SPECIAL REPORT: Putting Down Roots : The Times Poll : About This Section

North County’s population has boomed in the past decade--in some communities by more than 100 percent. Four in ten of its residents have lived at their current address for two years or less.

But, the recession, war, drought and high cost of housing appear to finally have slowed things down.

How do North County residents feel about where they’ve landed? Have they put down roots? How easily would they pick up and move again? Where would it be to? Do they volunteer their time on community projects? Do they know their neighbors?

To try to answer these and other questions, the Los Angeles Times Poll conducted detailed interviews with 1,574 North County residents. And, to gain additional perspective on those results, several of the questions were added to a nationwide Times poll conducted a few weeks later.

Today’s edition of North County Focus is a special report on what the polls found.

Also included in this section are stories to help in navigating the subjects of housing, transportation, religion, theaters and restaurants.

Today is also a milestone for this section--it’s been a weekly addition to the San Diego edition of The Los Angles Times for a year now. Focus was launched then with another special report based on a Times poll. One finding of both polls has remained unchanged: North County residents still list growth, traffic and affordable housing as the biggest problems facing the area.

There are no easy solutions for those problems, and no easy explanations for some of the findings of this year’s poll.

But there is a lot to share on how the people of North County feel about their communities and the roots they have put down.

How North County Communities Grew

City 1980 population Carlsbad 35,490 Del Mar 5,017 Encinitas 36,550 Escondido 66,709 Oceanside 76,698 Poway 33,439 San Marcos 17,250 Solana Beach 12,250 Vista 35,834

City 1990 population Carlsbad 63,126 Del Mar 4,860 Encinitas 55,386 Escondido 108,635 Oceanside 128,398 Poway 43,516 San Marcos 38,974 Solana Beach 12,962 Vista 71,872

City %change Carlsbad +77.9 Del Mar -3.1 Encinitas +51.5 Escondido +62.8 Oceanside +67.4 Poway +30.1 San Marcos +123.0 Solana Beach +5.8 Vista +100.6

Source: U.S. Census