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
*
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Regions of California
.
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