If you guess that Lemon Grove in San Diego County was named for its historic roots in which lemons once grew abundantly, you'd be right on track to envisioning what Lemon Grove is about. Only 12 miles from San Diego's airport, downtown, and beaches, lemons do still grow abundantly, but not so much in expansive groves that once created a beautiful pattern across the expanses of land that make up the city.

Garnering the title of "Best Climate on Earth", its motto for more than 100 years, Lemon Grove in southwest San Diego County, actually was first settled by sheep ranchers around 1869. Sheep, vegetables and poultry provided all that was needed to survive in this paradise, which accepted the name Lemon Grove in the early 1900s when large citrus groves of lemons and oranges became the area's major industry.

The groves disappeared as urbanization fulfilled the dream of more than a few ranchers who discovered that living in the best climate on earth was exactly where they wanted to be. Mediterranean climate featuring warm, mild weather (70s to 90s) and dry, and cooler winters (60s t0 70s) with occasional rains plus the secret ingredient known about in the region-- ocean breezes. Up and down this portion of the coast the days during the summer can be warm or hot, but places like Lemon Grove and Temecula (wine region) look for those afternoon breezes to blow in from the coast to their cities creating incredible experiences that make people notice the weather even more.

Lemon Grove enjoys a geography of coastal mesas with an elevation range from around 280 to 530 feet above sea level.

This is great! It's a residential community that people love to live in. But what can tourists do for fun?

Since Lemon Grove is fairly small population-wise with over 20,000 residents outside a metropolitan area that ranks second in population for all of California, most activities and events are focused on community participation rather than tourists. There are only one or two hotels in the city, so as destinations go, you'll find more options in nearby San Diego where there are hundreds of beach hotels, bayside resorts, and convention and business hotels in Gaslamp and surrounding the San Diego Convention Centers with its sports arena.

If you want to visit Lemon Grove, some highlight annual repeat events include:

Community Bonfire is held each year since 1997 around the winter holidays. The free family oriented event takes place after dark at Civic Center Park at Olive and Church Street. Activities (rain, or shine) include live music, horse-drawn wagon rides, free refreshments, game booths, crafts, face painting, and more! Held in conjunction with the event is the Lemon Grove Holiday Food & Toy Drive, providing toys and food for over 300 low-income children during the holiday season. Bring a new unwrapped toy or donations to the event. ci.lemon-grove.ca.us

Other events include:

Concerts in the Park
Movie Night
Holiday Food & Toy Drive

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