Pala, California

Pala
—  Unincorporated community  —
Pala Location within the state of California
Coordinates: 33°21′55″N 117°4′36″W / 33.36528°N 117.07667°W / 33.36528; -117.07667Coordinates: 33°21′55″N 117°4′36″W / 33.36528°N 117.07667°W / 33.36528; -117.07667
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	92059
Area code(s)	760, 442
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID

Pala is a small, mostly Native American, community located in San Diego County, California near Fallbrook. It is east of Carlsbad in the San Diego-Carlsbad metro area. In the National Geographic Names Database it is officially catalogued as feature number 1661174. The community is in ZIP Code 92059, and inside area code 760. The community name may be derived from the Native American Cupeño or Luiseño language group term pal, meaning "water." Another possible origin of the name is the Spanish word pala, which means "shovel."

The community is in the Pacific time zone. Pala is at an altitude of 404 feet, located at latitude 33°21′55″N 117°04′36″W / 33.36528°N 117.07667°W / 33.36528; -117.07667 (33.365N, longitude 117.075W).

Mineral resources

"Green Cap" tourmaline from the Tourmaline Queen mine^[1] near Pala

Pala was known for its mineral resources, including gold and tourmaline. Numerous gem mines were established in 1890s, of which more than twenty are listed in the Mindat database.^[2] Gem mines in the Pala District still produce tourmaline, with the pink variety as the regional specialty.

China's Dowager Empress Cixi of Qing Dynasty highly prized the pink tourmaline mined in Pala. Under her influence, China's appetite for this gem created a boom in the California tourmaline industry after 1902, particularly at the Himalaya mine, ending in 1911, shortly after the Empress died in 1908.

Pala was the site where morganite beryl was first discovered. It was also discovered in 1902 as the first commercially significant deposit of kunzite, named after George F. Kunz, the godfather of gemology.

See also

• Mission San Antonio de Pala
• Pala Indian Reservation

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minerals of Pala District or Tourmaline Queen Mine

v t e Municipalities and communities of San Diego County, California, United States County seat: San Diego Cities Carlsbad Chula Vista Coronado Del Mar El Cajon Encinitas Escondido Imperial Beach La Mesa Lemon Grove National City Oceanside Poway San Diego San Marcos Santee Solana Beach Vista CDPs Alpine Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Bostonia Boulevard Campo Camp Pendleton North Camp Pendleton South Casa de Oro-Mount Helix Crest Descanso Eucalyptus Hills Fairbanks Ranch Fallbrook Granite Hills Harbison Canyon Hidden Meadows Jacumba Jamul Julian La Presa Lake San Marcos Lakeside Mount Laguna Pine Valley Potrero Rainbow Ramona Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe San Diego Country Estates Spring Valley Valley Center Winter Gardens Unincorporated communities 4S Ranch Ballena Banner De Luz De Luz Heights Dulzura Elfin Forest Four Corners Guatay Hellhole Palms Jesmond Dene Lincoln Acres Ocotillo Wells Olivenhain Pala Pauma Valley Pine Hills Ranchita Rincon San Luis Rey Santa Ysabel Shelter Valley Tecate Warner Springs Indian reservations Barona Reservation Campo Indian Reservation Capitan Grande Reservation Ewiiaapaayp Indian Reservation Inaja and Cosmit Reservation Jamul Indian Village La Posta Reservation Manzanita Reservation Mesa Grande Reservation Pala Indian Reservation San Pasqual Reservation Santa Ysabel Reservation Sycuan Band Reservation Viejas Reservation

This San Diego County, California-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e