Fallbrook, California

History

The community of Fallbrook was first settled by the Payomkawichum people, later called Luiseños by the Spanish missionaries who were present in the area in the late 1700s. Large village sites and oak groves were established by the Luiseños. One site in particular became the area known today as Live Oak County Park.

The first permanent recorded settlement was during the Mexican period in 1846, when Ysidro Alvarado was granted Rancho Monserate by then governor of Mexican California, Pio Pico, who was residing to the west of Fallbrook where Camp Pendleton is currently located. Alvarado and Pico were second-generation Californians and San Diegans and were citizens of Mexico and the United States.

Rancho Monserate, a 13,323-acre grant stretched from the San Luis Rey River and Bonsall to the south to Stagecoach Lane and the Palomares house to the North to Mission Road to the west to Monserate Mountain to the east.

Pio's nephew and local vaquero, Jose Maria Pico, had been residing in the area now known as the Fallbrook High School during the 1860 census and his family had registered to vote in October 1868, in time for the November presidential election, the first election after the Civil War ended.

The first known image of the area was an oil painting done by James Walker in 1870 called Roping the Bear at Santa Margarita Rancho, which depicts Mexican vaqueros capturing a grizzly bear.

Later, Canadian immigrant Vital Reche settled here with his family just north of Alvarado's ranch at the site now known as Live Oak Park. They named the new community Fall Brook after their former homestead in Pennsylvania.

Oak trees were the original primary trees in Fallbrook.

Incorporation votes occurred in 1981 and 1987, but both votes failed.

On October 21, 2007, wildfires broke out across San Diego county and other parts of Southern California. By October 23, the Rice Canyon Fire had crossed Interstate 15 and spread into the east area of Fallbrook along Reche Road, prompting a mandatory evacuation order for all residents. As of October 23, 206 homes, two commercial properties, and forty outbuildings had burned. These figures include over one hundred homes that burned in the Valley Oaks Mobile Home Park and Pala Mesa Village condos.

Geography

The Fallbrook Community Planning Area is approximately 44 sqmi. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.6 sqmi. 17.5 sqmi of it is land and 0.02 sqmi of it (0.10%) is water.

Native evergreen oak trees are common in the Fallbrook area, and in places form continuous woods (e.g. Live Oak Park area). Chaparral brushland is the other common vegetation type in the area. Avocados and Eucalyptus are the most common introduced tree species in the area.

Climate

Fallbrook has an average year-round temperature of 64 degrees. Due to the prevailing ocean breezes, the humidity is relatively low and constant.

The average daytime high in Fallbrook is 75˚F, although in the summer, temperatures sometimes exceed 90 degrees. Most of the area is frost-free; during the coldest periods the average nighttime temperature is about 43 degrees. Due to its proximity to the ocean, days often start with early morning fog; afternoons can be breezy.

Annual rainfall is roughly 14 in and comes mostly between November and April. Rainfall is higher in the surrounding hills, up to 20 in. The area is ideal for avocados, strawberries, tomatoes and many other sub-tropical fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

|access-date = Nov 19, 2024

Demographics

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Fallbrook was first listed as an unincorporated place in the 1950 U.S. census; and then as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Fallbrook had a population of 32,267. The population density was 1,839.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Fallbrook was 49.4% White, 1.6% African American, 2.5% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 25.1% from other races, and 18.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 49.7% of the population.

The census reported that 98.8% of the population lived in households, 0.8% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.4% were institutionalized.

There were 10,445 households, out of which 35.4% included children under the age of 18, 56.2% were married-couple households, 6.8% were cohabiting couple households, 22.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 17.9% of households were one person, and 9.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.05.

The age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% aged 18 to 24, 24.5% aged 25 to 44, 23.5% aged 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 37.4years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males.

