Ramona is a census-designated place in the inland foothills of eastern San Diego County, California, with a 2020 population of about 21,500. It is the main population center of the Ramona Valley, a rural, agricultural region in the county's East County that sits well inland from the coast. Ramona is unincorporated rather than an incorporated city, which shapes both its governance and its character. The community's defining identity today is wine. Ramona lies within the Ramona Valley American Viticultural Area, often called the heart of San Diego's wine country, with more than 80 commercial vineyards and dozens of tasting rooms across the valley. Winemaking in the area dates back to the early California missions, and the valley's hot days and cool nights, influenced by the coastal marine layer, produce conditions suited to wine grapes. Alongside grapes, agriculture — including olives and citrus — has long been the backbone of the local economy. Ramona's settlement is anchored by a historic downtown district with shops, galleries, and restaurants, surrounded by residential streets that give way to vineyards, ranches, and open foothill land. Because the community is unincorporated and spread out, its neighborhoods are informal and tied to geography rather than formal subdivisions, and homes range from in-town properties to equestrian and rural acreage. Education is provided by the Ramona Unified School District, which operates 11 schools and enrolls about 5,100 students, making the district a central civic institution for the community. Ramona suits households seeking a rural, small-town lifestyle with space and agricultural character — buyers drawn to larger lots, equestrian properties, and the wine-country setting, who accept a longer drive to San Diego in exchange for a distinctly country pace of life.