City, San Diego County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 91909, 91910, 91911, 91912, 91913, 91914, 91915, 91921
Second-most
populous city in the county.
Housing hot spot. Name translates to “beautiful view.” In recent years, has
built homes, townhouses and apartments by the thousands. Used to be famous for
its lemons. www.mccormacks.com
Big city,
about 50 square miles, slightly larger than San Francisco. Population, 231,305,
is expected within 20 years to top 270,000.
A city
with two distinct looks or neighborhoods. The new, on the east side, is very
new and sparkling. The old, located east of Interstate 805, consists of tract
homes, two and three bedrooms, many built between 1940 and 1960. A lot of the
homes are well maintained, some are not.
Click for regional or detailed map
Old Chula Vista is supplying something
in short supply, affordable housing. The downtown is renewing itself: brick
crosswalks, ornamental street lights, new police headquarters and civic center
built in Spanish style near library, new stores.
Other
pluses: some Victorians preserved, housing upgraded, a slightly more modern
look, palms line some streets, median strips landscaped. City may allow
high-rise housing in downtown.
In 1997,
having already annexed thousands of acres on its east side, Chula Vista annexed
9,800 acres more, to the south of Otay Lakes Road and Southwestern Community
College. www.mccormacks.com
Area is
called Otay Mesa. Plans envision 41,000 homes, apartments and condos, and major
improvements to roads and freeways, including extension of Highway 125.
The new
neighborhoods, some gated, follow modern planning principles and are served by
four- and six-lane parkways that feed into freeway ramps. Some thoroughfares
are lined with palms and meandering paths. Mountains to the east lend to
country ambiance.
Served by
Chula Vista Elementary School District, which in 1998 passed a $95 million
construction-renovation bond. In 2006, the district opened an elementary, its
10th school constructed since 1998, and in mid year broke ground for
another elementary. All classrooms have internet access and air
conditioning. See Schools.
School
district and city fund after-school programs: art, music, games, homework.
Older kids
attend junior high and high school in Sweetwater high school district. In 2001,
this district passed a bond, $187 million, to build a high school in Otay Mesa
(opened in 2003) and to renovate all schools in the district and equip them for
high tech. www.mccormacks.com
Another
high school opened in 2006, located on 54 acres south of Olympic Parkway, near
Magdalena Ave. Yet another high school is scheduled in 2008. The district has
increased enrollment by 1,000 students per year for the last decade.
In 2006,
voters approved another bond for the high school district — $644 million
to renovate, modernize and build. Jobs include at least two more high schools
for Otay Ranch and Eastlake neighborhoods.
In 2001,
the college district passed $89 million bond. The money will be used to
overhaul its facilities and to build a satellite campus at Otay Mesa.
By
clustering the facilities, educators hope to make it easier for kids to go to
school and adults to college. The community college is a plus. These
institutions offer many classes and activities for the general public and their
facilities are often first-rate.
Family
town. About 28 percent of the residents are under age 18. The passage of the
four bonds indicates strong support for schools. Median age of residents is 33
years. www.mccormacks.com
Five
homicides in 2005, fifteen in 2004. For previous years, 7, 5, 8, 3, 10, 5, 8,
5, 12, 7, 14, 7. See Crime.
Seven to
10 miles from downtown San Diego. Three freeways, Interstates 5 and 15 and
Highway 125. In 2007, work on a major stretch of Highway 125 will be completed,
finishing the connection between Highway 54 to the north and Highway 905 to the
south. Part of the new highway will charge tolls.
Light rail in downtown (three stops).
Buses. Many local jobs. Compared to many other towns, a good commute.
Two Costcos and two Targets. Auto sales
agencies on Otay Valley Road. In recent years, following the housing,
supermarkets, stores and family and fast-food restaurants have opened on the
east side in neighborhood “malls,” making shopping easier. Also delis,
Starbucks, Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc.
Opened in
2006, Otay Ranch Town Center, a giant mall with a Macys, an REI, an Apple, and
about 90 other stores and restaurants, including a PF Changs, a Macaroni Grill
and a Cheesecake Factory. Movies and a Barnes and Noble bookstore to follow. www.mccormacks.com
In another
mall, Trader Joe’s to open in 2007.
On the
Bay, close to downtown San Diego, old Chula Vista was one of the earliest towns
to develop but its great spurt did not come until after World War II.
In the
1940s, the city went from 5,000 to 15,000 residents, then to 42,000 in the
following decade. The 1970 count came in at 68,000, and grew to 89,000 by 1980,
and to 130,000 by 1990.
A city
that builds extensively in every decade offers many housing choices. To get a
sense of the old town, drive Broadway and its spin-off streets, which take in
an industrial-commercial section. Flat-top roofs, detached garages, small
homes. Then move east to Hilltop Drive for a newer look: ranchers, attached
garages, some shake roofs, yards and streets generally maintained.
