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 descr ...

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 f ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. 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 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 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 ...

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 f ...

and Interstate 8 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 United States, 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 Impossi ...

. 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 * Be ...

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 *

Mount Laguna Mount Laguna is a small census-designated place (CDP) in 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 the Cleveland National Forest ...

* Pine Valley * Potrero * Tecate *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 reservations with communities in the Mountain Empire region and southern

. 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 ''Figure ...

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 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 ...

. 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