The Mountain Empire is a
rural area
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
in southeastern
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 fi ...
,
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 ...
. The Mountain Empire subregion consists of the
backcountry
In the United States, a backcountry or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access.
Terminology Backcountry and wilderness within United States national parks
The National Park Service (NPS) ...
communities in southeastern San Diego County. The area is also sometimes considered part of the
East County
East County is a region of San Diego County, California, east of San Diego.
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 ...
region of San Diego County.
Geography
The Mountain Empire occupies the largely hilly, rugged terrain of the
Laguna Mountains
The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System in eastern San Diego County, southern California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately .
The mountains have long been inhabited by the i ...
and foothills between
Interstate 8
Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...
and the
U.S.-Mexico border east of
Otay Mountain
Otay Mountain is a mountain located in San Diego County, California. It is the highest summit of the San Ysidro Mountains. The mountain is located in the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area. The physical border separating Mexico and the United Stat ...
and west of
Imperial County
Imperial Count (german: Reichsgraf) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. In the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from ...
. The
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...
has its southern terminus in Mountain Empire, along the international border just south of the town of
Campo. Portions of the Mountain Empire are located in the Descanso Ranger District of the
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres (), mostly of chaparral, with a few riparian areas. A warm dry mediterranean climate prevails over the forest. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. It is administered by th ...
.
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 (I-5) in Downtown San Diego and continues to the end of the fr ...
and
Interstate 8
Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...
are the primary highways through the region.
Historic U.S. Route 80 also passes through the Mountain Empire, as does the
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway
The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Company is a short-line American railroad founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway (SD&A) by sugar magnate, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. Dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" ...
.
Natural features in the region include Mount Laguna at in elevation, eastern
Barrett Lake
This is a list of lakes in Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Island
All Four Counties
* Bras d'Or Lake
Cape Breton Regional Municipality
* Anse aux Cannes Pond
*The Barachois
*Bear Cove Pond
*Bear Gulch Ponds
* Beaverdam Pond
*Belle Lake
*Benn ...
reservoir, Campo Creek,
Carrizo Gorge
Carrizo Gorge is a valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surf ...
, Cottonwood Creek, Miller Creek, and Pine Valley Creek.
Communities
*Bankhead Springs
*Boulder Oaks
*
Boulevard
A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway.
Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls.
In American usage, boulevards may ...
*Buckman Springs
*
Campo
**Cameron Corners
**Lake Morena Village
*
Descanso Descanso may refer to:
* Descanso (roadside memorial)
* ''Descanso'' (spider), a genus of jumping spider
* Descanso, California, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Descanso, Santa Catarina, a town and municipality in Brazil
* Des ...
*
Guatay
*
Jacumba
Jacumba Hot Springs ( ) is an unincorporated community in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau defined Jacumba Hot Springs as a census-des ...
*
Mount Laguna
Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, San Diego County, California. It is approximately above sea level in a forest of Jeffrey pine, east of San Diego in the Laguna Mountains on the eastern edge of ...
*
Pine Valley
*
Potrero
*
Tecate
Tecate () is a city in Tecate Municipality, Baja California. It is across the Mexico-US border from Tecate, California. As of 2019, the city had a population of 108,860 inhabitants, while the metropolitan area has a population of 132,406 inha ...
*Tierra del Sol
Federally recognized tribes and bands of the
Kumeyaay people
The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai or by their historical Spanish name Diegueño, is a tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas who live at the northern border of Baja California in Mexico and the southern border of California in the Unit ...
have
Indian reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
s with communities in the Mountain Empire region and southern
Laguna Mountains
The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System in eastern San Diego County, southern California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately .
The mountains have long been inhabited by the i ...
. They include:
*
Campo Indian Reservation
The Campo Indian Reservation is home to the Campo Band of Diegueño Mission Indians, also known as the Campo Kumeyaay Nation, a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay people in the southern Laguna Mountains, in eastern San Diego County, Califor ...
*
Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians
The Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, formerly known as the Cuyapaipe Community of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Cuyapaipe Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as Mission Indians, locate ...
*
La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
*
Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians
The Manzanita Band of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Kumeyaay Indians, who are sometimes known as part of the Mission Indians.[San Diego County Sheriff's Department
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSD), is the primary and largest law enforcement agency in San Diego County, California, and one of the largest sheriff's departments in the United States: with over 4,000 employees, an annual budget ...]
provides patrol and law enforcement services to the Mountain Empire region.
Education
The region is served by the Mountain Empire Unified School District, which consists of six elementary schools and Mountain Empire High School.
The Mountain Empire Unified School District is geographically the largest school district in California, occupying over .
[Aryan, Hala Ali]
"Mountain Empire district has 5 running for 2 seats"
San Diego Union-Tribune. 21 October 2004.
Media
The Mountain Empire is served by countywide publications such as the
San Diego Union-Tribune
''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868.
Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
and the
San Diego Reader
The ''San Diego Reader'' is an alternative press newspaper in the county of San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a ...
. Regionally, it is served by ''East County Magazine''.
References
External links
Mountain Empire Subregional PlanBack Country Messenger websiteEast County Magazine website
{{California
*
.
Cuyamaca Mountains
Laguna Mountains