North County is a region in the northern area of

San Diego County, California 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 ...

. It is the second-most populous region in the county (after

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 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

), with an estimated population of 869,322. North County is well known for its

affluence Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

, especially in

Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south o ...

, Carlsbad,

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States, within the San Diego metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the 2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping block ...

, and

Solana Beach Solana Beach (''Solana'', Spanish for "warm wind") is a coastal city in San Diego County, California. Its population was at 12,941 at the 2020 U.S. Census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 Census. History The area was first settled by the San Dieg ...

, where house prices range, on average, above $1,000,000. Cities along the 78 freeway ( Oceanside,

Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

and Escondido) have more mixed incomes. Beach culture is prominent in the area, and many of the region's beaches and lagoons are protected areas to help ensure the environment remains pristine, though there has been pressure from commercial entities to develop some of these areas.

History

The name dates to at least the 1970s, when many of the communities in the area were yet to become incorporated cities and local community decisions were made away at the county seat. The North County section of San Diego County has historically been the most expensive region of San Diego, with such affluent neighborhoods as Aviara, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Carlsbad, Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Encinitas, La Costa, Leucadia, Olivenhain, Rancho Santa Fe, and Solana Beach. In modern times, North County continues to grow as a highly influential region of Greater San Diego. The top 25 employers in San Diego County are closer to the North County city of Carlsbad than San Diego proper.

Geography

North County is commonly divided into coastal and inland regions, with coastal cities being Oceanside,

, Carlsbad,

and

, and inland cities being Escondido,

and

Poway Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. The unincorporated community became a city on December 1, 1980. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city has a population of 49,701 as of 2 ...

; inland mountain communities such as Valley Center and

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

are sometimes included within the inland portion. Some consider communities in the northern parts of the city of San Diego like

Rancho Bernardo Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned community in the northern hills of the city of San Diego, California. Geography The topography of Rancho Bernardo consists of canyons and rolling hills that have large bedrock outcroppings. The major floral bio ...

Rancho Peñasquitos Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos Ai ...

, and Carmel Valley to be part of North County as well. Both coastal and inland North County contain two types of topography. In coastal areas of North County, the land is generally flat with low rolling hills. The beaches are sandy with occasional

tidepool A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only at low tide. Many tide pool habitats are home to especially adaptable animals that ...

s and rocky reefs. In some cases, the coast is dominated by

bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

type geography, where the land meeting the ocean sharply drops into the sea with a short beach. In some cases, such as in Encinitas, a whole city is bisected by a coastal foothill ridge. The foothills of mountains soon become visible as one travels further east and encounters the rocky peaks of inland North County. Such peaks include San Marcos Mountain,

Palomar Mountain Palomar Mountain ( ; es, Monte Palomar ) is a mountain ridge in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park. Hist ...

, Twin Peaks in

, Mount Woodson in

, and Iron Mountain in unincorporated territory. The coastal area also becomes more rugged to the north, where the

Santa Margarita Mountains The Santa Margarita Mountains are a mountain range, part of the larger Santa Ana Mountains in the Peninsular Ranges System. They are located in the coastal North County region of San Diego County, California. They are bounded on the northwest by ...

dominate the area within the

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

. North San Diego County is known as one of the most geographically diverse places on earth, with bluffs, sandy beaches, canyons and rolling hills on the coast, humid inland valleys, rocky foothills, temperate mountains, rolling grassland and large lakes and rivers in the interior, and arid deserts, lush oases and sand dunes in the far east region. Rivers and creeks that flow west from the mountains farther inland mostly end up draining into the region's four main lagoons. Throughout their course, these rivers are interrupted by many lakes and reservoirs which support an array of native species. Definitions vary but almost always include the communities and cities along

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...

north of Carmel Valley Road, and

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border i ...

north of

Lake Hodges Lake Hodges is a lake and reservoir located within the city limits of San Diego, California. It is about north of Downtown San Diego, just north of the Rancho Bernardo community, and just south of the city's border with Escondido. When full, th ...

. For both geographic and political reasons, opinions differ as to whether to include the northern communities within the city limits of San Diego (such as

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

, or

Scripps Ranch Scripps Ranch is a community of San Diego, California in the northeastern part of that city. Its ZIP code is 92131. It is located east of Interstate 15, north of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and south of Poway. Scripps Ranch is a coastal/i ...

). Spanning in the northwestern corner of the county,

forms a large buffer separating the coastal populated areas of North County from neighboring

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, preventing the creation of a complete coastal megalopolis stretching from

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

Imperial Beach Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

Ecology

The region has strong ties to its coastline and has made notable efforts to preserve many marine environments, including

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

s and tidal wetlands, many of those being the final few on the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

. Unlike developments in many Orange County coastal cities, the lagoons and large areas of coast have not yet been so heavily developed. Major lagoons and inlets lining the coast from north to south include: Oceanside Harbor, Buena Vista Lagoon, Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Batiquitos Lagoon and

San Elijo Lagoon San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is one of the largest remaining coastal wetlands in San Diego County, California, United States. History Native American tribes hunted and gathered along the shores of the estuary at least 8,500 years before ...

Flora and fauna

The lagoons provide valuable wetland habitat for many birds, reptiles, fish, and plant species. The waters off the coast are also very rich in species diversity, supporting large

kelp forest Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, which covers a large part of the world's coastlines. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Ea ...

s and rocky

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

s. Fish species included the

tidewater goby ''Eucyclogobius newberryi'', the Northern tidewater goby, is a species of goby native to lagoons of streams, marshes, and creeks along the coast of California, United States. The Northern tidewater goby is one of six native goby species to Califo ...

topsmelt The topsmelt silverside (''Atherinops affinis''), also known as the topsmelt, is a species of Neotropical silverside native to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Description The topsmelt silverside is a small, slim fish with a dorsally flattened body ...

striped mullet The flathead grey mullet (''Mugil cephalus'') is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically . It is known with numerous English name ...

, surfperch and

Pacific staghorn sculpin The Pacific staghorn sculpin (''Leptocottus armatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only species in the monospecific ...

Leopard shark The leopard shark (''Triakis semifasciata'') is a species of houndshark, in the family Triakidae. It is found along the Pacific coast of North America, from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico. Typically measuring 1.2–1.5 m (3.9� ...

s forage near the lagoons, and their pups frequent the shallow rocky reefs off the coast. Bird species included the

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

snowy plover The snowy plover (''Charadrius nivosus'') is a small wader in the plover bird family, typically about 5-7" in length. It breeds in the southern and western United States, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Long considered to be a subspecie ...

Ridgway's rail Ridgway's rail (''Rallus obsoletus'') is a near-threatened species of bird. It is found principally in California's San Francisco Bay to southern Baja California. A member of the rail family, Rallidae, it is a chicken-sized bird that rarely flie ...

and

least tern The least tern (''Sternula antillarum'') is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America. It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World. Ot ...

. The lagoons support various species of

shorebirds 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

wading birds 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

, raptors and diving birds. The number of bird species in the San Dieguito wetlands have tripled due to restoration projects by Del Mar. The Torrey Pine is also one of the most infamous trees in the region.

Culture

Recreation

North County contains forty golf courses, including Torrey Pines, which hosted the 2008 U.S. Open. North County is also known for its beaches, which stretch about thirty miles from Del Mar to San Onofre. These beaches experience a large tourist influx from June to November. Symbolic of North County's

surf culture Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish ...

are the various statues proliferating the region including the

Cardiff Kook ''Magic Carpet Ride'' is the official name of a high bronze sculpture (2007) of a surfer by Matthew Antichevich, an artist and sculpture instructor at Mt. San Jacinto College. The sculpture is mounted on a 6-foot high granite base with poetry i ...

in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. As surf culture is an integral part of North County, so is

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

culture. Numerous equestrian centers, including the Del Mar Fairgrounds, Rancho Camino Equestrian Center, and San Diego Country Estates International Equestrian Center, are found in the region from Del Mar to

San Diego Country Estates San Diego Country Estates, commonly referred to as ''the Estates'', is a valley resort populace composed of several neighborhoods associated with the unincorporated community of Ramona, California. The Estates are a census-designated place in No ...

