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The Commemorative Quarter for California





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Valley Center (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Valley Center. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Valley Center ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Valley Center: Valley Ctr. (or less commonly used: Valley Cen., Valley Cent. or Valley Cntr.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Valley Center is located in San Diego County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of San Diego County: Imperial, Orange & Riverside.

Below are the counties that are near Valley Center. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Valley Center:

  • San Diego County     (The home county of Valley Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Center, with the one closest to Valley Center listed first.
    • Hidden Meadows
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hidden Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Meadows
      • Hidden Meadows is located in San Diego County
    • Lawrence Welk Resort Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawrence Welk Resort Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence Welk Resort Village
      • Lawrence Welk Resort Village is located in San Diego County
    • Pauma Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Escondido
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • San Marcos
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pala
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Palomar Mountain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake San Marcos
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake San Marcos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake San Marcos
      • Lake San Marcos is located in San Diego County
    • Bonsall
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Vista
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
      • Vista is located in San Diego County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100,636 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vista <2>
    • Rancho Bernardo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Rainbow
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow
      • Rainbow is located in San Diego County
  • Riverside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Center, with the one closest to Valley Center listed first.
    • Rainbow Canyon Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainbow Canyon Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow Canyon Village
      • Rainbow Canyon Village is located in Riverside County
    • Aguanga
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Riverside County
    • Temecula
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Murrieta Hot Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murrieta Hot Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murrieta Hot Springs
      • Murrieta Hot Springs is located in Riverside County
    • Auld ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Auld have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auld
      • Auld is located in Riverside County
    • Sage
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sage
      • Sage is located in Riverside County
    • Murrieta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dutch Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dutch Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Village
      • Dutch Village is located in Riverside County
    • Wildomar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Valley Center, see our County-by-County Page for Valley Center.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Valley Center ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Center.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Valley Center. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Valley Center and those printed in the larger area surrounding Valley Center.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3> of Valley Center.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Valley Center:

Cemeteries Near Valley Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Center.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Valley Center covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Valley Center, with the one closest to Valley Center listed first.

  • Valley Center Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Oak Hill Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Memorial Park
  • St. Bartholomew Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bartholomew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bartholomew Cemetery
  • San Marcos Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pauma Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pauma Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pauma Valley Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Pala Tribal Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Indian Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Memory Gardens Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memory Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memory Gardens Cemetery
  • Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Fallbrook.
    • The Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Malsonic Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fallbrook Masonic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #8139 <4>
  • Fallbrook Odd Fellows Community Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • San Luis Rey Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Luis Rey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Luis Rey Cemetery
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Olivenhain Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olivenhain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olivenhain Cemetery
    • Dearborn Memorial Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Eternal Hills Memorial Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Valley Center had a population of 67 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Valley Center, with the one closest to Valley Center listed first.

  • Twin Oaks
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Oaks
    • Twin Oaks is located in San Diego County
  • Escondido
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • San Marcos
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Buena
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena
    • Buena is located in San Diego County
  • Pala
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • San Pasqual
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Pasqual have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pasqual
    • San Pasqual is located in San Diego County
  • Bonsall
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Buena Vista
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Buena Vista is located in San Diego County
  • Vista
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Vista is located in San Diego County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 100,636 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vista <2>
  • Rainbow
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow
    • Rainbow is located in San Diego County
  • Mesa Grande ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mesa Grande
    • Mesa Grande is located in San Diego County
  • Fallbrook
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • DeLuz
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for DeLuz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeLuz
      • DeLuz is located in San Diego County
    • Poway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poway
      • Poway is located in San Diego County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49,246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poway <2>
    • San Luis Rey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Valley Center. See our List of 1890's Communities around Valley Center.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Valley Center. 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>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Valley Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Valley Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.2224, Longitude: -117.0367    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Valley Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024