Unincorporated Town, San Diego County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 91901, 91903
Mountain
town, split by Interstate 8, located well inland near the Barona Casino.
Operated by the Viejas Indians, the casino is a success and the spillover has
helped the town's economy. www.mccormacks.com
School scores
high. Mix of housing, mobile home parks, apartments, condos, tract homes,
retirement villas, horse ranchettes and custom homes situated among large
boulders or trees. See Schools.
Click for regional or detailed map
Total housing
units, 5,653, of which 4,079 are single homes, 1,251 multiples and 292 mobiles
(2006 SANDAG).
In the past,
poor roads and the distance isolated the town. With the arrival of Interstate
8, the commute became tolerable and the beauty of the countryside beckoned.
Many homes
have views of countryside and rising or setting sun, red and glorious. Much of Alpine is
built on gently sloping terraces and mesas and this allows each terrace or
street to look out over the country.
On its east
side and just above its main street, Alpine has built small tracts of typical
suburban housing, two story, stucco, etc., generally new and well maintained
but the town has a fair amount of housing built in the 1950s and 1960s and
showing some wear. www.mccormacks.com
In the new
tracts, sidewalks, curbs and gutters; in the old sections, sidewalks and curbs
here and there.
As you move
out into the country, the housing mixes suburban tract with custom homes and
ranchettes, some of them large and opulent. These places are often situated on
small hills or knolls and command sweeping views. To get a feel for the
variety, drive South Grade Road, Alpine Boulevard and Victoria Drive.
One unusual
touch: homes with built-in two-story garages (for the mobile homes). This is an
outdoorsy kind of burg.
Alpine
region, population 14,922, takes in hamlets of Alpine, Glen Oaks, Alpine
Heights, Palo Verde and Victoria. Median age of residents is 41. Those under 18
make up 24 percent of population. Rounded town, with the numbers of young
slipping and the old rising.
Zero homicides in 2007, one each in 2006 and 2005, zero in 2004 and 2003, three
in 2002, one in 2001, two in 2000. See Crime.www.mccormacks.com
Small sheriff's station in town. Larger station to be built and more deputies added as region adds people.
About 35 to
45 miles to downtown San Diego and the ocean but the elevation of 1,800-2,600
feet softens the inland heat. Dry enough for chaparral and sage, cool enough
for oaks and sycamores.
Forest fires
prompted residents to raise taxes to hire firefighters and upgrade equipment.
Another fire station was opened in 2006.
Newspapers
and Realtors report that many residents have set up home offices and either
work 100 percent at home or split their job between home and office in a distant
city.
Alpine is 30 to 40 freeway miles to coastal job centers — by modern standards an endurable commute. But when the traffic snarls in the urban areas, it may seem anything but endurable. Rough estimate from a local: about an hour's drive to downtown San Diego.
Alpine and
vicinity include a library, a post office, motels, restaurants, churches, a
clinic, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, delis, bakeries, supermarkets and a
variety of shops and services — conveniences of modern life.
Little
League, soccer, kids' sports, community center and park. Playing fields at the
schools but some contend that the town needs more fields. Outlet mall near the
casino, which offers entertainment. www.mccormacks.com
Alpine is
close to national forest and mountains that rise to 4,100 feet. Museum. Summer
concerts, Sage and Songbird Festival, Western Days and parade, Christmas Light
Parade.
Local advisory group sounds out
residents’ opinions. Arguments occasionally surface over pace and quality of
development.
Children
attend schools in the Alpine district, which enrolls about 2,200 and consists
of a pre-kinder-kindergarten school, three elementary schools, and a middle school, all new or,
from our tour of the town, seemingly in good repair.
On state
rankings, scores land in the 70th and 80th percentiles, top 30
percent of state. Students move up to Granite Hills High, which lands about the
65th percentile, top 35 percent.
The Grossmont
district, which runs the secondary schools, has passed a bond that contains
money for a new high school that might be located in the Alpine region. www.mccormacks.com
Chamber of
commerce (619) 445-2722.
