Campo, California

Campo ( Spanish for "Field") is an unincorporated community in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 2,955 at the 2020 United States census. The United States Census Bureau defines Campo as a census-designated place (CDP).

The CDP includes three distinct settlements: Campo, Cameron Corners and Morena Village. Cameron Corners is about north of Campo. Morena Village is located several miles further north, just east of Morena Dam. These communities all use Campo postal addresses and the ZIP Code 91906.

History

In 1868, Silas and Luman Gaskill opened the Gaskill Brothers' Stone Store as one of the first residents in the area. Seven years later in 1875, the store became the site of one of the deadliest Old West shootouts in California, with eight killed as the gang of bandits failed to raid the store.

Morena Dam was constructed between 1896 and 1912 to provide water to the San Diego area.

Campo was a station on the San Diego and Arizona Railway, completed in 1919.

Campo was a military town during World War II and was known as Camp Lockett. It was home to a veterans' convalescent hospital, a 300-bed Italian prisoner-of-war camp in Cameron Corners and an all African-American Buffalo Soldiers Cavalry unit which patrolled the border on horseback until 1944.

The United States military continues activities nearby at La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility.

Geography

Nearby communities include Boulevard, Potrero, Tecate, Dulzura, Jacumba, Pine Valley, Mount Laguna, Descanso, and Jamul.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers an area of 23.5 square miles (60.7 km), 99.97% of it land, and 0.03% of it water.

It is southeast of San Diego.

Climate

Campo has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csa) with hot, dry summers and cool, relatively wet winters. The diurnal temperature variation is large throughout the year.

Demographics

Campo first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.

2020 census

The 2020 United States census reported that Campo had a population of 2,955. The population density was . The racial makeup of Campo was 59.9% White, 2.6% African American, 5.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 13.8% from other races, and 16.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.8% of the population.

The census reported that 98.6% of the population lived in households, 1.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and no one was institutionalized.

There were 969 households, out of which 34.9% included children under the age of 18, 49.4% were married-couple households, 7.3% were cohabiting couple households, 21.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 22.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 22.4% of households were one person, and 10.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.01. There were 688 families (71.0% of all households).

The age distribution was 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% aged 18 to 24, 24.3% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 39.0years. For every 100 females, there were 110.0 males.

There were 1,036 housing units at an average density of , of which 969 (93.5%) were occupied. Of these, 73.3% were owner-occupied, and 26.7% were occupied by renters.

Features

Campo is home to three museums: the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, the Motor Transport Museum and the Gaskill Brothers' Stone Store.

A CDF fire station is located at 31577 State Route 94. The 1998 Cameron Corners, California 7.5-minute quadrangle plots the station near Dewey Place and SR 94. A Southern California Automobile Association map, believed to be c. 1910–1930, shows a business named "Dewey Store" in Cameron Corners. The business is plotted on the north side of SR 94 just east of County Road S1. This may be a variant name of Dewey Place.

There is a county road maintenance station on Forrest Gate Road and a county fire station at Jeb Stewart and Parker roads.

Large employers in the area include US Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol and the San Diego County, California Probation, Juvenile Ranch Facility, (population 250).

According to a September 9, 2004 ''San Diego Union Tribune'' article, foster care activist Father Joe Carroll proposed building a foster camp for children here. The proposed name was, "Promiseland Ranch," and the proposed facility would encompass about . Although the project was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2008, it has since been abandoned for lack of funds.

Campo is near the official southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail, a recreational hiking and equestrian trail extending north to the Canada–United States border.

Transportation

An unnamed private air strip is at 332 degrees off true north at . The name of the field is not listed in the National Geographic Names Data Base or U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Location Identifiers (7350.7U) dated 09/01/2005 (2005-09-01). On the topographic map, it measures about in length and runs almost due north–south at the intersection of Lake Morena Drive and Hauser Creek Road.

The town is along the line of the former Southern Pacific (originally the San Diego and Arizona Railway). Freight operations are currently embargoed (not offered) by the Carrizo Gorge Railway (currently the Pacific Imperial Railroad), while passenger operations are operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. The Railroad Museum shows an address of 750 Depot Street and is located near (NAD83) .Campo, California 7.5-minute quadrangle, U.S. Geological Survey, 1997.

Tribal areas

There are at least two tribal areas included in the nearby Campo Indian Reservation. One is about due north of Campo and adjoining Cameron Corners. A point inside the reservation is (NAD83) ) and the area is roughly on each side. The reservation government is the Campo Band of Mission Indians. Another tribal area is about east along State Route 94 in the Campo Valley. It extends to the north and beyond Interstate 8. The eastern portion of the reservation is about in an east–west dimension and includes the community of Live Oak Springs. The tribal government has been reported in the news media to provide wireless Internet service to members over a cooperative tribal government microwave backbone from Pala.

Schools

31360 State Route 94: federal records report three schools in Campo. The schools are:
* Rancho Del Campo High School - Juvenile Ranch (Detention) Facility (9–12)
* Campo Elementary School (K-8)
* Campo Continuation (at the old Campo Elementary School)
* Hillside Alternative Junior/Senior High (7–12)
* Cottonwood Community Day (7–12)
* Mountain Empire Junior/Senior High (7–12)

About north in Cameron Corners, Campo Elementary (K-6) is located at 1654 Buckman Springs Rd. This is considered in Campo for postal addresses.US Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2005.

See also

* Tecate, California
* Manzanita, San Diego County, California
* Camp Lockett

References

Further reading

*

External links

San Diego County Probation Department description of the Juvenile Ranch Facility (JRF)

Sheriff's Department description of Campo juvenile facility.



The Motor Transport Museum



Lake Morena Views Mutual Water Company

Lake Morena's Oak Shores Mutual Water Company

Mountain Health Community Center

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Census-designated places in California
Census-designated places in San Diego County, California
Mountain Empire (San Diego County)