This talent migration report focuses on the cities that touch California State Route 78. The freeway portion of SR 78 stretches about 18 miles from North of downtown Escondido to Interstate 5 at the border of Oceanside and Carlsbad. The five cities along the route have a total population of 631,525 and a total workforce of 294,900.
If the cities along SR 78 were a single municipality, they would be the state’s fifth-largest, just behind San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Decades of growth have blurred their borders, with arterial roads supplementing SR 78 to provide key connections for work and recreation.
SDNEDC is committed to the idea that North County does better when these cities work together to create a better economic climate for North County businesses and residents as a whole.