Escondido () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census.
Etymology
"Escondido" is a Spanish word meaning "hidden". One source says the name originally referred to agua escondida or hidden water or valley; another says it meant "hidden treasure".
History
The Escondido area was first settled by the Luiseño, who established campsites and villages along the creek running through the area. They named the place Mixéelum Pompáwvo or "Mehel-om-pom-pavo." The Luiseno also had another village north of Mixéelum Pompáwvo called Panakare. The Kumeyaay migrated from areas near the Colorado River, settling both in San Pasqual Valley and near the San Dieguito River in the southwestern and western portions of what is now Escondido. Most of the villages and campsites today have been destroyed by development and agriculture.
Spanish and Mexican eras
thumb|left|The 1846 [[Battle of San Pasqual was a battle between American and Californio forces during the U.S. Conquest of California.]]
Spain controlled the land from the late 18th century to the early 19th century, 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. Most of what is now Escondido occupies the former Rancho Rincon del Diablo ("Devil's Corner"), a Mexican land grant given to Juan Bautista Alvarado (not the governor of the same name) in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. Alvarado was a regidor of Los Angeles at the time, and the first Regidor of Pueblo San Diego. The southern part of Escondido occupies the former Rancho San Bernardo, granted in 1842 and 1845.
In 1846, during the Mexican–American War, the Battle of San Pasqual was fought southeast of Escondido. This battle pitted Mexican forces under Andrés Pico (brother of then-California-governor Pío Pico) against Americans under Stephen W. Kearny, Archibald Gillespie, and Kit Carson. A park in Escondido is named for Carson.
American era
thumb|right|[[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway depot in Escondido, |215x215px]]
The city was home to a largely Spanish-speaking population in the first census, taken in 1850 when California became a state. After statehood, non-Hispanic settlers came to Southern California in increasing numbers, many of them from the Midwestern states. The decade of the 1880s is known as the "Southern California Land Boom" because so many people moved to the state.
In 1853, pro-Southern Copperheads proposed dividing the state of California to create a new Territory of Colorado (at this time the territory that would become the state of Colorado was named "Jefferson"). San Diego Judge Oliver S. Witherby suggested placing the capitol of the new territory in Rancho Rincon del Diablo. He envisioned a railroad connecting San Diego to Fort Yuma through an area about two miles (3 km) south of the current Escondido site, heading east through San Pasqual. With a series of deeds in 1855 and 1856, the rancho was transferred from the heirs of Juan Bautista Alvarado to Witherby. The proposal for splitting the state and creating the new territory passed in the California legislature, but died in Congress in the run-up to the Civil War.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water. The total area is 0.48% water.
Escondido is also bordered by San Marcos to the west and northern San Diego to the south.
The city contains several neighborhoods, including:
- alt=A sunset aerial view of Downtown Escondido, California.|thumb|Sunset aerial view of downtown Escondido Downtown Escondido centers on Grand Avenue between Centre City Parkway and the site of the old Palomar Hospital. The city's general plan defines the Downtown Specific Plan Area as approximately bounded by Centre City Parkway on the west, Hickory and Ivy Streets on the east, Washington Avenue on the north, and Fifth Avenue on the south, with an additional narrow section extending west along Valley Parkway to Interstate 15. Downtown Escondido includes a mix of coffee shops, restaurants, assorted retail, art galleries, bakeries, a comedy club, and the historic Ritz Theater.
- alt=A neighborhood view in Old Escondido Historic District in Escondido, California.|thumb|Neighborhood view in Old Escondido Historic District in EscondidoOld Escondido Historic District is bounded by Escondido Boulevard on the west, Chestnut Street on the east, Fifth Avenue on the north, and Thirteenth Avenue on the south. This area is made up of mostly single-family residential housing built in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the Victorian and Craftsman styles and is a 5- to 10-minute walk to Grand Avenue in Downtown Escondido.
The Escondido Creek bisects the city. It originates at the in the northeast, passes through downtown and leaves the city through the Harmony Grove area in the southwest before eventually emptying into the San Elijo Lagoon. The creek path through the city was developed into a concrete flood control channel in the 1960s. A class I bicycle path runs along most of the channel's length.
The community of Valley Center is located just northeast of Escondido. Valley View Casino, owned by the San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians, is located in Valley Center.
Natural vegetation types in the Escondido area include chaparral brushland, oak woodland, riparian (stream) woodland, and grassland. The Daley Ranch Preserve north of the city includes areas representative of this vegetation.
Climate
Escondido has a borderline semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) and hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with hot summers and mild, wet winters. Owing to its inland setting, it is considerably hotter than coastal cities like San Diego, Carlsbad or Oceanside during the summertime, and cooler in the winter. The climate is mild enough to allow widespread cultivation of avocados and oranges. Escondido is located in plant hardiness zone 10a. The hottest temperature recorded in Escondido was on September 6, 2020. The coldest temperature recorded in Escondido was on January 2, 1901, and January 7, 1913.
Yearly precipitation averages around and can vary considerably from year to year. The wettest "rain year" from July 1940 to June 1941 totalled , but in the driest "rain year" from July 2013 to June 2014 just fell. The wettest month has been January 1916 with , and the greatest 24-hour rainfall on February 16, 1927. Rainfall totals are higher in the hills to the north and east, with falling in most areas above in elevation, and over on Palomar Mountain, to the east. More than 80% of all precipitation takes place from November through March. Snow is virtually unheard of, though occasionally winter and springtime thunderstorms will drop small hail.
alt=Boating activities at Dixon Lake|thumb|Boating activities at Dixon Lake
Dixon Lake
Dixon Lake is located in the north of Escondido. Dixon Lake has been granted an Aquaculture Permit by the State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife, so that fishing licenses are no longer required. However, all anglers eight years and older will need daily lake fishing permits, which are available at the concession stand. Throughout the year, the city keeps stocking different types of fish, which include bass, bluegill, carp, catfish, crappie, and trout. Each year the Trout Derby event is also hosted at Dixon Lake.