Welcome to Descanso ...
Descanso is located in San Diego County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Descanso, you might consider that their post office opened in 1877.
Descanso is 3,390 feet [1,033 m] above sea level.<2> In other words, the elevation of Descanso is about ¾ mile [or ~1 km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Descanso lies in the Pacific Time Zone (PST/PDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Descanso: (619)
The ZIP code for Descanso: 91916<3>
Communities near Descanso ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Descanso.
- Pine Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Valley
- Pine Valley is located in San Diego County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pine Valley <4>
- The Willows
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Willows
- The Willows is located in San Diego County
- Alpine
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
- Alpine is located in San Diego County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alpine <4>
- Stonewall ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - El Capitan ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Capitan have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Capitan
- El Capitan is located in San Diego County
- Mount Laguna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Laguna
- Mount Laguna is located in San Diego County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Laguna <4>
- Harbison Canyon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbison Canyon have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbison Canyon
- Harbison Canyon is located in San Diego County
- Flinn Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flinn Springs
- Flinn Springs is located in San Diego County
- Morena Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morena Village have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morena Village
- Morena Village is located in San Diego County
- Crest
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Descanso. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Descanso.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Descanso. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Descanso.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Descanso. See our Newspapers Page for Descanso.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Descanso ...
Looking for more information about Descanso? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Descanso, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Descanso.
Adding Descanso to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Descanso in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Descanso was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Descanso post office opened in 1877.
We also found Descanso in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Descanso.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Descanso. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for San Diego County: www.sdcounty.ca.gov/
The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of California's counties, including San Diego, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Descanso - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Descanso). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Descanso or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <4> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <5> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |