Escondido is a city in California's North County region, occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego and 30 miles from Downtown San Diego. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating budget limit of $426,289,048 for the fiscal year 2010-2011. The city is known as Eskondiid in Diegueño. he Escondido area was first settled by the Luiseño, who established campsites and villages along the creek running through the area. They named the place "Mehel-om-pom-pavo." The Kumeyaay migrated from areas near the Colorado River, settling both in the San Pasqual Valley and near the San Dieguito River in the southwestern and western portions of what is now Escondido. Most of the villages and campsites today have been destroyed by development and agriculture.

Mira Mesa is a community and neighborhood in the city of San Diego, California. The city-recognized Mira Mesa Community Plan Area is roughly bounded by Interstate 15 on the east, Interstate 805 on the west, the Los Peñasquitos Canyon on the north and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on the south. Most of the community plan area is referred to as Mira Mesa; the community plan area also includes the neighborhoods of Sorrento Valley and Sorrento Mesa.

The Mira Mesa neighborhood, as defined by the San Diego Police Department's neighborhood map, is roughly bounded by Interstate 15 to the east, Camino Santa Fe to the west, the Los Peñasquitos Canyon to the north and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to the south.

Poway is a city in San Diego County, California. Originally an unincorporated community in San Diego County, Poway officially became a city on December 1, 1980. Even though Poway lies geographically in the middle of San Diego County, most consider its relative location as north county inland. Poway's rural roots gave rise to its slogan "The City in the Country." As of the 2010 census the city had a population of 47,811. The ZIP code is 92064.

Poway is located at 32°58′12″N 117°2′19″W (32.969895, -117.038479). which lies north of the city of San Diego and south of the city of Escondido. Some nearby communities of San Diego include Rancho Bernardo, Sabre Springs, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Peñasquitos, and in the county to the east, the community of Ramona. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.3 square miles (102 km²). 39.2 square miles (102 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.

Rancho Bernardo is an upscale master-planned community in the northern hills of the city of San Diego, California.

Rancho Bernardo is located on the Rancho San Bernardo Mexican land grant made in 1842.

In the 1960s, Rancho Bernardo real estate obtained incorporation with the approval of the AVCO Community Developers. On October 22, 2007, the Witch Creek Fire burned through Rancho Bernardo and several other populous areas of San Diego County, destroying hundreds of houses, and completely destroying several entire neighborhoods, particularly ones that firefighters had trouble accessing due to rugged terrain and rapidly advancing flames pushed by strong Santa Ana winds.The highly unpredictable flames pushed into the northeast section of Poway during the day, prompting evacuation of Palomar-Pomerado Hospital. The neighborhoods of the Trails, Montelena and Westwood were the main areas hit in Rancho Bernardo.

Rancho Peñasquitos is a community in the northeastern part of the city of San Diego, California. It is named after the first Mexican Land Grant in the County - Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos. Peñasquitos means little cliffs in Spanish. It abuts Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve - an open space preserve that offers hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. The community is commonly abbreviated "PQ." The population of PQ is approximately 55,000; it is located in ZIP code 92129. The telephone area code is 858. Native American Kumeyaay history within the area dates back as far as 7,000 years ago. Remains of the prehistoric culture can still be found. Rancho de los Peñasquitos was present day San Diego County's first Mexican land grant, the Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos. In 1823, one league (4,243 acres; 17 km²) was awarded to Captain Francisco María Ruiz, a Commandant of the Presidio of San Diego.This one league was at the eastern part of the Los Peñasquitos Canyon and extended into Sabre Springs and up to Rancho Bernardo. It was a way station on the Wagon road to Warner's Ranch from San Diego. From 1857 to 1860 it was a station on that road for the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line between San Diego and Vallecito via San Pasqual, Santa Ysabel Asistencia, Warner's, and Rancho Valle de San Felipe. It operated as a ranch until 1962, when real estate developer Irvin Kahn acquired the 14,000 acre parcel with the intent of building a 150,000 resident planned community.

San Marcos is a city in the North County section of San Diego County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 83,781. Outside the San Diego region, it is best known as the home of California State University, San Marcos. The city is bordered by Escondido to the east, Encinitas to the southwest, Carlsbad to the west, and Vista to the northwest.

The original town of San Marcos was at the intersection of what is now Grand Avenue and Rancho Santa Fe Road. In 1887, the Santa Fe Railroad announced that it was going to lay tracks going through the valley, but to the disappointment of the citizens, the tracks were laid one mile (1.6 km) away from the center of the town. By 1896, San Marcos was a community with its own stores, post office, blacksmith and railroad depot. In 1903, the town appeared to be going downhill, so the people of San Marcos picked up their homes and moved along the railroad tracks to what now are Mission Road and Pico Avenue. By 1905, the town had every convenience, including rural mail delivery and telephone service. The first school in the area, which had started in Barham in 1880, was moved in 1889 to San Marcos. Later that same year, the Richland School was built, being the second school in San Marcos. The main business in San Marcos in the 19th and early 20th centuries was farming. In the mid-20th century, dairies and poultry production became a big part of the business in the town.

San Marcos experienced a period of growth from 1956 onward, when the first water from the Colorado River arrived. Several small businesses were founded and the population rapidly increased to 2,500. San Marcos became an incorporated city on January 28, 1963. In the 1970s, San Marcos was flourishing as the third fastest-growing city in the state with a population of 17,479 by 1980. The population continued to boom over the next two decades, reaching 33,800 in 1990 and 82,743 in 2000.

Recently, the growth of California State University, San Marcos has led to industries, such as the high-tech sector, setting up shop in the city.

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/inland bedroom community within the City of San Diego. Miramar Reservoir is located within Scripps Ranch and offers recreational boating and fishing. A unique feature of Scripps Ranch is its landscaping, which includes many mature eucalyptus trees that are most apparent along Pomerado Road.

Scripps Ranch was originally a 400 acre (1.6 km²) ranch owned by newspaper publisher E.W. Scripps. He later expanded it to 1,200 acres (4.9 km²). In October 2003, a section of south Scripps Ranch was devastated by the Cedar Fire, destroying over 300 homes. Two elected planning groups (the Scripps Ranch Planning Group and the Miramar Ranch North Planning Committee), advise the city on local planning and land-use issues. The Scripps Ranch Civic Association ("SRCA") acts as the defacto Community Town Council, meeting monthly and advising the City on all Quality of Life issues. The SRCA also acts as eyes/ears of the community, publishing a 70-80 page Community Newsletter every 30 days, which is hand-delivered to approximately 12,000 community households by hundreds of community volunteers monthly. The SRCA also sponsors the community's annual 4th of July Parade, Spring Community Fair, Community Volunteer Recognition Night, Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, and Community Clean-up / Garage Sale days.

Vista is a city in Southern California and is located in northernwestern San Diego County. Vista is a medium sized city within the San Diego Metropolitan Area and had a population of 93,834 at the 2010 census. Vista also includes portions of unincorporated San Diego County to north and east, with a county island in the central west, which is within its sphere of influence. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, it has a Mediterranean climate.

Originally the lands of Rancho Buena Vista, Vista was founded on October 9, 1882 with an establishment of a post office. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Vista has more than 25 educational institutions for youth, and a business park home to over 800 companies. Vista was listed as the seventh-best place in the United States for family life, based on factors such as jobs and business opportunities, education, climate, and cost-of-living in a 2008 review.