Julian, California
34 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1903 and the latest in 1997. It stands in the Palomar-Julian census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92036. It lies near Eastwood Hill. The Survey maps it on the Julian quadrangle. 1,768 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,226 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1903 to 1997The same ground, surveyed 94 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1903 against another survey:
On record in Julian
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Robinson Hotellisted 1978
Population over time
2 figuresJulian grew from 1,502 to 1,768 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,502 | |
| 2020 | 1,768 | +266 (+18%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 34 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1903 USGS Ramona quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1904 USGS Southern California Sheet No. 2 quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1939 USGS Santa Ysabel quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Santa Ysabel quadrangle1:62500
- 1947 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1949 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Julian quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1960 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1960 USGS Santa Ysabel quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1965 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Borrego Valley quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1997 USGS Julian quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
255 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 255 fires within 5 miles of Julian between 1992 and 2020, burning about 70,620 acres in total. 28 started naturally. 17 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 91 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 58 |
| Debris and open burning | 31 |
| Natural | 28 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 18 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 17 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 8 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1994 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | San Diego Unit | ENGINEER |
| 8 September 1996 | Natural | 1.0 acres | San Diego Unit | FELIPE # 1 |
| 8 September 1996 | Natural | 4.0 acres | San Diego Unit | FELIPE # 2 |
| 7 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | San Diego Unit | LANE |
| 7 September 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | San Diego Unit | HIESE |
| 6 September 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 685 acres | San Diego Unit | VOLCAN |
| 5 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | OFILA |
| 4 September 2004 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | California Desert District | HEMBORG |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 123 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 123 workings within 5 miles of Julian: 38 producers, 32 occurrences, 31 past producers, 21 prospects. 38 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Nickel, Tellurium, Copper. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Quarry | Stone | Producer | ||
| Foster Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Friday Copper Co Claim | Cobalt, Copper, Nickel | Prospect | ||
| Friday Deposit | Nickel, Iron, Cobalt, Copper | Prospect | ||
| Friday Mine | Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Palladium, Platinum, Iridium | Occurrence | 1885 | |
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Kentwood Scheelite Claim | Tungsten | Occurrence | ||
| Owens | Gold, Copper, Silver | Past Producer | Vein | |
| Owens Mine | Gold, Silver, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Owens Old Owensmine | Gold, Copper, Silver | Producer |
Storms near this place
27 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Julian in 27 storm reports between 1999 and 2023: 8 flash flood, 5 heavy rain, 4 wildfire, 3 thunderstorm wind. The reports record 1 death and 39 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2001 | Lightning | Julian | 1 killed, 1 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Wildfire | Julian | 38 hurt, $10,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Wildfire | Julian | $2,000,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Wildfire | Julian | $750,000 | no account filed |
| December 2004 | Flash Flood | Julian | $100,000 | Numerous roads impacted by mudslides and flash flooding. |
| December 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Julian | $50,000 | A wind gust of 69 mph was measured at Julian. Strong winds knocked over many trees. |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Julian | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Julian | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Julian | $25,000 | A building under construction and a 15 foot water tower were destroyed. Shingles were torn off and a chimney damaged on four other buildings. Several shallow rooted trees were pushed over. A nearby anemometer recorded wind speeds of 40 and 43 mph between 1730 and 1800 PST. |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Julian | $10,000 | Lightning sparked about 15 fires across the county and burned 150 acres. |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Julian | $10,000 | A road was partially washed out off of Highway 79. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Julian | $5,000 | A thunderstorm caused a mudslide at Sunrise Highway and SR79. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Julian | $2,000 | The Warners mesonet station reported wind gusts of 52 and 59 mph between 1240 and 1310 PST due to a thunderstorm. Nearby, the Mataguay mesonet station recorded wind gusts of 56 and 58 mph between 1240 and 1300 PST. A san diego county official reported trees down on Valley View and Deer Creek Trail Roads. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Julian | $1,000 | The Mataguay mesonet station recorded a peak wind gust of 56 mph between 1230 and 1250 PST. Nearby, a large tree limb was broken off and laying by Highway 79. |
| January 2023 | Debris Flow | Julian | - | The Department of Highways reported large boulders in the road on SR-78 and Wynola Road near Julian. That area had received 2 to 3 inches of rain in the preceeding 24 hours. |
| March 2023 | Debris Flow | Julian | - | The Department of Highways announced the closure of Highway 78 between Wynola Road and the Banner Store due to a mudslide in the eastbound lanes. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Julian | - | Mesonet station VCNC1 2.8mi north of Julian at Volcan Mountain measured 1.01 inches of rain in 1 hour. |
| August 2021 | Heavy Rain | Julian | - | Volcan Mountain measures 1.26 inches of rain. |
| July 2005 | Flash Flood | Julian | - | Flash Flooding was reported on Banner Rd. |
| July 2005 | Heavy Rain | Julian | - | A 36 minute rainfall total of 0.72 inches was measured just north of Lake Cuyamaca. |
| August 2004 | Heavy Rain | Julian | - | A line of thunderstorms dropped 0.66" in 11 minutes in San Felipe Valley. |
| August 2004 | Heavy Rain | Julian | - | A line of thunderstorms just northeast of Julian dropped 0.63" of rain in only eight minutes on Volcan Mountain. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Julian | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Flash Flood | Julian | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Julian | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Wildfire | Julian | - | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Flash Flood | Julian | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branson (historical) | 0.8 miles | 34 | |
| Whispering Pines | 1.0 miles | 34 | |
| Kentwood-In-The-Pines | 1.5 miles | 34 | |
| Pine Hills | 2.6 miles | 34 | |
| Wynola | 2.7 miles | 34 | |
| Banner | 3.0 miles | 34 | |
| Harrison Park | 4.0 miles | 34 | |
| Santa Ysabel | 4.3 miles | 34 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Julian | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q691469 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1652732. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.













