378 Transactions of the 



INDUSTRIAL SURVEY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY. 



SOIL, CLIMATE, AND PKODUCTIONS — TROPICAL AND TEMPERATE FRUITS — GRAIN — 

 MINERAL RESOURCES — STATISTICS OP SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, PUBLIC BUILD- 

 INGS WEALTH AND COMMERCE BANKS THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVA- 

 TIONS — RAINFALL — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS — HISTORY OP GROWTH. 



San Diego County is one of the largest in the United States, being 

 more than twice the area of the State of Massachusetts, located in tho 

 extreme southern portion of California, extending from the Pacific Ocean 

 on the west across the entire State, to the Colorado Eiver on the east, 

 and from the boundary of Lower California, on the south, to the line of 

 Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties on the north, covering an 

 area nearly one hundred miles in width by more than one hundred and 

 fifty in length, and containing over eight and a half millions of acres. 



Of this vast extent not more than one million acres have been occu- 

 pied, and about one half of this is held by parties in tracts of ten thou- 

 sand acres and more. This is nearly all within a short distance of the 

 coast, or what might properly be termed the coast division, and con- 

 tains two thirds of the present population of tho county. The few thou- 

 sand acres of cultivated land is mostly in this area, but the larger portion 

 is used for grazing purposes, and furnishes pasturage for one hundred 

 and fifty thousand sheep, twenty thousand cattle, and large numbers of 

 horses, mules, goats, etc. 



The Colorado desert, on tho east, comprises about two and a half 

 million acres. A part of this is loose, shifting sand, but the major por- 

 tion contains a soil rich in every element but water for the growth of 

 all kinds of grain, fruit, and vegetables, while the subject of turning tho 

 waters of the Colorado Paver for its reclamation has already been brought 

 to the attention of Congress by the introduction of a bill for its survey 

 by the Government. That section known as the New Eiver Valley, 

 where tho river overflows, is exceedingly fertile, and produces three 

 crops annually. 



Punning north and south through the county are two ranges of moun- 

 tains, one east of the coast division, the other west of tho Colorado 

 desert, and between these two ranges is found the richest portion of the 

 county — an area, the extent and resources of which are sufficient for 

 the support of a population of a hundred thousand — the importance of 

 which is but just beginning to be known, and its development but just 

 commenced. Its natural wealth is inexhaustible, and is unsurpassed in 

 its richness and diversity of resources by an}^ equal area of country in 

 the State. Here are found large and fertile valleys, unaffected by 

 drought, where crops can be raised every year, and where sheep and 

 cattle graze during both Summer and Winter; the mountains are covered 



