A lush town grows at rainbow’s end

Fallbrook is a place where people dig in, roll up their sleeves and make a difference. Some work the land. Vegetable and flower gardens abound. Others get involved in some of the community’s many revitalization and land-conservation programs. Fallbrook’s backcountry quiet and rolling oak-studded hills provide a haven from hectic city life.

Beginnings

The seeds of this farming community were planted in the late 1860s when the Reche family settled in the area. Vital and Amelia Magee Reche later homesteaded a large parcel in what became known as the Fallbrook District. They named the new community after their former homestead in Pennsylvania.

In the 1870s and 1880s, the Fallbrook line on the Southern Pacific Santa Fe railway was built out, bringing in new settlers and enabling homesteaders to market crops more efficiently. Over the years, the railway was repeatedly washed out, and eventually abandoned, which probably helped keep Fallbrook the small, rural community it is today.

The Fallbrook area, located in what is now the northwest corner of San Diego County, has been based in agriculture since the 1800s. Many settlers were beekeepers. Olives became a major crop in the 1920s but were phased out in favor of the booming avocado and floral industries, which are still going strong.

Fallbrook is in an unincorporated part of San Diego County and is administered by the county’s Board of Supervisors. In 2004, the population was estimated at just over 47,000.

Drawing card

Farms and ranches share green hills with charming houses on acre lots. Lush groves of oaks, pepper trees and sycamores give shelter to rabbits, coyotes and birds. Quiet neighborhoods are dotted with old-fashioned farmers’ stands selling fresh produce. The area has many equestrian properties and miles of trails.

Fallbrook, a.k.a. the Avocado Capital of the World, takes its guacamole seriously. The fruit is Fallbrook’s trademark product, but the nursery industry’s flower fields and greenhouses generate more revenue.

The annual Avocado Festival draws tens of thousands to Fallbrook’s quaint downtown to eat guacamole, watch the pit-spitting contest and enjoy varied activities. Downtown is a step back into another era with its cafes, gift shops and antiques stores, some in restored historic buildings.

Among the many parks and nature preserves is Live Oak Park, spread over 26 acres and surrounded by ancient oaks and streams. The Los Jilgueros Preserve is another standout, with 46 acres of pristine natural growth, streams, ponds and walking trails.

Insider’s views

Author T. Jefferson Parker (“California Girl,” “Silent Joe”) could have moved anywhere, but the bard of Orange County moved to Fallbrook five years ago. “It’s a perfect place to raise a family and write books, which is pretty much all I do,” he said. “In early spring, the whole city smells like citrus. The people are friendly and helpful but respect each other’s privacy.”

Entrepreneurs Boni and Brady Hart also made the move from Orange County while keeping a condo in Irvine to be near their business. “We moved to Fallbrook because of the rural beauty,” Brady Hart said. It’s a great place to indulge their love of gardening, he added.

Marine biologist Lin Craft, who works for an environmental consulting firm in Carlsbad, has been in Fallbrook for nearly 20 years: “We live near Live Oak Park on a couple of acres of land with 28 fruit trees, a creek running through the property, a shared pond and oak trees. Coyotes and other wild animals … walk on our driveway.”

Good news, bad news

Craft, an ardent photographer, says his hobby is “nurtured through the Fallbrook Camera Club, the Art and Cultural Center and the Farmer’s Market, where artists and crafters can sell their wares.”

But paradise can have a downside. “The biggest disadvantage for me, besides the fact that one has a distance to drive to get to anyplace else, is the traffic,” Craft said, “which continues to get worse. Highway 76, which badly needs widening, is frustrating to drive on daily to work.”

Stock report

“Fallbrook has experienced a huge amount of growth,” said Kim Carlson of Prudential California Realty. “A lot of it is in the upper-end housing market, although there still is some very affordable housing, as compared to the coastal areas of San Diego County.”

As of early January, there were 198 single-family homes on the market, ranging from a two-bedroom, one-bath, 659-square-foot home on a half-acre for $329,000 to a hilltop five-bedroom, six-bath, 5,900-square-foot mansion on 2 acres for $2,595,000.

Report card

Fallbrook Union elementary schools scored in the 700s and 800s, out of a possible 1,000, on the 2004 Academic Performance Index. Potter Middle School had 738. Scores for Fallbrook High were not available. It scored 663 in 2003.

Historical values

Residential resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$215,000

1995...$172,500

2000...$251,750

2003...$395,000

2004*...$499,000

*Through November

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Sources: DataQuick Information Systems; San Diego Assn. of Governments; realtor.com; California Department of Education, cde.ca.gov; Fallbrook Historical Society; Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce.