Julian is a town nestled in a pass between the Cuyamaca and Volcan Mountains in San Diego County. It is especially popular with visitors on fall weekends, when the apple harvest comes in. Sometimes it seems as if everyone in the county has come to visit the shops and to have a piece of Julian apple pie.

Today's Julian is quite a contrast with the Julian of the late 19th Century, when visions of gold, not apples, filled the minds of the residents. The first gold mine, the George Washington, was staked out on Washington's Birthday, 1870. Within a month, numerous rich strikes were discovered, and dozens of claims were made. The town was named for Mike Julian, a cousin of landowner Drury Baily, who was active in selling lots and setting up the town. The boom times lasted into the 1880's, when the area's fickle gold veins petered out.

According to the 2000 census, the Julian ZIP code, 92036, contains 3,557 residents. This figure, however, includes both Julian and some outlying areas, even the tiny desert community of Agua Caliente Springs, located 20 miles away.
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