. North County is home to Southern California's only five-star and five-diamond restaurants: Addison at The Grand Del Mar, and El Bizcocho at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

Fairs and shopping

The

Del Mar Fairgrounds The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

is home to one of the most famous racetracks in the world and is the site of the annual

San Diego County Fair The San Diego County Fair (formerly called the Del Mar Fair) is a county fair held every summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California. The fair is a major draw for San Diego County residents; in recent years, attendance figures have ri ...

. Shopping malls include the Westfield North County in Escondido and

The Shoppes at Carlsbad The Shoppes at Carlsbad is a shopping mall in Carlsbad, California. The mall was originally named Plaza Camino Real when it was built in 1969, but was rebranded several times when it was a Westfield Holdings property (1994-2015). Its anchor store ...

in Carlsbad. The Cedros Design District in

offers more than 85 shops, boutiques and galleries that specialize in antiques, handmade jewelry, unique artifacts, fine art, and more. Famous beaches include

Moonlight Beach Moonlight State Beach is a state beach in Encinitas, California. It is located one fifth of a mile beyond the point where Encinitas Boulevard turns into B Street after it crosses Highway 101.Irons 2007, online article The beach area is well ...

in Encinitas and the

Oceanside Pier The Oceanside Pier, located in Oceanside, in northern San Diego County, California, is the longest wooden pier on the western United States coastline at . History The pier was first built in 1888 at what is now Wisconsin Avenue. The original pie ...

In the media

Locations in North County appear in popular television and films.

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

is often featured in military-themed shows such as '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', and is the setting of the first season of ''

Major Dad ''Major Dad'' is an American sitcom television series created by Richard C. Okie and John G. Stephens, developed by Earl Pomerantz, that originally ran from September 17, 1989, to May 17, 1993 on CBS, starring Gerald McRaney as Major John D. Ma ...

''. The Del Mar Fair is also portrayed in shows such as ''

Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...

''. ''

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...

'' is set in a fictional city north of San Diego; much of the show was filmed in Oceanside. Other crime-related shows, such as

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

's '' Animal Kingdom'' and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

's ''

American Vandal ''American Vandal'' is an American mockumentary television series created by Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda that premiered on September 15, 2017, on Netflix. The series is a parody of true crime documentaries such as ''Making a Murderer'' and '' ...

'', are filmed and set in Oceanside. For two seasons the Showtime comedy '' Weeds'' was set in the fictional San Diego suburb of Ren Mar, which is implied to be in North County. ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', which is set in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, features an episode (" The Zarnecki Incursion") where the main characters make a three-hour drive to Carlsbad to confront a

World of Warcraft ''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...

hacker. A notable fictional character from North County is

shock jock A shock jock is a radio broadcaster or DJ who entertains listeners and attracts attention using humor and/or melodramatic exaggeration that may offend some portion of the listening audience. The term is used pejoratively to describe provocative o ...

Dave Rickards' "Aunt Edna", frequently featured on the popular '' Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw'' radio program, which airs in the San Diego area.

Demographics

North County is considered wealthier and more conservative (though still liberal when compared to other regions of the state) than San Diego proper or the South Bay. It is the largest of the suburban regions of San Diego County. There are 325,995 North County residents who live within San Diego city limits. In North County, white-collar jobs outnumber blue-collar jobs at a ratio of 3:1. More people have

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degrees than

associate's degrees An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

at a ratio of 2:1. More people are married than single by 2:1. Statistics compiled by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reveal that coastal North County is 59% white, 18% Hispanic and 6% Asian, with blacks and people of other races less than 5%.San Diego County Demographics Profile 2011
Health and HUman Services Agency, San Diego County. Retrieved 2016-02-18. Inland North County has roughly the same racial makeup, except that 9% are Asian. 19% of coastal North County residents make more than $100,000 per year, and 44% make less than $45,000, with the rest in the medium income range. Inland North County income stats are largely the same, except that only 42% make less than $45,000.

Cities and communities

Populations listed are from the 2020 Census.

Incorporated cities

* Oceanside - 174,068 * Escondido - 151,038 * Carlsbad - 114,746 *

- 98,381 *

- 94,833 *

- 62,007 *

- 48,841 *

- 12,941 *

- 3,954

Unincorporated CDPs

Fallbrook Fallbrook is a CDP in northern San Diego County, California. Fallbrook had a population of 30,534 at the 2010 census, up from 29,100 at the 2000 census. Fallbrook's downtown is not on a major highway route. It is west of Interstate 15 or n ...

