Real Estate Round-Up: Fallbrook, the Friendly Village

It is a great weekend for Fallbrook as the town celebrates the 33rd Avocado Festival. Many local artists, craftsmen and small businesses participate in this fun event. It is a way for visitors to see Fallbrook’s quaint downtown and get to know “The Friendly Village.”

To the visitors who are captivated by Fallbrook, I’d like to tell you a little bit about “our town.” If you are looking for a unique community with everything from cute country farmhouses to luxury estates that provide style, privacy and security, Fallbrook should be at the top of the list.

A diverse group of people have found the lifestyle they’re seeking in the rolling hills of Fallbrook in North San Diego County.

The community of Fallbrook hails back to 1869 and has many historical buildings dating back to the late 19th century. Celebrities seeking a quiet lifestyle have settled here. It is a rurally situated town but offers all the modern amenities anyone could want including a private air park, numerous golf courses, a tennis club and many equestrian trails and facilities.

Groves of avocado, lemon and macadamia nut trees all add to the rural feel. Live Oak Park, Los Jilgueros Preserve and Dinwiddie Preserve also echo the community’s rural feel. Avocados and wine grapes are the staple crops in Fallbrook, although exports include citrus, flowers, nuts and various fruits and vegetables.

The average daytime high in Fallbrook is 76 degrees, although in the summer, temperatures sometimes exceed 90 degrees. Most of the area is frost-free; during the coldest periods the average nighttime temperature is about 52 degrees. Due to its proximity to the ocean, days sometimes start with early morning fog; afternoons can be breezy.

Fallbrook is located at 33 degrees 22 minutes 18 seconds north latitude and 117 degree 14 minutes 10 seconds west longitude, at an elevation of 500 and 1,500 feet, with an average around 685 feet. Annual rainfall is roughly 16 inches (41 cm) and comes mostly between November and April. Rainfall is higher in the surrounding hills, up to 20 inches (51 cm).

The area is ideal for avocados, wine grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, coffee and many other subtropical fruits, vegetables and flowers. Native evergreen oak trees are common in the Fallbrook area, and in places form continuous woods, such as the Live Oak Park area). Chaparral brush is the other common vegetation type in the area. Avocados, palm, pine, orange, lemon and eucalyptus are the most common introduced tree species in the area. The Fallbrook area covers approximately 44 square miles.

Golf courses in the area include Pala Mesa Golf Resort, Golf Club of California, Pauma Valley CC, Vista Valley CC, Redhawk Temecula, Temecula Creek, Cross Creek GCand Journey at Pechanga Resort Casino.

Anonymity is a draw to celebrities. Over the years, actors, artists, musicians, athletes and writers have enjoyed disappearing in the verdant hills of Fallbrook where they can get away from the hectic pace of their high-profile public lives. Fallbrook embraces privacy and gives their local celebrities their space.

Frank Capra was the American Dream personified, and he called Fallbrook home. Maybe it means he felt the small rural community was the epitome of the American Dream. Fallbrook is unusual, with its microclimates and country charm. Neighborhoods can be reminiscent of the Midwest, with babbling brooks and wooden bridges, while other neighborhoods around the corner are brimmed with palm trees and vineyards, evoking typical Californian landscape.

Famous residents of Fallbrook area include, former and current residents, Rita Coolidge, Dave Mustaine, Bill Goldberg, Bill Murray, Huey Lewis, Duke Snider, Frank Capra, John Wayne, Tony Hawk, Tom Selleck, Tori Spelling, Sandra Bullock, Jessy James, Edward Faulkner, Shane Peterson, Leo Howard, Martin Milner, Andre Agassi, Gabe Keating, Howard Keel, Jason Mraz, Kris Kristofferson, T. Jefferson Parker, Christie Repasy, Jack Ragland, Les Perhacs, Rick Founds – a Christian songwriter best known for writing “Lord I Lift Your Name On High,” Thomas McGuinness who was a former resident who was the first officer on American Airlines Flight 11 and most recently, it is rumored, Johnny Depp.

Now that you are thoroughly enticed by Fallbrook and the unique lifestyle available, I hope you will select Murphy and Murphy Southern California Realty to help you find the perfect property for you. There is a homestead that is perfect for everyone.

Fallbrook has charming bungalows, close to town. It has estate properties in gated neighborhoods or on large private parcels. It has planned neighborhoods with newer construction and homeowners associations. It has properties with equestrian facilities, properties with car barns or properties with workshops. The homes are as diverse as the population that lives here. Murphy and Murphy Southern California Realty would love to help you find your happy place in “The Friendly Village,” we call Fallbrook.

Kim Murphy can be reached at [email protected] or (760) 415-9292 or at 130 N. Main Avenue, in Fallbrook. Her broker license is #01229921, and she is on the board of directors for the California Association of Realtors.