Featured below are some examples of pages from the early editions of the Bernardo Brandings newsletter, which was originally
a brief black-and-white mailer laid out like a brochure. Toward the end of the 1960s, however, it gradually assumed a magazine
format, becoming lengthier and featuring full-color photographs and page-length advertisements. Digitization of the entire
collection is currently in progress; until then, the paper copies are available only for use inside the Rancho Bernardo Historical
Society museum, with priority given to scholarly research, as they have become delicate with age.
The images are organized below in chronological order, with each one having a caption describing it. You will notice that some of
these pages have become slightly yellowed and some have a fold mark on them, but those should not detract from the content. If
you would like to view any of the images in larger size, please click on it once to make it medium size and once again for
extra-large size. Click on the extra-large size image to return it to medium size.
1) August 1962, Page 1 — The main headline for this edition of the Bernardo Brandings, which had just started its run the prior month, is “Clubhouse Underway This Month.” However, a smaller headline a little further down on the center-right of the page reads, “City Services Part of RB,” indicating that Rancho Bernardo received its utility services from the city of San Diego, of which it was (and still is) a part.
2) November 1962, Page 1 — “Rancho Bernardo Golf Course Opens” — Golf courses were to become a key part of life for quite a few people living in Rancho Bernardo, and this page talks about how the first such course opened.
3) November 1962, Page 3 — “Eight Model Homes Opening Soon” — Two of the models, the one at the top of the page labeled “Bernardo Greens” and the one at the bottom of the page labeled “Bernardo Homes,” are displayed here in black-and-white artistic renderings.
4) February 1964, Page 1 — “First RB Shopping Center Opens” — Shortly after the first houses went up in Rancho Bernardo, the Pomerado Shopping Village opened its doors to the public, with a Safeway grocery store as the anchor. The original shopping center is now long gone, but in its place is another one, with an Albertson’s grocery store.
5) February 1964, Page 4 — The right half of this back page contains a directory for all of the stores in the Pomerado Shopping Village, which was Rancho Bernardo’s first shopping center. The directory lists the name of each store, followed by the owner or manager, the business hours, the type of store (except for the grocery store and barber shop), and the telephone number (including area codes was not yet a widespread practice). The left half of the page contains an article about a new bank opening up in Rancho Bernardo.
6) The Bernardo Bulletin was a brief interim letter mailed out in place of the Bernardo Brandings. This is the first page of the June 1, 1964 edition of the Bernardo Bulletin.
7) This is the second page of the June 1, 1964 edition of the Bernardo Bulletin. This page does not contain any photographs, but does have several blurbs about community events.
8) November 1, 1964, Page 1 — “RB Readies for First National Election” — The front page of this edition shows an illustration of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater on the left, Democratic presidential candidate Lyndon B. Johnson (who would go on to become President) facing him on the right, and the front of the White House, with a path leading up to it, between the two men.
9) February 1, 1965, Page 1 — “RB Looks Towards Its Historic Past…” — The cover of the edition of the Bernardo Brandings drew on a sense of imagined nostalgia, with a horseback rider, to attempt to persuade people to move into the new community. This was, however, far from the only example of promoters appropriating colonial symbolism for financial gains during this time period.
10) October 1, 1965, Page 1 — “The Luxurious Life … Bernardo Village Green” — This cover of this issue of the Bernardo Brandings displays a panoramic photograph of a new golf course and, directly behind it, new residential development taking place.
11) February 1966, Page 1 — “Condominium Living … The Whys & Wherefores” — In the 1960s, condominiums, or condos for short, became a newly recognized form of residential development in the United States. They were attached like apartment units, but could be deeded and mortgaged individually, like single-family houses. Although La Jolla was the first area in San Diego County to see condominium construction, Rancho Bernardo became the first area to build and sell condominium complexes specifically for older individuals.
12) April 1966, Page 1 — “Mrs. America Builds Her Dream House” — Although the caption refers to a “Mrs.” America, all the people pictured here are men. The man in the background is a construction worker. The man standing on the left side in the foreground is Lawrence H. Summers, President of Rancho Bernardo, Inc., and to the right of him is Bayne A. Sparks, the marketing director for Rancho Bernardo.
13) August 1966, Page 1 — “The Second Home Market Grows in Rancho Bernardo” — Many people buying homes in Rancho Bernardo were actually buying them to use as part-time residences, especially as vacation and/or summer homes, and some others bought them primarily as financial investments.
14) August 1966, Page 2 — The upper half of this page of the Bernardo Brandings carries the headline, “Second Home Buyers Eye Condominiums.” Rancho Bernardo proved to be an attractive market for part-time residential and vacation properties early in its modern existence. The lower half begins, “Champagne, Furs Offered August 23.” This shows that, in addition to talking about new homes, the Bernardo Brandings also offered information about local community events.
15) January 1967, Page 1 — This cover page features a full-length black-and-white photograph of a parcel of vacant land that has recently been marked for development with wooden stakes. There are some hills in the background with some new houses directly in front of them, a tree on the right, and some rocks and grass at the bottom. The title “Bernardo in ’67” is superimposed on the page in white text, divided into two lines – one each at the top and bottom of the page.
All of these images have been provided courtesy of, and are presented here with the express permission of, the Rancho Bernardo Historical Society.