In the
1980s, the city jumped its eastern borders (about Interstate 805) and
constructed subdivisions in the modern style. The new neighborhoods, built over
hills and mesas, go by the names of Rancho Del Rey and Lynwood Hills. www.mccormacks.com
In the new
“master planned,” tracts, utility lines have been buried, sidewalks laid in,
school, park and store sites set aside before anything was built, and roads
designed to move traffic quickly to arterials and then to the freeway. The design
also forces drivers to slow down when they enter residential streets.
The homes
follow the modern standard of stucco and tile roofs (fire retardant) and run
three to five or six bedrooms, one and two story. The better the view, the
bigger the house, the steeper the price.
Many of
Chula Vista’s homes are built on gentle hills and mesas. Views. Well maintained
and pleasantly planted with trees (double rows of palms in some places), shrubs
and flowers along the sidewalks and in the median strips, thanks mainly to the
homeowner associations, which levy fees on their members and often enforce
rules to keep up appearances.
Good
choice of apartments in the new sections, many in complexes with pools.
The state
in 2008 counted 77,593 housing units in Chula Vista, of which 42,120 were
single-family detached, 5,494 single attached, 26,417 multiples and 3,562
mobile homes. www.mccormacks.com
Chula
Vista incorporated itself as a city in 1911. It has had over 94 years to build
its infrastructure and recreational offerings: over two dozen parks (several
opened in 2006), teen nightclub, tot lots, four municipal pools, four community
centers, boat launch, two marinas, museum, nature center (remodeled in 2006),
five golf courses in or near Chula Vista, tennis, soccer, football, baseball, more.
Concerts in the park, farmers' market.
Nature center. Water park with slides and pools. Several skate parks.
Coors
Amphitheater, which seats about 8,000, attracts big name entertainers. Among
those playing in 2006: Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Josh Turner, Kenny Chesney,
Rascal Flats, Toby Keith, Brooks and Dunn.
Two
libraries, the newest with reflecting pools, computer room, cross-cultural
books. Institution celebrates connections with Mexico. Fishing in Bay and at
Otay Lakes.
Chula
Vista welcomes Christmas with a Starlight Yule Parade. Harbor Days, celebrated
in September, features arts and crafts, boat tours, entertainment. Lemon
Festival. On east side, hiking and horse trails and sidewalks that encourage
strolling. Animal shelter and Little League fields. www.mccormacks.com
About 1,200 acres zoned industry. About
six business parks, many firms some of them specializing in military research
and equipment. Chula Vista cashes in on trade with Mexico. Two
hospitals-medical centers. Veterans' clinic and veterans' home.
Chamber of
commerce (619) 420-6602.
• Catholic High School to open in 2007.
Called Mater Dei.
• Brown
Field, airport to the south of town, was trying to establish itself as a cargo
hub. Neighbors protested. Idea dropped.
• One of
these years, trolley line is to be extended to new subdivisions on east side.
Land has been set aside for tracks. www.mccormacks.com
• Opened
in 1995, Arco Olympic Training Center, 158 acres of dorms, fields and
facilities to train Olympic athletes. This facility is located near the new
neighborhoods on the east side. Limited use by locals.
• Old
power plant on bay to be torn down and replaced with more efficient, less
polluting plant. Also going bye-bye are the power lines along the shore, which
the city hopes to revive with a marina, hotel, housings, shops and parks.
• New.
Off-road racing for trucks and buggies in the hills east of Chula Vista. Called
Championship Off-Road Racing.
• New
parks. As new tracts are built, developers are required to install parks that
are deeded to the city, which provides maintenance and programs. In 2006, the
city took over Mountain Hawk Park near the Otay Reservoir and Montevalle Park,
equipped with tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields and rooms for arts,
crafts and dance. Coming in 2008, Mount Miguel Park with three softball fields
and skate park. In the older section of town, the city has to pay for its own
parks. Projects here include, Harborside Park, a playground, basketball courts
and a skate park. Chula Vista is also building a greenbelt around the city.
•
High-tech tinter. City in 2006 purchased a truck, $139,000, that can mix and
spray paint. Supposedly does an excellent job of covering graffiti with just
the right tint of paint. www.mccormacks.com
• Chargers
are exploring San Diego County to find a place for a new football stadium.
Among possibilities: the Chula Vista waterfront.
• Chula
Vista is pushing the powers-that-be to build a state university in town. In
2006, the city council approved the construction of an energy research
institution that the council hopes will become part of the university.
• About 25
elementary schools run a popular after-school program, no charge, but space is
limited and many kids are denied admission. Parents use to line up at dawn to
enroll their kids in DASH. In 2006, the first-come, first in policy was changed
to a lottery. Information can be obtained at the schools.
City
web site: www.ci.chula-vista.ca.us