- 32,267 * Camp Pendleton South - 12,468 *

- 10,395 * Valley Center - 10,087 * Camp Pendleton Mainside - 9,683 * Lake San Marcos - 5,328 * Bonsall - 4,546 * Hidden Meadows - 4,484 *

- 3,156 *

Fairbanks Ranch Fairbanks Ranch is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 3,148 at the 2010 census, up from 2,244 at the 2000 census. The entire population is contained within two gated communities, divided into North a ...

- 3,002 * Harmony Grove - 2,079 *

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

- 1,884 *

Elfin Forest Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem featuring miniature trees, inhabited by small species of fauna such as rodents and lizards. They are usually located at high elevations, under conditions of sufficient air humi ...

- 600 * Del Dios - 396

Education

Primary and secondary

School districts in the region include the: * Bonsall Union School District * Cardiff School District * Carlsbad Unified School District * Encinitas Union School District *

Escondido Union School District The Escondido Union School District (EUSD) is a school district that serves the city of Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888 ...

Escondido Union High School District The Escondido Union School District (EUSD) is a school district that serves the city of Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888 ...

* Fallbrook Union High School District * Oceanside Unified School District *

Poway Unified School District Poway Unified School District is a school district located in Poway, California. The district operates 26 elementary schools (grades Preschool–5), seven middle schools (6–8); five comprehensive high schools (9–12); and one continuation hi ...

* Ramona Unified School District *

San Dieguito Union High School District San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) is a public school district in northern San Diego County, California. Established in 1936, the district serves over 13,000 students in five middle schools, five comprehensive high schools, and one a ...

* San Pasqual Union School District
San Marcos Unified School District
* Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District *

Vista Unified School District Vista Unified School District is a public school district headquartered in Vista, California, United States. It serves sections of northern San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest ...

School districts often overlap city boundaries. Depending on the ZIP Codes of the cities and their proximity to respective schools and school districts, school districts will serve parts of different cities.

Colleges and universities

North County is home to several colleges: *

California State University, San Marcos California State University San Marcos (CSUSM or Cal State San Marcos) is a public university in San Marcos, California. It was founded in 1989 as the 21st campus in the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. CSUSM offers 43 bache ...

(CSUSM), four-year university in San Marcos, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs *

Palomar College Palomar College is a public community college in San Diego County, California. The main campus is in San Marcos and three centers and four education sites are located elsewhere throughout north San Diego County. The largest of these by student p ...

, a

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

based in San Marcos, with six other education sites in North San Diego County *

MiraCosta College MiraCosta College is a public community college serving coastal North San Diego County in California with two campuses, one in eastern Oceanside and the other in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and many satellite locations, including the Community Learnin ...

, a community college in Oceanside.

Media

Newspaper

In 1995, several local newspapers merged to form the ''

North County Times The ''North County Times'' was a local newspaper in San Diego's North County. It was headquartered in Escondido. The final publisher was Peter York. It was formed in 1995 from the merger of the ''North County Blade-Citizen'' of Oceanside (fo ...

''. This newspaper served the region until 2012, when it was purchased by

Doug Manchester Douglas Frederick Manchester (born June 3, 1942) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the former chairman of Manchester Financial Group, past chairman and publisher of ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', and an unsuccessful nominee t ...

and became an edition of 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 ...

''. On March 7, 2013, the separate ''U-T North County Times'' name was dropped and a ''U-T North County edition'' produced which further integrates U-T with North County-specific pages, while eliminating differences between the two.

Radio

In addition to being served by radio stations from San Diego and

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, North County is served by FM stations

KSSX KSSX (95.7 FM) is a commercial radio station located in San Diego, California, although the station is legally licensed to serve Carlsbad, in nearby North County. The station airs an urban-leaning rhythmic CHR format, and is one of seven stat ...

KMYI KMYI (94.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Diego, California, airing a hot adult contemporary music format. It is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios are located in San Diego's Kearny Mesa neighborhood on the northeast side, and the tran ...

KLQV KLQV (102.9 FM, "Amor 102.9") is a Spanish AC radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasting from an antenna located on top of Mount Soledad in La Jolla. The station is owned by TelevisaUnivision along with KLNV. It forms as a part of the ...

