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Boulevard & Jacumba

Boulevard

The median income in the 517 households in 2007 was $53,935, according to officials.

Farther east of the Lake Morena-Campo area and just south of Interstate 8 is Boulevard, a rural desert community near the Golden Acorn and La Posta casinos. The almost 1,600 people who live in the area at 3,353 feet above sea level also enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities, such as camping, hiking and off-roading.

Businesses in Boulevard, which is not far from the Mexican border, include two restaurants, a motel, campgrounds, a market and gas station, and a candy shop that features yummy homemade goodies. Those interested in romantic getaways can rent one of the tiny A-frame cabins in nearby Live Oak Springs. 

Jacumba

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Almost 700 people live in Jacumba, where the 260 households have a median annual income of $53,123 as of 2007.

At the far eastern edge of San Diego County and bordering on Mexico, Jacumba is a pleasant place to stop for lunch while driving through the local mountains. The biggest attraction in the small town tucked into a valley of the granite Jacumba Mountains is still the hot springs spa, once a relaxation mecca for movie stars and celebrities.

Historically, it was probably the mineral hot springs that attracted people of the Kumeyaay nation to the valley that is 2,829 feet above sea level, authorities believe. However, relations between the Indians and ranchers who later settled in the area were often strained because of alleged cattle rustling. Many of the Indians were slain in what has become known as the 1870 Kumeyaay Massacre.

At one time garnet mines were operating in the mountains and parts of the valley. Stagecoaches took the valley route in the early settlement days. Soldiers at an Army camp in Jacumba helped run a mule mail service between San Diego and the Imperial Valley. Capt. Nathaniel Lyons, the first Union general to be killed in the Civil War, laid out a trail for wagons in 1851 through the Jacumba Valley. A pack train that supplied Fort Yuma in Arizona used the route.

About 1900 the natural hot springs took a commercial turn as people talked about the health and relaxation benefits of the warm waters. Although there is sulfur in the water it has a pleasant clean smell. Rail service linked Jacumba to San Diego in 1919 and within six years the growing town of 5,000 had a top notch hotel to serve the hot springs crowds. The town’s popularity wave continued through World War II.

Then competition from hot springs areas farther north and a decision to bypass Jacumba when Interstate 8 was built sent the town’s economy into a tailspin. The current Jacumba Hot Springs Spa and Lodge still provide a welcome relief to visitors who want to escape the stress of urban life.

A San Diego County branch library and a 40-acre park with a basketball court and a baseball field highlights local recreation. Every year the Jacumba water company throws a big summer barbecue to support the Children’s Park. Hikers and bike riders also enjoy the valley, stopping to buy items at the gift shop and market.