Unincorporated Towns, San Diego County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 92028, 92088, 92003
Fallbrook
is located in the north county, just east of Camp Pendleton and Oceanside
— one big community and several country-club communities or hamlets. www.mccormacks.com
Some of
the latter are no more than upscale developments that have gradually acquired
identities: Bonsall, Live Oak Park, Winter Warm, San Luis Rey Heights.
All are
unincorporated, meaning they lack precise boundaries. Fallbrook is the largest
“town” and indeed the only one that looks like a town. It has a downtown with
shops, gas stations, markets, a drugstore, restaurants and fast-food places, a
library, two parks and a hospital. And it has schools. For years, Fallbrook was
sustained financially by the naval weapons station, its neighbor to the west.
The station still provides some jobs.
Click for regional or detailed map
Over the
last 25 years, as Interstates 5 and 15 and Highway 76 were improved, people
began building custom homes in the region. Developers followed with upscale
homes built around golf courses.
The land
is rippled with hills, mesas, ravines and valleys. Many sites command great
views of the countryside and the mountains to the east, and a few the Pacific
in the west. Much of the land is still devoted to farming and orchards, mainly
lemons and avocados.
Fallbrook
calls itself “The Avocado Capital of the World.” Annual avocado festival draws
about 70,000. www.mccormacks.com
Even with the new development, there's a
strong feeling of country and fresh air.
In
housing, the region mixes the old and plain and sometimes charming, the large
and the custom, and the middle-class upscale. The oldest and smallest housing
can be found in and around downtown Fallbrook, the homes for the blue-collar
workers and farm workers and for people of modest means who probably came to
the region decades ago to retire or just live in the country.
As you
move away from central Fallbrook, the housing gets newer. Many of the homes
fall into the category of upscale professional, four and five bedrooms, two
story, or custom interesting, often on view lots, and some nudge up to opulent.
A real mix spread over miles and miles of countryside.
Also a
mix: the demographics, low and middle and affluent. The school scores reflect
the diversity: low, middle and high.
Most kids
start in the Fallbrook Elementary District, then move up to Fallbrook High in
the high school district. In 1994, the high-school district won public approval
of a bond, $23 million, that paid for renovating the high school, upgrading its
technology and adding a performing arts center. Fallbrook elementary district
opened another school in 1998 and in 2002 passed a $32 million bond to repair
and improve facilities. See Schools. www.mccormacks.com
Bonsall
children have their own elementary district, consisting of one large
elementary, about 1,000 students, a middle school, 600 students and three small
academies or charter schools.
Teens
attend Fallbrook High. The high school has put together an excellent choir, the
Madrigals, that has sung at Carnegie Hall in New York. Big event: Friday night
football at the high school.
Palomar
Community College is trying to secure funds to build a branch campus in
Fallbrook by 2010. The college now offers classes at Fallbrook High.
Downtown
Fallbrook comes across in several ways: sleepy and in need of repair and
planning. Sidewalks are rare and when found start and stop. Many of the stores
are old and faded. Mission Road, the main drag, at times seems to have a
continuous flow of traffic, which makes left turns difficult.
On the other hand, the funkiness has its
charm, the residents have mustered enough energy to stage plays and support an
arts and cultural center, and new businesses are coming in. www.mccormacks.com
The
future: one of these years, Fallbrook may decide to incorporate as legal city
and take over its own planning. Developers are discovering the region and
complaints are being voiced about traffic worsening. High-school district
expects enrollments to double within 20 years.
SANDAG, the regional planning agency, in
2006 put the population of Fallbrook at 43,798 and Bonsall at 9,625.
Zero homicides in 2005, one in 2004, one
in 2003, two in 2002, zero in 2001 and 2000, one in 1999, two in 1998, zero in
1997. Patrolled by sheriff’s deputies. Sheriff’s substation in Fallbrook. See Crime.
Many
activities at the schools. Three community parks in or near Fallbrook, two park
preserves, several golf courses, horse trails and to the south of Fallbrook, a
horse track. Summer camp for kids. Art in the Park Festival. For shopping and
department stores, Escondido or Oceanside. Short drive to the Pacific. Boys and
Girls Club. Seniors center. Community center.
The county is funding a plan to create
an 8-mile-long park along the San Luis River from Bonsall to I-15. The park
would cover about 1,500 acres and be used for hiking, biking and horses. A
portion would be set aside for ball fields, picnic grounds and regular parks. www.mccormacks.com
About 55
to 65 miles to downtown San Diego but many jobs have been moving into the
Interstate 15 corridor near Rancho Bernardo. Many jobs also in Oceanside and at
Camp Pendleton. Close enough to Orange County for a tolerable commute. Same for
south Riverside County (Temecula, etc.). Highway 78 is being widened and
improved.
Chamber of
commerce (760) 630-1933.
