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East County is a region of
San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...
, east of
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
.


Geography

East County does not have an official geographic definition, although East County boundaries are unofficially drawn by the County of San Diego for its second district. It commonly includes El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove,
Poway Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census. Poway is part of San Diego's Eas ...
, and Santee, as well as suburban and rural unincorporated communities such as Lakeside, Spring Valley, Jamul, and Alpine. Many sources also include vast swaths of the
backcountry In geography, a backcountry, back country or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access. These areas are typically rural or mountainous and sparsely populated. Terminology Backcountry ...
of San Diego County also known as the Mountain Empire, including communities along Interstate 8 such as Pine Valley and Descanso, and communities along the rural section of
California State Route 94 State Route 94 (SR 94) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that is long. The western portion, known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway, begins at Interstate 5 (California), Interstate 5 (I-5) in downtown San Diego and co ...
such as Potrero,
Boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway or wide road in a commercial district. In Europe, boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former ...
, and Jacumba. Other sources consider communities within the entire eastern two-thirds of the county to be East County, thereby encompassing places like Ramona, Julian, and
Borrego Springs Borrego Springs (''borrego'' is Spanish for "sheep") is a census-designated place (CDP) in northeastern San Diego County, California. It is located within the Low Desert area of Southern California. The population was 3,073 at the 2020 census. ...
, The Ramona area—Ramona, San Diego Country Estates and Barona Mesa—is often considered part of inland North County due to its association with Rancho Bernardo, Escondido and other North County Inland communities. The populace of East County primarily dwells in the interior valleys east of San Diego proper while some development encroaches on the coastal foothills. A broader definition of East County exists that includes the
Cuyamaca Mountains The Cuyamaca Mountains (Kumeyaay language, Kumeyaay: ''‘Ekwiiyemak''), locally the Cuyamacas, are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges in San Diego County, California. The mountain range runs roughly northwest to southeast. The Laguna Mount ...
and the
Laguna Mountains The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately . The mountains have long been inhabited by the indigenous Kumey ...
, as well as the desert area of
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California, United States. Created in 1932, the park takes its name from 18th ...
. Yet, this definition, when used by SANDAG, excludes the ''East Suburban'' centers. Prominent geologic formations include El Cajon Mountain, a large, dome-shaped mountain overlooking Santee and Lakeside, as well as Iron Mountain and Mount Woodson that overlook Poway.


Demographics

East County is the fourth most populous region in the San Diego metropolitan area, though its population is close to that of South Bay.


Populated places

Populations listed are from the 2020 census:


Incorporated cities

* El Cajon – 106,215 * La Mesa – 61,121 * Santee – 60,037 *
Poway Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census. Poway is part of San Diego's Eas ...
– 48,841 * Lemon Grove – 27,627


Census-designated places

* La Presa – 35,033 * Spring Valley – 30,998 * Winter Gardens – 22,380 * Rancho San Diego – 21,858 * Lakeside – 21,152 * Casa de Oro-Mount Helix - 19,576 * Bostonia - 16,882 * Alpine – 14,696 * Jamul – 6,179 * Eucalyptus Hills – 5,517 * Harbison Canyon – 4,048 * Granite Hills – 3,267 * Crest – 2,828


Other unincorporated communities

*
Dehesa A ''dehesa'' () is a multifunctional, agrosylvopastoral system (a type of agroforestry) and cultural landscape of southern and central Spain and southern Portugal; in Portugal, it is known as a ''montado''. Its name comes from the Latin ''defe ...
* Flinn Springs


Former communities

*
Foster Foster may refer to: People * Foster (surname) * Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor * Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player * Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player * John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), America ...


Education


Primary and secondary schools

East County is served by Santee School District, Grossmont Union High School District, Cajon Valley Union School District, Lakeside Union School District, Lemon Grove School District, Poway Unified School District.


Higher education

Grossmont College, located in El Cajon, and Cuyamaca College, located in Rancho San Diego, are two
community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
s in the East County region.
San Diego Christian College San Diego Christian College (SDCC) is a Private university, private evangelical university in Santee, California. Founded in 1970, SDCC offers traditional, non-traditional, and graduate programs. History In January 1970, Tim F. LaHaye, pastor o ...
is located in Santee.


Landmarks

Important landmarks in East County included
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
, Mt. Helix, Santee Lakes, Sweetwater Reservoir, Poway's Tony Gwynn Statue, Lake Poway, and Lake Cuyamaca. Image:View_of_El_Capitan_from_Santee's_Sky_Ranch.jpg, El Capitan Image:Sweetwaterriver1.jpg, Sweetwater Reservoir


See also

* South Bay * North County * Mountain Empire


References


External links

{{California * . Regions of California . . . . .