Neighborhood, City of San Diego
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Code: 92131
One of the
affluent, fairly new communities
of San Diego. Also called Scripps Miramar Ranch. The northern section is broken
out as Miramar Ranch North. Total population, 32,269. www.mccormacks.com
Located
just east of Interstate 15, opposite the community of Mira Mesa and on the maps
Scripps Miramar will seem an extension of other housing in region.
But the
freeway, a deep ravine on the north, and the City of Poway and Miramar Air
Station on the east and south combine to define recognized borders. Also they give
Scripps Miramar a somewhat secluded air, which adds to its attractiveness.
Crime low.
Zero homicides in 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 and 2000. Patrolled by San Diego
police. Elderly formed a volunteer group that keeps cops aware of trouble. They
check on homes while residents are on vacation and look in on the infirm. See Crime.
A
neighborhood hard hit by the 2003 wildfires; over 100 homes destroyed.
Residents are taking a hard look at trees and brush and many are whacking back
the foliage around their homes. Almost all the homes have been rebuilt.
San Diego Unified School District.
School rankings in the 80th and 90th percentiles. All the schools feed into
Scripps Ranch High, which adds to the neighborhood's cohesiveness. The high
school opened in 1993. Some of the elementary schools are Dingeman, Jerabek and
Miramar Ranch. See Schools. www.mccormacks.com
Scripps
Miramar needs a fourth elementary school. The San Diego district has the money
but the construction schedule is lagging. As a stopgap, a temporary elementary
school was opened in 2001 to serve the northeast corner of the community. When
a new middle school opens in 2007, the old middle school will become an
elementary school.
Many
parents are college grads. This indicates a community with strong academic
values.
Miramar College close by; many classes,
activities open to the general public. The U.S. International University
(private) is located on the south side.
Median age 40. About 27 percent of the
residents are under age 18, a town with many mature families and young
families.
Commute a
mix of pluses and minuses. Being close to Interstate 15, Scripps Miramar
residents never had to drive long distances to get to freeway ramps. Relief for
congested arterials came in 1997 when the Scripps-Poway Parkway was completed. www.mccormacks.com
In 2004,
Highway 56 was extended from Rancho Peñasquitos over to Interstate 5. This
should take some traffic off of Interstate 15, a key road for Scripps Miramar,
and make it easier to commute to job centers around UC San Diego and Sorrento
Valley. Mira Mesa Boulevard and one or two other arterials shortcut the drive
to Sorrento Valley.
North San
Diego, including Rancho Bernardo and Carmel Mountain Ranch, and Scripps Miramar
itself have built business parks and have been successful in attracting firms
and thousands of jobs. Miramar Air Station is a treasure chest of jobs. Local
jobs mean short commutes.
Two
problems.
Developers
have the green light to build thousands more homes in the region, particularly
west of Rancho Bernardo.
The
Interstate 15 commute to downtown San Diego, 15 to 20 miles, is wearying and
often congested. www.mccormacks.com
But
compared to other places, the Interstate 15 commute is not that bad. Developers
are putting up money to improve traffic flow. The Scripps Miramar location,
fairly close to the downtown, allows its residents to cut to the head of the
line — they don't have to slog through the outlying communities.
Scripps
Ranch started 1970 with fewer than 100 residential units. In the Seventies, it
built 2,079 units, and in the Eighties, about 3,600 units. Since then the town
has added about 1,700 units, mostly single homes. Of the town's 7,212 housing
units, 5,163 are single homes and 2,049 apartments or condos.
The
northern section, Miramar Ranch North, is broken out separately. Its population
is 11,583, housed in 4,330 single homes and 1,702 multiples. Demographics here
are slightly different: median age, 37, children, 30 percent of residents. Bit
more family oriented.
For the
region, woodsy, eucalyptus, cedars of Lebanon. Streets wide and meandering.
Homes, lawns exceptionally maintained. Roofs a mix of tiles and wood shingles
(but with the fire threat the days of wood shingles are numbered). Many homes
recently built on the north and south sides.
With so
many mesas, many homes have views of countryside. Often new suburbs, lacking
tall trees and mature landscaping, come across as raw. Much of Scripps Miramar
has a pleasant lived-in look. But get rid of the brush! Goats are being used to
chew some canyons into fire safe. www.mccormacks.com
Striking
church, unusual design with cupola, St. Gregory the Great.
Usual
sports; soccer popular with kids. Golf courses nearby. Also, Miramar Reservoir,
which is bordered by a popular trail, 3.5 miles, (hiking, biking,
skating). Quilting, small theater,
writer's group, computers club, music club, garden club. Swim and racquet club.
Scouting popular with girls. Library serves as a sort of community center.
Costco and
large discount stores in nearby communities. Regional mall with movies and
restaurants and many shops on the opposite side of Interstate 15, a short
drive. See profiles on San Diego and on Carmel Valley.
• Marine
jets and helicopters have moved into Miramar Air Station, replacing Navy jets.
Some complaints about noise but after talking with residents, Marines worked
out new routes but not everyone can be pleased. See Mira Mesa.
• Some
people want to turn Miramar Air Station into a commercial airfield, a sort of
replacement for San Diego Airport. In 2006, the measure was tested at the
polls. No, said voters. www.mccormacks.com
Chamber of
commerce (858) 487-1767.
