Bostonia is a neighborhood in
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, comprising part of the northeastern portion of the city of
El Cajon
El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...
, as well as adjacent unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The portion of Bostonia that lies outside the El Cajon city limits is classified as a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
(CDP) for statistical purposes by the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. The population of the CDP was 15,379 at the 2010 census, up from 15,169 at the 2000 census.
History
Agriculture
Former
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
agriculturalist Eugene Halstead of San Diego planted a crop of
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
in Bostonia in 1896 and said later that the tobacco was "superior in some respects to that of the Cuban plantations," one "serious drawback" to cultivation being the scarcity of rain in the area.
Civic events
In 1898, David G. Gordon was appointed postmaster in Bostonia to replace Joseph Donald, who had resigned. C.O. Graves held the office in 1903. In 1914, William M. Wright was appointed postmaster to replace R.W. Foffland, who had resigned.
In 1928, Murray Wright was president of the Bostonia Chamber of Commerce.
In that same year, civic leaders in Bostonia planned to name a local observation as "Grape Day" which led some in neighboring Escondido to complain that their city already had an event under the same name. They were mollified when Bostonians said they would call their event "Home Products Day" instead.
Crime
"
Firebugs" believed by Sheriff Conklin to have been members of the
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...
, "German sympathizers" or "disgruntled employees," torched the Meridian School building, a large packing house and two stables of the Bostonia Fruit Growers and Packers Association on October 6, 1917. Waste soaked in oil or
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
was found in what remained of the buildings, which burned to the ground.
Shoot-out
Sheriff's deputies
In the United States, a sheriff is an official in a county or independent city responsible for keeping the peace and enforcing the law. Unlike most officials in law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected, although so ...
engaged in a short gun battle in Bostonia and captured a suicidal man who had threatened a bank in
Lakeside, California
Lakeside is a census designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,648 at the 2010 census, up from 19,560 as of the 2000 census.
History
Lakeside was home to the Kumeyaay prior to European contact, who cal ...
, with ten pounds of
dynamite and fled with his loot.
Annexation
In May 1953 residents of the southern portion of Bostonia approved annexation to the city of
El Cajon, California, by a vote of 315 to 271.
Swap meet
In 1981 a group of Bostonia residents organized to complain about the disruption caused by historic El Cajon Swap Meet, reputedly the "granddaddy of all the nation's
swap meets. They said the weekend operation had grown beyond the "small-time affair it once was," turning the usually quiet area into a "mob scene."
["Swap Meet in El Cajon Under Fire," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 28, 1981, image 9]
/ref>
Fire district and fires
A petition was submitted in 1977 by owners of 112 acres within the 480-acre Bostonia Fire Protection District to secede and join the Santee
Santee may refer to:
People
* Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains
* Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina
Places
* Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place
* ...
district. It was denied by the Local Agency Formation Commission Local Agency Formation Commissions or LAFCOs are regional service planning agencies of the State of California. LAFCOs are located in all 58 counties and exercise regulatory and planning powers in step with their prescribed directive to oversee the ...
.
In 1986, a fire in nearby El Cajon
El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...
killed two and injured five residents at a home for the aged despite the fact that it broke out only a hundred yards from a station within the Bostonia Fire Protection District.[H.G. Reza, "Jurisdictional Issue Raised in Fatal Fire in El Cajon," ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 8, 1986, image 27]
/ref>
The Bostonia firefighters were prevented from battling the blaze because the district had no mutual-aid agreement with El Cajon, whose firefighters arrived three minutes after the fire was reported. El Cajon Fire Chief Art Melbourne said that Bostonia firefighters did give help but declined to say exactly what it was.[
El Cajon Fire Chief Roger House said that Bostonia was not part of any agreement because it did not meet the requirements for belonging, including round-the-clock staffing and a certain kind of equipment.
]
Geography
The center of the community is near the intersection of North 2nd Street and Broadway in the city of El Cajon. Bostonia Street, the Bostonia Post Office, the former Bostonia Ballroom, Bostonia Elementary School and the Bostonia Fire Station are all within of this location and all, except the fire station, are within the city of El Cajon. This is the area identified on most maps as Bostonia. However, the census-designated place of Bostonia is entirely outside the city limits of El Cajon, in an unincorporated area of County. The CDP comprises most of unincorporated El Cajon north of Broadway and east of State Route 67, and a small area west of State Route 67. Mail sent to all parts of Bostonia is addressed to El Cajon.