, KARJ,

KSSD KSSE, KSSD, and KSSC are commercial FM radio stations serving Southern California at the 107.1 MHz frequency. KSSE is licensed to Arcadia, California and broadcasts to the Los Angeles metropolitan area, KSSD is licensed to Fallbrook, Californi ...

, KKLJ, and

KSDW KSDW (88.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Christian radio station licensed to Temecula, California and serving the Temecula Valley and San Diego County, California, San Diego County. The station is owned and operated by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, an ...

and AM stations

KFSD KFSD (1450 AM) is a radio station based in North County, San Diego, California. It is owned by Raul Caro and Stephen Beuerle, through licensee IHS Media, and is currently off the air. The station's studios are located in Carlsbad, while the ...

KPRZ KPRZ (1210 kHz "K-Praise 106.1 and 1210") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to San Marcos-Poway, California and serving the San Diego metropolitan area. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Christian talk and teachi ...

, and KKSM. Several Los Angeles stations can also be picked up, including

KYSR KYSR (98.7 FM) is a commercial alternative radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving the Greater Los Angeles area. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., KYSR is the flagship station of syndicated morning drive program ''The Woody Show''. T ...

KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a top 40 format. Owned by iHeartMedia, KIIS-FM is the origin of the conglomer ...

KBIG KBIG (104.3 FM, 104.3 MYfm) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a hot AC format heavy on music from the 2000s to ...

KLYY KLYY (97.5 MHz, "José 97.5") is a commercial FM radio station located in Riverside, California, broadcasting to the Inland Empire, Greater Los Angeles areas. KLYY airs a Spanish adult hits music format. It operates from studios in Los Angeles ...

,and KDLD

Television

North County is served by the ABC affiliate

KGTV KGTV (channel 10) is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Air Way in the Riverview-Webster section of San Diego, and its ...

, CBS and CW affiliate KFMB, NBC affiliate

KNSD KNSD (channel 39) is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, airing programming from the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations alongside Poway-licensed Telemundo outlet KUAN-L ...

, and FOX affiliate KSWB—all San Diego stations. Other local stations include

KUSI KUSI-TV (channel 51) is an independent television station in San Diego, California, United States. It is the sole property of locally based McKinnon Broadcasting Company. KUSI-TV's studios are located on Viewridge Avenue (near I-15) in the Ke ...

in San Diego

Landmarks

Important landmarks in North County include

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia Mission San Luis Rey de Francia ( es, Misión San Luis Rey de Francia) is a former Spanish mission in San Luis Rey, a neighborhood of Oceanside, California. This Mission lent its name to the Luiseño tribe of Mission Indians. At its prime, ...

, Lake San Marcos,

, Twin Peaks, and

, home of the

Palomar Observatory Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in San Diego County, California, United States, in the Palomar Mountain Range. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...

. Image:DMTC july 2008.jpg,

Image:Mission_San_Luis_Rey_de_Francia_current.jpg,

Image:Lakesanmarcos.jpg, Lake San Marcos Image:Oceanside Pier.jpg,

Image:TwinPeaksPoway1.jpg, Twin Peaks,

Image:Palomar_Observatory_2.jpg,

Politics

North County is represented at the federal level by Representatives

Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served i ...

( R– 48th district),

Mike Levin Michael Ted Levin (born October 20, 1978) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for California's 49th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents most of northern coast ...

( D– 49th district), and Scott Peters (R– 50th district). At the state level, North County is represented by State Senators

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

(R–38th district),

Patricia Bates Patricia "Pat" Carmody Bates (born December 15, 1939) is an American Republican politician currently serving in the California State Senate, representing the 36th Senate district, which encompasses parts of Orange and San Diego counties. She ...

(R–36th district), and

Toni Atkins Toni Gayle Atkins (born August 1, 1962) is an American politician serving as the 51st and current President pro tempore of the California State Senate since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 69th Speaker of the ...

(D–39th district). Most of North County is located within County Supervisorial District 5, and is represented on the county's Board of Supervisors by Jim Desmond, formerly the mayor of San Marcos. The remainder of North County is in Districts 2 and 3, represented by Joel Anderson and Terra Lawson-Remer, respectively.