Bonita

Unincorporated Neighborhood,

San Diego County

© McCormack's Guides

 

Zip Codes: 91902, 91908

Upscale. Located in a bowl between San Diego and Chula Vista, east of Interstate 808 and south of Highway 54. Wrapped around two golf courses. Driving ranges. Large regional park. Horse country. Trails. www.mccormacks.com

Mix of custom, well-appointed tract homes and everyday homes, many with large lots. Population about 13,000 residing in 4,200 housing units. “Bonita” in Spanish means pretty.

Click for regional or detailed map

Some upscale homes are perched on hills or mesas and a few can see the Pacific. The golf courses and many of the homes are located on flat or rolling land bordered on three sides by hills or mesas. Suburban with a country tinge. Regional mall on the west side, within National City.

Owner-occupied units outnumber rentals 78 percent to 22 percent, a sign of neighborhood stability. Median age is 41, which suggests many coming up on retirement age.

Nice-looking. Trees and shrubs. Clean streets. Homes and lawns maintained. Southwestern Community College close by. Annual Bonitas Fest — parade, booths, food. Residents also shop in neighborhood centers near Bonita Road and Otay Lakes Road. Post office. New library opened in 2005.

Patrolled by sheriff's deputies, who work out of a substation. Crime statistics are buried in regional figures but upper-income areas typically have low crime. www.mccormacks.com

Kids attend schools in Chula Vista district. Scores hard to break out but appear to be in the 70th to 80th percentile. Older children attend schools in the Sweetwater Union High District.

Both districts have passed renovation-construction bonds. State rankings for Bonita Vista middle and high schools land generally in the 60th and 70th percentiles. See Schools.

Census figures show a high number of college educated. This translates into parents who push academics. Call school district for information; a few streets might be in another district.

Bonita is about 10 miles from downtown San Diego. With the freeways at hand, it has to be considered one of the better commutes. County is closing some roads to discourage shortcuts through the community.

Bonita flows into the Sunnyside neighborhood and some maps roll Bonita into a larger area called Sweetwater, which is adding many homes. www.mccormacks.com

Lacking precise boundaries, unincorporated areas are sometimes lumped together.

Mall to be renovated and add a Target, a 14-screen movie complex and stores. Work to be completed in 2008.