There are four broad regions in the area of San Diego. The first is the coastal region.



The coastal region is an area of coastal plains, seaside bluffs and escarpments and canyons. It is, for the most part, made of sandstone, and so prone to severe erosion. As a result it is literally carved up by deep, steep sided canyons. The soil is largely poor, and in spots a layer of clay comes close to the service. Producing a good lawn in this part of San Diego often requires a combination of diligent gardening, lots of fertilizer, and the judicious application of botany magic. Thanks to the soil and the light precipitation this is a land of scrub brush and sage, with woodland along the rare water way.



Going east we come to the inland walleys. As one might expect, the temperature range is greater here throughout the year, and more rain falls. Thanks to that rain grass is more predominant, giving rise to rounded hills and valleys over the steep tors and canyons of the coast. Still, brush and scrub has a presence here, especially in the south. During the early days of European presence in this area this was where most of the ranching and farming took place. Even today many inhabitants keep horses and in a few spots there is cattle and duckbill ranching. Here the dominant rock is granite. Which remains true the further east you go.



Next in order are the mountains. San Diego has two ranges, the Cuyamacas and the Lagunas. The Cuyamacas are further south, lower in height on the average, and drier. As a result brush maintains a strong presence here. Still it does have sizable woods as well. The Lagunas (which includes Mount Palomar) are taller, wetter, and covered with forest for the most part. This is were the Cleveland National Forest (Named after President Grover Cleveland) is located. It is one of the largest forests in southern California, and home to a green dragon family. Thanks to home the forest has had fewer major fires than most forest of the same size around the world.



The Lagunas are also home to the town of Julian (not to be confused with the county of the same name in northern California). Julian was originally founded as a gold mining town, but after the mines gave out it switched first to mining precious and semi-precious stone and then, when that gave out, to apple growing. Julian is the only place at that latitude where apples can grow anywhere in the world.



Finally we come to the desert. It starts in the mountains, which then give way to a broad, mostly flat plain that extends across the state of California to the Salton Sea and the Colorado River beyond. This is the home of the lizardmen known as the Anza Sin. While most Anza Sin have settled down and now live off the tourist trade, some still roam the desert as their ancestors had done centuries before.



The county is also home to four coastal rivers. Streams of middling size that flow from the mountains to the seas. Starting at the south they are:



The Tijuana River: Not really in the county, this runs along the U.S./Mexico border for the last few miles of its length. Once accounted one of the most polluted rivers in the world, the Tijuana has been cleaned up thanks to a binational effort, and the presence of a druid community that monitors and polices it. Working with U.S. and Mexican authorities the druids have shut down major polluters, restored habitat, and established a series of nature centers along the length of the Tijuana.



Further north is the Sweetwater, which flows through the city of Chula Vista. It is bordered by a mix of wetland, parkground, and a golf course. Mostly built up along the lower course, upstream settlement is sparser and horse owners take advantage of the riding trails established for them and the everpresent joggers. Even further upstream in the foothills is a small gnoll community. Before the Europeans came they migrated up and down the Sweetwater as the seasons changed. Today they live in a number of small villages along the Sweetwater’s upper reaches growing vegetables and fruit for sale in roadside stands and make trips to the coast to enjoy a day at the beach. It is thanks to a San Diego gnoll that non-humans other than elves, halflings, gnomes, and dwarfs gained full enfranchisement. This thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1855 that declared gnolls were fully sapient beings, and so could not be kept in zoological displays.



Next we come to the San Diego River. This flows first through a deep gorge (Mission Gorge) then a broad valley (Mission Valley) bordered by high escarpments for much of its length. This is the longest, largest river in the whole county. It is developed for most of its length, but still has places where wetlands and woods can be found. The east end is where the Mission San Diego de Alcala was established after the original site proved less than sufficient for the friars’ needs. At the west end of Mission Valley, and a bit to the south, is the community of Old Town. Until the founding of New Town in the 1850s the political center of San Diego.



Last we have the San Dieguieto River much to the north. As with the Sweetwater it has been developed, but not as much as the San Diego. For much of its length it is bordered by wetland and woods, with an occasional park for the locals.



In addition to the rivers the coast is also home to a number of marshes. North of San Diego Bay (once a coastal lagoon) is Mission Bay. At one time the plan was to turn it into an aguatic park, but opposition from many communities (especially the kobold) cut that short. There is an aquatic park (Sea World) on the southern edge, but that’s about all that came of the plan. The kobolds themselves; with the aid of elves, mermen, sahaugin, and a black dragon family, have established a number of recreational areas in Mission Bay with associated hotels and are making a good living off the tourist trade.



Just south of the mouth of the San Diegueito is the Barriquitos Lagoon. The largest wetland south of of San Francisco. It is a marsh, with scattered trees. The area around it is undeveloped and the whole location is protected by law against development. A bullywug gang once took up residence in the lagoon, but they were evicted some twenty years ago.



So there you have a brief and (unfortunately) incomplete look at San Diego’s physical geography. Typographical maps of the area are available from the Army Corp of Engineers. They should give you a good idea of the area’s actual typography. (An article of this length isn’t really the place to cover that subject. Dang it.)



Tomorrow we’ll be taking a look at the history of the area. From the early dragon turtles and whales that used to swim here, to the modern day.



Alan