Neighborhoods, City of San Diego
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 92119, 92120
Neighborhoods
located north of Interstate 8 and east of Qualcomm Stadium. The key roads are
Mission Gorge, Navajo and Jackson. www.mccormacks.com
On some
maps, Navajo shows up as a separate neighborhood. But the city government and
many people use Navajo to describe the region. Estimated total population, 49,042.
School
scores high to very high. These neighborhoods are close to a large community
college and to San Diego State University. Many people working at these
institutions probably live nearby. College neighborhoods usually have strong
educational values.
Zero
homicides in Del Cerro in 2005, one in 2004. For Grantville, one homicide in 2005, zero in 2004. For
rest, 2005 and 2004, zero. For 2003 and 2002, zero in all. Three in Allied Gardens in 2001, zero
the others. Zero all in 2000. Patrolled by San Diego cops. See Crime.
Mission
Gorge Road runs along the San Diego River and defines the northern border of
most of these neighborhoods. For the most part, Mission Gorge is a flat road.
Immediately to its south the land rises into mesas, hills and ravines, upon
which the housing is built. The hills then drop into another valley and rise again to a mesa, on which sits San Diego State University.
The
housing got its start in the 1950s. At that time, veterans in great numbers
were entering the housing market. The most popular model was the one-story,
three-bedroom home. www.mccormacks.com
The first
housing was erected in Grantville, the neighborhood just east of Qualcomm
Stadium. In the 1960s and 1970s, developers continued east and built Del Cerro
and Allied Gardens, then Navajo and San Carlos.
Some of
the initial housing shows all of its 50 years. Lawns have been let go, paint
forgotten. But many homes have been kept up. Generalizations are misleading
because the neglected units stand out and the cared-for units don't call
attention to themselves.
As you move east into Navajo,
appearances improve and settle into middle-class presentable, well-cared-for,
but not fancy. Off of Madra Avenue, on low but steep hills, large custom homes
were built. The style is dated but the homes are impressive and they command
views of a valley.
The newest
housing — 1980s Mediterranean — can be found between Jackson Drive and Golfcrest Drive, on
the east side of Navajo, at the base of Cowles Mountain. But if nicer, this
housing also falls into middle-class-plus.
San Carlos
seems to stand by itself in a pocket between Lake Murray on its west, and
Santee on its east, La Mesa on its south, and Mission Hills Regional Park
(Cowles Mountain) on its north. Almost all of San Carlos was built in the 1960s
and 1970s, favoring tract models, three and four bedroom. Nice-looking
neighborhood. Nothing up-scale. Many of the streets end in cul-de-sacs that
butt up against parks or the boundaries of the other cities. www.mccormacks.com
In 2006, a
charter school called Momentum won permission to rent a school that was closed
years ago by the school district. Some parents protested, saying the charter
middle school, which is publicly funded, would take students from the other
public schools (Pershing and Lewis) and weaken them. Momentum emphasizes math,
science and technology.
All these
neighborhoods have many apartments complexes, generally located along arterial
streets. Most of the shops are situated along the arterials.
Shops in Grantville-Allied Gardens, the
first neighborhoods, have a decided 1950s strip look but if the buildings are
old, the marketing is modern, with coffee shops, restaurants, delis, big
“warehouse” stores, and renovated supermarkets. Large Kaiser Medical Center in
Grantville.
The kids
attend elementary and middle schools in their neighborhoods, then move up to
Patrick Henry High School in Navajo. The elementary schools are
Benchley-Weinberger, Dailard, Foster, Gage, Green, Hearst and Marvin. Scores in
state comparisons range from the 60th to the 90th percentile. The high school
scores in the 70th and 80th percentiles, the top 30 percent in the state. Small
Jewish school, large Catholic school. See Schools.
All the
neighborhoods have large community parks. Lake Murray is bordered by a regional
park and by a golf course. One
library in Allied Gardens, one in Navajo. Year-round swimming pool. The schools
pitch in with recreational facilities. Cowles Mountain is real presence; at
1,591 feet it's the tallest in the City of San Diego. www.mccormacks.com
If you
like football, the drive to Qualcomm Stadium is only a few minutes.
The
mountain, the ravines and the river sort of combine to give Allied
Gardens-Navajo an out-of-the-way feel, part of the city but removed from the
other neighborhoods.
Other
pluses: Grossmont Community College, which borders San Carlos, and San Diego
State University, just south of Navajo. Both offer many classes and activities
open to the public.
If you're
commuting to downtown San Diego, a drive of 10 to 15 miles, your nerves, on
many a day, will twang. The neighborhoods border or are close to Interstates 15
and 8 but many residents have to drive several miles over arterials to reach
freeway ramps.
On the
plus side, many jobs are to be found at the university, at Kearny Mesa, just
west of Allied Gardens, and at Miramar Air Station. Trolleys can be picked up
near the stadium. www.mccormacks.com
• Mission
Gorge and river open Navajo to breezes from the ocean.
• Trolley
line was recently extended to the state university.
