Go North, Editors

Those of us who live in Fallbrook are amused when we read (or hear) communities or cities referred to as North County when actually these localities are South County, or, at best, Mid-County. All of the major newspapers headquartered in the city of San Diego seem to refer to everything outside of San Diego to the north as North County. Recently a North County newspaper referred to a large housing development as being in North County, when actually it is in the city of San Diego.

So, the question is: Where is North County?

An objective study of a map of San Diego County indicates that, along the coast, Cardiff by the Sea is right on the dividing line--so it could join either the North or South. Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach and La Jolla are truly South County, geographically. Northern reaches, by this method, could include Encinitas, Leucadia, Carlsbad, Oceanside and Camp Pendleton.

Fallbrook is happy to side with the North in this geographic battle, as surely will Vista, Escondido, San Marcos and maybe even Bonsall. But what do we do about Mid-County, to the interior?

Unfortunately, the city of San Diego has grown so much that a goodly portion of the city could be classified as North County--Rancho Bernardo and Carmel Mountain Ranch being examples, thus posing a dilemma for staff writers and headline types. Poway, which is in North County geographically, is surrounded by the city of San Diego and, therefore, has an identity crisis.

The good news is that there is no problem with West County and East County. A look at the map shows us that Julian (heavens!) is almost South County, but is just about midway between East and West. Since nearly everyone lives West of an invisible line bisecting Julian, and the rest of the county can be identified as Borrego, our problem in this area is eased.

To clear up this vexing matter, may I suggest a summit meeting of the editors of our county’s newspapers to decide what is North and what is South? Or, why not just say the city of San Diego is South and everything else is North?

Except, of course, Coronado, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, San Ysidro and Otay.

And don’t forget Poway.

HOWARD SEELYE

Fallbrook