from around the world, and is a treat to visit. Just one block off Grand Ave. are the civic center and the California Center for the Arts Escondido, a quality venue for concerts, art shows, and other cultural events.

Many tourists come to Escondido to visit the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which shares some of the world renown with it's sister park, The San Diego Zoo. The Wild Animal Park shows world animals in open habitat, where they can roam, graze, and even fly.

With a history in agriculture, there are many farms and wineries around Escondido. Many of the wineries offer tours. Just to the north of Escondido in the community of Valley Center there is a lavender farm offering seasonal tours.

Also in Valley Center is the burgeoning Native American casino industry. What once was a small collection of small casinos is now a rapidly maturing business. Even big time Vegas acts are coming to the new large hotel-casinos, and many offer golf and spa services.

Escondido is also known for having two large lakes: Lake Dixon and Lake Hodges. Lake Dixon is located in the north while Lake Hodges is in the south. Lake Dixon has a number of boating opportunities. A part of Lake Hodges runs right underneath the Interstate-15 freeway, Escondido's main freeway.

Escondido was originally settled by Native American tribes. Spain controlled the land from the late 1700's to the early 1800's, 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 primarily Rancho Rincon del Diablo and Rancho San Bernardo.

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 Andres Pico (the brother of then California governor Pio Pico) against Americans Kearny, Gillespie, and Kit Carson. A park in Escondido is named for Carson.

The Americans won the war, and began settling in Southern California in increasing numbers. In 1888 Escondido was incorporated as a city. It was primarily an agricultural community, growing grapes, oranges, lemons, and avocados. Through the 20th century the community grew and the economy diversified. Today the community holds over 130,000 residents, and an economy comprised of agriculture, tourism, retail, services, light industry, and high tech.

Escondido is located at 33°7'29" North, 117°4'51" West (33.124794, -117.080850)sup .

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.

As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 133,559, which was much larger than its 1990 population. Recently, Escondido has had much new housing built on formerly undeveloped land.

As of 2000 there are 43,817 households, and 31,153 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,421.4mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 67.82% 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. 38.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 43,817 households out of which 39.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% are married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% are non-families. 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.

According to estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments, the median household income of Escondido in 2005 was $58,217 (not adjusted for inflation). When adjusted for inflation (1999 dollars; comparable to Census data above), the median household income was $47,274.