This is the year that Valley Center's country living will get a real strain. It is the year that the widening of Valley Center Road, and the installation of the planted median on the road, is likely to cause the most disruption to the lives of its residents.

Many things are in the works for the road widening. Valley Center is going to a brand new, four lane road, with a beautiful planted median. At the same time we will eventually get underground utility poles. Our water district is also installing a brand-new set of mains to replace the ones that have been there for more than half a century.

But Valleyites are a resilient bunch. We've endured worse things, much worse things, and not only survived, but also shone, as we demonstrated that in Valley Center, everyone pulls together and looks out for each other.

Valley Center continues to be a heavily agricultural area, where more than 80 percent of the water that is sold is intended for flowers, groves and produce. Valleyites as a people, are used to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, locally grown, sometimes grown on their very own two-acre lots. The Valley's famous microclimates are responsible for the community being home to an amazing mosaic of agriculture.

Valley Center has exactly 21,434 acres of agricultural land, according to a recent study by the VC Municipal Water District. Valley Center has 14,829 acres in avocados, which is appropriate since the area is considered the avocado capital of the world.
Grapefruit occupies 414 acres, lemons, 338 acres, mixed citrus, 703 acres, oranges, 2,368 flowers, 1,534 acres; miscellaneous fruit, 475 acres; pasture, 77 acres; nurseries, 524 acres; nuts, 32 acres; poultry, 106 acres, sugar cane, three acres and vineyards, 30 acres.

Lifestyles are as varied as the crops. And for all its rural charm, Valley Center is about an hour from downtown San Diego, with all its cultural attractions. But you don't need to go that far. The California Center for the Arts Escondido, is 20 minutes away and offers symphonies, ethnic music, jazz, country and rhythm and blues. Right here in town is the recently opened Maxine Theater, on the campus of Valley Center High School, which offers homegrown theater, as well as visiting artists from all over the country.

Nearby is the Valley Center Library, with its cozy stone fireplace (which gets a lot of use in the winter), local history room, and community and seminar rooms. There's plenty of rooms that you can use for your meetings. Next to the library is the Valley Center History Museum, which recently celebrated its 10,000th visitor! Just a few minutes away is lovely, peaceful Pauma Valley and overlooking it, magnificent Palomar Mountain, which in the winter often glistens with fresh snow. Valley Center is indeed country living at its best.

Fire Department
Valley Center has two fire stations and a California Department of Forestry station. The Fire Department employs seven firefighters and has a volunteer program with over 40 paid/call firefighters. There are other stations in neighboring areas such as Pala Fire Department, Rincon Fire Department, and a Department of Forestry in Pauma Valley.

Sheriff's Department
The Valley Center Sheriff's Department is located at 28205 N. Lake Wohlford Road. The Sheriff's Department has 19 employees: 12 Patrol Deputies, two Detectives, one Sergeant, one lieutenant, two Indian Enforcement Deputies and an office clerk. There is also a volunteer program through the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, but because of the low crime rate in Valley Center, the office clerk is able to keep up with all the paperwork and the volunteer program is rarely needed.

Community Services District
The Valley Center Community Services District was formed in July of 1966. Renamed Valley Center Parks & Recreation District in 2003, the District is governed by an elected Board of Directors consisting of five members. The community facilities are overseen by a General Manager, District Secretary and a Pool Manager.
The District provides park and recreational facilities for the people of Valley Center. The District boundaries enclose approximately 100 square miles. Services include Community Meeting Hall, athletic fields (softball, Little League baseball and soccer), Adams Community Park (tennis, volleyball, horseshoes picnic area and barbecue pits), swimming pool (lessons and swim team), and Aerie Park (equestrian facilities). The District is financed mainly through user fees and a small percentage of property tax revenue.

Visitor's Information
In addition to the recreational activities provided by the VCCSD, there are many other places of interest for the entire family to enjoy: Palomar Mountain Observatory, Bates Brothers' Nut Farm, Lakes Wohlford, Hodges and Henshaw, Sengme Oaks Water Park, Pala Mission and Hellhole Canyon hiking and horse riding trails.

We also have a new 18-hole championship golf course at Woods Valley with stunning tree-lined fairways and beautiful rolling slopes. Designed with an emphasis on strategy and shot-making, the course winds through the community, following the natural contours of the countryside.

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is located nearby, just east of the City of Escondido. We also have two Casinos in our membership, Harrah's Rincon Casino and Valley View Casino are supporters of our chamber.

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