Lakeside

Unincorporated Town, San Diego County

© McCormack's Guides

 

Zip Code: 92040

Region east of Santee, comprising subdivisions and single homes that sprouted in the hills and valleys. They go by the names of Eucalyptus Hills, Moreno, Lakeside, Lakeview, Johnstown, Glenview, Flinn Springs and Winter Gardens, to name most of them. www.mccormacks.com

Some can be reached from Interstate 8 on the south side and from Highway 67 and Lake Jennings Road on the north. All are unincorporated and have vague boundaries.

The county calls the region “Lakeside,” and puts its size at 76 square miles, about 1.5 times the size of San Francisco, and estimates it has 73,304 residents living in 14,070 single homes or ranchettes, 7,726 apartments or condos and 5,290 mobile homes.

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Lot of land, few people. Some hamlets flow into one another, others are separated by hills or mesas or a few miles of country.

Lake Lindo and Lake Jennings, the first surrounded by a park, the second bordering a park, are located in the region.

Children are educated by the Lakeside Union Elementary School District. School rankings, state comparison, range generally from the 50th to 80th percentile. Teens move up to El Capitan High in the Grossmont district. See Schools. www.mccormacks.com

Sheriff's deputies patrol the region. Zero homicides in 2005, three in 2004, one in 2003, zero in 2002, four in 2001, one in 2000, three in 1999, one in 1998 and three in 1997. See Crime.

Lakeside is the oldest and most established community in the region. Almost all the schools are located in or near the town.

The Lakeside downtown has a post office, a library, stores, restaurant, a historical society and a playhouse for theater productions. In the late 1800s, Lakeside Inn was constructed and became popular with hunters and golfers. Demolished in 1920, the resort left its name to the region.

In 2006, SANDAG put the median age of residents at 37 and placed 26 percent under age 18. Translation: fair number of families with the kids growing up and a good mix of all ages.

Not too long ago, the Lakeside region would have been considered “way out thar.” But supermarkets and drug stores and some discount warehouse stores have opened in the region, bringing almost all the conveniences of modern living. And what's missing can be reached with a short drive. www.mccormacks.com

Housing quality varies widely in the region. County governments have been known for loose planning controls and weak code enforcement. If you want to park your car on your lawn in many parts of the region, you can. But some hamlets will enforce homeowner restrictions and the wish to retain the goodwill of neighbors encourages sprucing up. A lot depends on where you are.

In Lakeside, you can find new streets with sidewalks and utility lines buried and homes in sparkling condition. Just across the road, the neighborhood may run to large lots, roads without sidewalks or gutters and homes that have three or four vehicles parked on what passes for the lawn. The homes might be mansions, they might be rundown, small tract models. In one section, an upscale, single-family home subdivision sits catty-corner to a mobile home park.

Mountains a real presence. Nice desert feel. Crisp. Hotter than coastal towns but in the evening you’ll still find homeowners out with the hoses trying to coax some green out of the lawn.

Between 25 and 40 miles to downtown San Diego — in rush hours, long miles. And many residents will have to drive several miles over two-lane country roads to get to the freeways.

The future: as more homes are built, and inevitably they will be, the residents may decide to incorporate the region as a legal city and make more sense out of the planning, improve the roads and secure more parks. www.mccormacks.com

Four or five large parks are scattered throughout the region but as the county government does very little in the way of parks and rec, neighborhood parks are almost nonexistent. School grounds provide playing fields. Indian tribes have opened several casinos in the East County, attracting more visitors to the area.

The casinos have funded road improvements near Lakeside and a new fire station in Alpine. The money is supposed to offset some of the effects that casino traffic has on fire safety.

• In 2005, Robert Miller of Lakeside, on his way to work, was caught in a six-car collision. The first two vehicles, a Mustang and a SUV, burst into flames. Miller grabbed a hammer, ran to the Mustang, smashed out the window and with the help of others pulled out Slyvestre Garcia, 31, who suffered burns but lived. In 2006, the Carnegie Commission bestowed on Miller and 15 others in the U.S. and Canada the Medal of Heroism (and $4,000.)