3 of 8 Fastest-Growing Cities in State Are in North County

Three of California’s eight fastest-growing cities of more than 50,000 people--Carlsbad, Escondido and Vista--are in North San Diego County, according to the state’s latest population estimates, released here Tuesday.

Carlsbad, which added about 6,500 residents during 1986 for a growth rate of 13.1%, was the second-fastest-growing city, behind only Moreno Valley in Riverside County, according to the figures, prepared by the state Department of Finance.

Escondido grew at a rate of 9.1%, adding 7,300 residents for a total population of 86,900. Escondido’s growth rate was the sixth-fastest in the state.

Vista, which grew at a rate of 9%, cracked the 50,000 mark in population for the first time, finishing 1986 with an estimated population of 50,900. Vista, with the state’s eighth-fastest growth rate, added about 4,150 residents last year, the report said.

The report also said that Oceanside, another fast-growing North County city, now has a population of 101,000, topping the 100,000 level for the first time.

The City of San Diego added 19,900 people in 1986 and remains the state’s second-largest city with a population of 1,022,400. Los Angeles is the largest city in California at 3,311,500.

Others in the top 10 are San Francisco, 742,700; San Jose, 719,500; Long Beach, 406,200; Oakland, 356,200; Sacramento, 327,200; Fresno, 294,000; Anaheim, 242,200, and Santa Ana, 227,400.

Of the state’s 10 largest cities, Fresno, with a growth rate of 3.7%, expanded the fastest in 1986. San Diego’s growth rate was 2%.

Three San Diego County cities--Del Mar, La Mesa and National City--showed a slight drop in population in 1986, though in each case the decrease was far less than the 5% margin of error for the estimates. Del Mar lost 50 people for a total of 5,050. La Mesa’s population dropped 300 to 51,500. National City showed a decline of 700 residents to 54,700.

Although Coronado recorded a growth rate of 27%, most of the change can be attributed to the city’s annexation of a piece of shoreline so that sailors aboard U.S. Navy ships are now counted as Coronado residents.

Because of the change, which bumped Coronado’s population from 19,450 to 24,700, Coronado’s growth rate was ranked second in the state among cities with fewer than 50,000 residents. Palmdale, a desert city east of Los Angeles, grew at a rate of 40.4%.

Among other San Diego County cities, Chula Vista’s estimated population was 120,300; El Cajon, 82,900; Santee, 50,200; Poway, 39,150; Imperial Beach, 25,150; San Marcos, 23,250, and Lemon Grove, 22,450.

San Diego County also remained the state’s second-largest with a population of 2,240,700, an increase of 75,200 people over 1986.