Community Overview
The community of Fallbrook began in the area known today as Live Oak County Park. The first permanent recorded settlement was in 1869 when the Vital Reche family settled here. They named the new community Fall Brook after their former homestead in Pennsylvania.
The Town
The present townsite was plotted in 1885. The original Fallbrook School, though closed as a school in 1939, still serves the community as the Reche Clubhouse. One of the community’s churches was constructed in 1890 and is still in use today. Indeed, Fallbrook's gift is a quiet, persistent allure to research and preserve its story. The result is a remarkable historical museum which attracts visitors to its pictures and stories. It serves to honor old-timers for their contributions while challenging newcomers to become part of the legacy.
Oak trees were the original primary trees in Fallbrook. Olives became a major crop by the 1920s and continued through World War II, but were eventually phased out in favor of the present avocado and floral industry. Though the population continues to increase at a moderate pace, Fallbrook maintains an easy lifestyle and retains its "Friendly Village" atmosphere loved by residents and envied by visitors.
Weather
Favorable climate is one of the most valuable assets of our community. Ideal year-round, with pleasant summers and mild winters, Fallbrook stands at elevations between 500 and 1500 feet, with an average around 685 feet. We enjoy an average year-round temperature of 61 degrees. Due to the prevailing ocean breezes, the humidity is relatively low and constant.
The average day time high in Fallbrook is 76 degrees, with the warmest summer temperatures seldom exceeding 90 degrees. Most of the area is frost-free; during the coldest periods, the average night time temperature is about 42 degrees. Annual rainfall is roughly 16 inches and comes mostly between November and April. The area is ideal for avocados, fruits, strawberries, tomatoes and many sub-tropical fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We have over fifty wholesale and retail nurseries within the community
Rural Setting
If what you are looking for is a peaceful, rural countryside with all the amenities nearby, Fallbrook might just be that place. Our community of 43,000 is spread over 127 square miles. A drive around the area reveals active lifestyles. Four golf courses meander through rolling hills within a 10-mile radius of the town center. When tennis is the action, a missed back-hand shot is secondary to the magnificent panoramic views.Sturdy white rail fences mark miles of equestrian trails, adjacent to avocado, lemon, cherimoya and macadamia nut groves, while floppy scarecrows and windmills watch over vegetable gardens in this relaxed, rural environment.
Growth
Fallbrook is just starting to experience the growth explosion of other parts of San Diego, Orange, and Riverside counties. Fallbrook is a quiet, hidden gem nestled among the hills of Southern California.
We are tucked away in the northern-most corner of San Diego county. As the crow flies, we are 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean. As an unincorporated part of San Diego County, we are administered by the County Board of Supervisors. We are bordered on the west by Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base. A short drive east to Interstate 15, provides easy access to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange and Riverside counties. Interstate 5 in Oceanside, via Hwy. 76 and S13, is less than thirty minutes west of Fallbrook.
Fallbrook is "life in the country" with a feel which sets us apart and gives all who live here a special pride. It is as country as you want yet within a two-hour drive of the major west coast urban areas.
Commerce
Fallbrook's primary business is agriculture. Known as the Avocado Capital of the World, we have been a primary avocado growing area since the fruit was first planted locally in 1912. Annual revenues from avocados alone reach approximately $26 million, earned mostly on small groves of two to ten acres.
With nursery products and market flowers annually producing approximately $83 million and citrus crops adding another $1.3 million, agriculture accounts for just under a third of the area's personal income. Add to that the agricultural support services and the picture of an agri-economy becomes clear. The area's groves also help maintain a circle of lush green, open spaces surrounding the town and verdant rolling hillsides.
We are committed to preserving the quality of life with a design review process and a county-sponsored Rural Future Task Force. Fallbrook boasts a healthy retail and service business base. Main Street has preserved a turn-of-the-century charm with many of the commercial buildings dating to the late 1800s. Retail trade is supplemented by seven shopping centers in Fallbrook and in neighboring Bonsall.
What Makes Agriculture in San Diego County Unique?
- San Diego County is the most southwestern county in the United States with an area of 4,200 square miles, approximately the size of Connecticut. The population is 2.9 million.
- The U.S. Weather Bureau describes San Diego's climate as the most nearly perfect in America, characterized as Mediterranean, with warm winters and cool summers.
- San Diego County’s varied topography creates a wide fluctuation of microclimates resulting in nearly 30 different types of vegetation communities. This diversity allows for San Diego to grow over 200 different agricultural commodities - from strawberries and tomatoes along the coast, to apples in the mountain areas, to citrus in the desert.
- San Diego County has the sixth-highest urban population among counties in the United States, but the County also has the 12th largest agricultural economy.
- Agriculture ranks 5th as a component of San Diego County’s economy.
- Agriculture in San Diego County covers 273,176 acres. San Diego County has 5,255 farms, the third-highest number of farms compared to all counties within the United States.
- 63% of San Diego County farms are 1-9 acres, median farm size in San Diego is 5 acres. 37% are greater than 10 acres.
- In San Diego 92% of the farms are family-owned. 77% of the farmers live on their land. Native Americans hold 22% of the farmland in San Diego County.
- The high cost of water (more than $600/acre foot) and land make farming in San Diego County expensive and encourages growers to raise products with a high dollar value per acre.
- San Diego County ranks number one in both California and the nation in the production value of nursery, floriculture, sod, and avocados.
- Statewide, San Diego County is in the top five in the production of chickens, fresh market tomatoes, lemons, mushrooms, grapefruit, tangerines, cucumbers, and squash.
- San Diego County produces the most dollar value per acre ($5612/A) of any county in California.
Parks and Preserves
There are many parks and preserves in the Fallbrook area, as well as other recreational opportunities. For complete information on recreation in Fallbrook, click here.
Main Street
Much of Main Street will remind you of a typical small town in America. The wooden buildings, many of which are historical, with unique fronts, are but a small part of the charm of Fallbrook. Art, gifts, antiques, jewelry, and hand-made items abound in the area.Discover equally tempting shops off the beaten path. Browsing through one of the many antique shops may lead to treasured finds of bygone eras. To experience the local art galleries is an opportunity to refresh the soul.
Protection Services
The North County Fire Protection District was formed in December 1986 as a result of the reorganization of the Fallbrook Fire Protection District and the Rainbow County Service area. The Fallbrook Firefighters Association was formed in 1951.
The district operates out of 7 fire stations (5 with career and reserve personnel and 2 with volunteer personnel). The district provides fire, rescue, advanced life support and basic ambulance services to a rapidly expanding population of more than 42,500 in an area covering 90 square miles and includes the communities of Fallbrook, Bonsall and Rainbow. The district is comprised of light to medium commercial/industrial, rural and urban residential, large multi-unit apartment and condominium projects, with expansive urban/wildland interface areas. In Fiscal Year 96/97 the district responded to more than 4,000 calls of which over 70 percent were medical-related.
