Julian is located in the beautiful Cuyamaca mountains. Take a step back in time to the days of Julian’s beginning rooted in the 1870’s gold rush. Get away from the hectic rush of city life… discover the charms of Julian.

Julian was named an International Dark Sky Community by the International Dark-Sky Association in May 2021. It was the 30th such designation and the second in California. [6] The town is known for its apple pie and its annual Julian Apple Days Festival, which began in 1949. [7]

Julian, the beloved Mountain town in the Cuyamaca Mountains near San Diego, is one of our favorite getaways. We love to go hiking there, antique shopping, apple picking and of course, have to eat apple pie every time we visit.

The discovery of gold in late 1860s brought gold-rush fame to these mountains and settlers to the newly-created town of Julian. In 1870, Julian's population was 300 with nearly 1500 people living in the Julian Mining District.

With Victorian-style architecture, old-fashioned stores, country-style restaurants, hiking trails and friendly atmosphere, Julian is a San Diego rural treasure.

Find out What’s the Julian date today and convert any calendar date to Julian date or vice versa with our handy Julian Date converter calculator. Scroll down and find Julian Calendars 2026 in PDF format.

Tucked away in the pine-scented Cuyamaca Mountains, about 60 miles (roughly 1.5–2 hours) east of downtown San Diego, Julian is a captivating historic gold rush town that captures the spirit of California’s Wild West.