Escondido California History

Escondido, California offers the best of both worlds - a small town feel with proximity to a large city. Nestled in the Northeast corner of San Diego County, this sliver of Southern California hosts year-round cobalt skies, rolling hills, cultural events and the world famous Wild Animal Park.

Like most California towns, Native Americas were the first to inhabit the area. They were content to subsist on what nature provided. Their diet consisted of woodrats, squirrels, rabbit, deer and vegetables. In 1821, when Mexico gained independence from Spain, the vast land was divided into ranches. Juan Bautista Alvarado acquired the parcel surrounding Escondido. His wife and children helped him raise cattle in the valley. After Alvarado and his wife passed away, the children sold their shares of the ranch to Oliver S. Witherby, a San Diego judge. Witherby followed tradition by raising cattle, but he also built a mill - which he named Escondido Mining Company - to grind ore found on the land. This was the first use of the word Escondido.

In 1883, the Stockton Company purchased the land for $128,138. One year later, the conglomerate renamed the valley the Escondido Company. Three years later they deeded the area to the Escondido Land and Town Company for $104,042.

Growth flourished; land was subdivided and planted with vineyards and citrus groves. It went from baron to bountiful. The company constructed the 100-room Escondido Hotel. Free land was donated to any religious organization that would build a church in Escondido. Before long seven churches called the community home. Construction of the railway from Oceanside to Escondido continued to facilitate prosperity to the area. On October 8, 1888 the City of Escondido was incorporated with a population of 249.

A ditch-line and dam were soon built, bringing water into the valley. Water equates to prosperity. Infrastructure resulted, with the construction of streets running north, south, east and west. Avenues in the north, south direction were named for trees and plants - Ash and tulip. East, west roads were named for states. By the 1930‘s, this naming system went to the wayside, and was replaced with numbers. Traces of the old names still remain if you look closely on old cement sidewalks

Highway 395, built in 1950 linked Escondido to San Diego, starting a real population explosion. A housing crunch made it imperative to develop the East end of town. Vineyards and citrus groves became home sites. Citrus production declined, resulting in the closing of the area packing plant in 1960. Four years later the Escondido Village Mall opened, touted as the county’s first enclosed shopping center. Rapid growth followed, necessitating more schools, retail space, and houses.

In 1988, the city celebrated its centennial. Although progress has dominated the small city, residents don’t forget their roots. Many business buildings on Grand Avenue - in the heart of downtown - dating to the first decades of Escondido’s existence have been restored. Old Escondido Historic District showcases a large concentration of these homes. The historical society is proud they have "respected the past while building for the future."