Escondido, city in San Diego County, southwestern California. The city's principal economic activities are retail business (one of the nation's largest shopping malls is in the city) and the health care industry. The city is home to a community college, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the California Center for the Arts, the Lawrence Welk Entertainment Complex, and several wineries. It is also the site of the Iceoplex Ice Skating Complex, one of the largest ice skating facilities in the United States. To the east of the city is San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park and Museum, commemorating the only battle of the Mexican War (1846-1848) fought in California, and to the northeast is the Palomar Observatory.
The city's name, Spanish for “hidden,” possibly refers to its valley setting. It incorporated in 1888 and developed as an agricultural city. In the 1990s Escondido experienced growth as the center of the economic region locally known as Inland North County.
