Once there was a steady supply of water, Escondido, which incorporated in 1888, by building the Bear Valley Dam at Lake Wohlford, grapes were the main cash crop. Ferrara Winery has been supplying wine in Escondido since the early 1930’s and is the oldest winery in San Diego County.

 

The city is most famous for its Grape Day festival and parade, it was first held in 1908. The festival was not held in 1947, but was revived and is now hosted annually again by the Escondido Historical Society. Orfila Vineyards is located near San Pasqual. The winery's fields of grapes offer a spectacular look back at the industry.

 

Grapes made way to citrus and avocados in the 1920s, and the groves in return gave way to homes and shopping when I-15 was finished in the 1980s. The city has recently built the California Center for the Arts. It has a theatre and an art museum as well as meeting rooms for many community events. The theatre puts on a full schedule of great performances by name artists each year.

 

The town has built a brand new City Hall and is very busy reinventing its historic downtown as a destination for antiquing and fine dining. The location of the Wild Animal Park in the San Pasqual valley area has been a great success to attracting visitors and publicity to the area from all over the world.