There were 10,866 housing units at an average density of 619.5 /mi2, of which 10,445 (96.1%) were occupied. Of these, 60.7% were owner-occupied, and 39.3% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 24.3% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 57.4% spoke only English at home, 39.7% spoke Spanish, 1.1% spoke other Indo-European languages, 1.8% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.1% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 82.7% were high school graduates and 27.3% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income was $87,293, and the per capita income was $34,747. About 10.8% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Fallbrook had a population of 30,534. The population density was 1,738.7 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Fallbrook was 20,454 (67.0%) White with 49.1% of the population being non-Hispanic whites, 489 (1.6%) African American, 233 (0.8%) Native American, 592 (1.9%) Asian, 71 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 7,372 (24.1%) from other races, and 1,323 (4.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13,800 persons (45.2%).

The Census reported that 30,383 people (99.5% of the population) lived in households, 94 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 57 (0.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 9,999 households, out of which 3,929 (39.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 5,953 (59.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,140 (11.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 577 (5.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 528 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 45 (0.5%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,782 households (17.8%) were made up of individuals, and 870 (8.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.04. There were 7,670 families (76.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.40.

The age distribution indicated 8,045 people (26.3%) under the age of 18, 3,768 people (12.3%) aged 18 to 24, 7,022 people (23.0%) aged 25 to 44, 7,457 people (24.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 4,242 people (13.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.

There were 10,855 housing units at an average density of 618.1 /sqmi, of which 5,921 (59.2%) were owner-occupied, and 4,078 (40.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%. 17,274 people (56.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 13,109 people (42.9%) lived in rental housing units.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Fallbrook is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Fallbrook is in and in . Fallbrook has several Special Districts, including the Fallbrook Regional Health District, which are governed by elected members of the community.

Education

• Fallbrook Union High School
• Fallbrook Elementary School District
• Bonsall Unified School District

Media

Filming location

Part of the 1928 film The Mating Call was filmed in Fallbrook. The haunted house from the 2007 film Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour is in Fallbrook. In the 2015 film Thane of East County, one of the filming locations was an apartment building in Fallbrook.

Notable people

Fallbrook is a center for the arts with longtime residents fostering a creative atmosphere and newcomers bringing additional talents to the area. In the 1940s and 1950s it was the home of film director Frank Capra, who raised olives on his Red Mountain Ranch. He served on the Board of the local water district and produced a short subject film about a water rights controversy with the federal government titled "The Fallbrook Story." In the mid-2000s, Fallbrook gained popularity among Hollywood celebrities. Among those with primary or secondary residences in Fallbrook:

• James Callahan, actor
• Kayla Canett, rugby union player and Olympic Bronze Medallist
• Frank Capra, director
• Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters
• Rita Coolidge, singer
• Michael Curtis, television writer and producer (Friends, JONAS)
• Edward Faulkner
• Rick Founds, Christian songwriter, best known for writing "Lord I Lift Your Name On High".
• Rudolph Hass, developer of the Hass avocado
• Tony Hawk (former resident)
• Leo Howard, actor
• Howard Keel, Fallbrook Union High School alumnus
• Aimee La Joie, actress
• Tom Metzger, white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader (former resident)
• Martin Milner (former resident)
• Jason Mraz, musician
• Dave Mustaine, musician (secondary residence)
• T. Jefferson Parker
• Shane Peterson (former resident)
• Christie Repasy, floral artist
• Mark Rogowski (former resident)
• Tom Selleck, actor
• Duke Snider
• Elise Trouw, musician (former resident)
• Dolores Costello, actress

References

References

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2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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7. ''Treescape Plan for the Village Area of Fallbrook, California'' Roger Boddaert (1992) p. 5
8. (2011). "Directory of Special Districts in San Diego County". San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission.
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42. Coddon, David L.. (2014-08-20). "San Diego filmmakers mine 'Macbeth' for 'Thane of East County'". [[San Diego CityBeat]].
43. Gallant, Julie. (2024-02-20). "Poway actress stars in dark comedy showing at Oceanside International Film Festival".
44. (2006-03-15). "White supremacist Metzger no longer living in Fallbrook, he says". [[The San Diego Union-Tribune]].
45. "Jason Mraz: Dialogue". [[San Diego Magazine]].
46. (2016-10-06). "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine lists mega-estate in San Diego County's rural Fallbrook". [[Los Angeles Times]].