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
Bostonia is located at (32.821612, -116.949905). This is approximately one mile northwest of where the USGS places Bostonia, near the geographic center of the CDP. The CDP has a total area of , all land.
Ecology
Bostonia was home to numerous populations of ''Ambrosia pumila
''Ambrosia pumila'' is a rare species of herbaceous perennial plant known by the common names San Diego ragweed and San Diego ambrosia. It is native to far southern California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It grows in floodplains and ...
'', a rare, clonal plant narrowly distributed in southern California and Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
. Most populations of ''Ambrosia pumila'' in Bostonia grew on vacant lots, backyard strips, and gravel roads, and many since have been extirpated by development. Additionally, '' Artemisia palmeri'', a sagebrush nearly endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to San Diego County, was once found in the neighborhood. Other plants historically collected from Bostonia include ''Primula clevelandii
''Primula clevelandii'', with the common name of Padre's shooting star, is a species of Primulaceae, primrose.
Its specific epithet (botany), specific epithet ''clevelandii'' honors 19th-century San Diego-based plant collector and lawyer Daniel ...
,'' ''Sidalcea malviflora
''Sidalcea malviflora'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common names dwarf checkerbloom, Greek mallow, prairie mallow and dwarf checkermallow.
Distribution
''Sidalcea malviflora'' is native to the West Coast o ...
, Sisyrinchium bellum
''Sisyrinchium bellum'', the western blue-eyed grass or Californian blue-eyed grass, is the common blue-eyed grass of California and Oregon in and west of the Sierra Nevada, its range extending south into Baja California. In parts of its range, ...
'' and ''Viola pedunculata
''Viola pedunculata'', the California golden violet, Johnny jump up, or yellow pansy, is a perennial yellow wildflower of the coast and coastal ranges in California and northwestern Baja California. The common name "Johnny jump up" is usually ...
''.
Demographics
The statistics below include only the census-designated place, not the part of Bostonia within the city limits of El Cajon
El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...
.
2010
At the 2010 census Bostonia had a population of 15,379. The population density was . The racial makeup of Bostonia was 10,891 (70.8%) White, 1,011 (6.6%) African American, 102 (0.7%) Native American, 375 (2.4%) Asian, 89 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 1,781 (11.6%) from other races, and 1,130 (7.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3,941 persons (25.6%).
The census reported that 15,272 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 55 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 52 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 5,573 households, 2,028 (36.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 2,381 (42.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 976 (17.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 405 (7.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 416 (7.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 47 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,338 households (24.0%) were one person and 545 (9.8%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.74. There were 3,762 families (67.5% of households); the average family size was 3.25.
The age distribution was 3,813 people (24.8%) under the age of 18, 1,820 people (11.8%) aged 18 to 24, 4,157 people (27.0%) aged 25 to 44, 3,832 people (24.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,757 people (11.4%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
There were 5,893 housing units at an average density of 3,055.3 per square mile, of the occupied units 2,342 (42.0%) were owner-occupied and 3,231 (58.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 6,071 people (39.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 9,201 people (59.8%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
At the 2000 census there were 15,169 people, 5,640 households, and 3,778 families in the CDP. The population density was 7,810.2 inhabitants per square mile (3,019.0/km). There were 5,819 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the CDP was 79.81% White, 3.98% African American, 0.90% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 7.79% from other races, and 5.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.63%.
Of the 5,640 households 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 24.3% of households were one person and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.19.
The age distribution was 28.3% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.
The median household income was $37,148, and the median family income was $41,727. Males had a median income of $32,240 versus $26,335 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,328. About 9.1% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
A new Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop ...
was dedicated in Bostonia on July 28, 1895, the Rev. H.B. Restarick officiating. Later, Alfred Fletcher took charge of the church under Restarick, who had become dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
. W.J. Cleveland took over as rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
in November 1910.
Government
In the California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
, Bostonia is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, Bostonia is in .
Education
The Riverview School District was separated from the Bostonia District (which included Lakeside) in 1919."Locals Win Close Game," ''The Times-Advocate,'' Escondido, March 21, 1919, image 1
/ref>
References
{{authority control
Census-designated places in San Diego County, California
East County (San Diego County)
Census-designated places in California