Map of San Diego Country Estates CDP

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 North County, a region of the San Diego metropolitan area. The Estates is just east of the North County city of Poway and southeast of Ramona; 38 miles (61 km) northeast of San Diego and 46 miles (74 km) from the regional center of Carlsbad. San Diego Country Estates had a population of 10,109 at the 2010 census, up from 9,262 at the 2000 census.

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History

Early history

Before the development of the Estates, the area was inhabited by the northern Ipai, a semi-nomadic people and a group of the Kumeyaay. These people are known by many names, some of which include the Digueno, Tipai-Ipai, or Kamia. The San Vicente Valley was home to the temporary settlements of these people who traveled the region between Escondido and Lake Henshaw. Grinding stones, commonly found in large boulders throughout the valley alongside creeks and used to create acorn meal for bread, are testament to their historic presence in the area.

In the 1700s the valley in which San Diego Country Estates is located received its name when Father Mariner of Mission San Diego de Alcalá discovered the location, proclaiming it a constant and beautiful valley, and named it in honor of Saint Vincent. As the area became colonized by the Spanish and later fell under Mexican jurisdiction, the land of the San Vicente Valley became a part of the Mexican land-grant known as Rancho Cañada de San Vicente y Mesa del Padre Barona in 1846. Under the grant prominent persons such as William Augustus Barnett and families, the Dukes, settled the region.

In 1970 Raymond A. Watt, a national award-winning builder, purchased 3,250 acres in the San Vicente Valley with the intent of building a new community that became San Diego Country Estates.

Contemporary history

San Diego Country Estates, on May 13, 1973, hosted former 55-year-old tennis player Bobby Riggs and then 30-year-old women’s world number one player, Margaret Court. Court was challenged to a tennis match by Riggs and the game was held at the San Vicente Country Club and Golf Course Resort. Riggs won the match 6-2, 6-1.

The area is well known for its history with Southern California wildfires. Several fires including the Witch Fire and Cedar Fire have begun near the Estates. On October 23, 2003, the Cedar Fire began approximately 3 miles east of the Estates in Cleveland National Forest.

Also beginning near the Estates, the Witch Fire began October 21, 2007 and was part of a series of fires that ravaged Southern California. The Witch Creek fire caused the evacuation of the thousands of residents of the Estates area and evacuating cars were bottlenecked on the San Vicente Highway, a main artery leading to San Diego Country Estates from Ramona. It was feared that the fire would sweep west from the ridge separating the Estates and Ramona, catching vehicles evacuating west through North County, however, the wind changed the course of the fire. The Witch Creek fire was initially feared to be larger than the Cedar Fire but instead resulted in becoming the second largest fire in California history. Ultimately the Witch Creek burned 197,990 acres (801 km2) and forced the evacuation of an estimated 1,000,000 people in the San Diego metropolitan area, the largest evacuation in California history.

San Diego Country Estates Road Map

San Diego Country Estates city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Estates has a total area of 16.9 square miles (43.6 km), all land.

San Diego Country Estates is in the San Vicente Valley 33°0′9″N 116°47′56″W / 33.00250°N 116.79889°W / 33.00250; -116.79889 (33.002636, -116.799005). bordered on all sides by rolling hills with the exception of the prominent Mount Gower, in Cleveland National Forest. There are only three main entrances and exits into the estates via the San Vicente Highway, Old Julian Highway, and Wildcat Canyon Highway leading to Barona, and eventually South Bay.

To the west of San Diego Country Estates are Poway and Ramona, to the south is Lakeside, to the east is Cleveland National Forest and to the north is the Palomar Mountain Range.

See also