Alpine is an unincorporated census-designated place in eastern San Diego County, California, set in the Cuyamaca Mountains where Interstate 8 climbs from the coastal plain toward the mountains and desert. It sits east of El Cajon, roughly thirty miles from downtown San Diego, and is largely surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest, which gives the community its distinct rural, forested character. Alpine's history reaches back to the nineteenth century, when the wagon road connecting San Diego with the mountain town of Julian passed through the area. The Alpine School District was formed in 1875, and in 1885 the growing settlement took the name Alpine from the Webb family's ranch, after rancher John Webb petitioned for a school for the community's children. For much of its history, Alpine remained a sparsely populated mountain crossroads. Today Alpine is home to roughly 14,700 residents. Horse ranches, small farms, and open chaparral hillsides still define much of the landscape, even as the Alpine Boulevard corridor has seen suburban development. The community is unincorporated, governed by San Diego County rather than a city council, and it retains a deliberately low-density, backcountry-oriented feel. The 2003 Cedar Fire swept through the area, reshaping parts of the landscape and community. Alpine is served by the Alpine Union School District for elementary and middle grades and by the Grossmont Union High School District for secondary school. For homebuyers, it offers a rare combination in San Diego County: mountain living, equestrian and acreage properties, and national forest access, all within commuting distance of the region's urban core.