M
any of North San Diego
County's unincorpo-
rated communities
aren't well known to
the general public, but their beauty
and charm are greatly appreciated by
residents who moved there to escape
the pressures of city life.
Some of the communities high-
lighted in this issue, which is Part II
of our focus on unincorporated com-
munities (you can CLICK HERE to
read Part I), have few businesses,
but they're only a short drive from
ample shopping opportunities, and
they still make contributions to the
local economy.
Here's a look at three more small-
town communities:
ELFIN FOREST AND
HARMONY GROVE
Elfin Forest is located in the
foothills southwest of Escondido and
borders the community of Harmony
Grove to the northeast.
The communities are south of San
Marcos. There are many large homes
among the rolling hills and numerous
trails for walking and horseback rid-
ing. The Elfin Forest Recreational Re-
serve has about 11 miles of trails.
Many residents keep horses on their
property or grow oranges, lemons,
grapefruit, or avocados. There are few
retail stores.
"What has made the community
unique – other than large tracts of
open space – is that access is really
limited," explained resident Steve
Barker, one of the founders of the
local Escondido Creek Conservancy.
"It is one road in from the west and
one road out to the east. The commu-
nity was able to come together and
form a conservancy and preserve,
with lots of help."
There are thousands of acres of
open space, he said. Barker noted that
Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove are
A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY
n NORTH COUNTY'S UNINCORPORATED AREAS PROVIDE CHARM, ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS BY eMMeT pierce
l
COMMUNITIES
NORTH COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL
x
FALL 2015
x
sdnedc.org
Fourth of July parades
and other unique
activities help create
the charm of the Elfin
Forest and Harmony
Grove communities.
fi
PHOTO COURTESY J.P. THEBERGE
