City Heights, San Diego, California
Encyclopedia
City Heights is a large community in the eastern part of San Diego, California
, known for its ethnic diversity. Along the main streets (which include University Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue) one can find Hispanic
, White American
, East Africa
n, African American
, Indian
, Middle East
ern, and Southeast Asia
n businesses. City Heights was previously the city of East San Diego.
Socially and economically, City Heights has a high concentration of lower income businesses and households, resulting from the newly arrived immigrant communities. Businesses tend to be smaller and wider spread than to the north and east. Like other urban mesa neighborhoods north of Balboa Park, City Heights has a high rate of pedestrian activity, relative to the rest of San Diego. Crime rates were quite high until the recent renaissance, which ushered in one of the highest concentrations of police presence in the city.
In the 1880s, Entrepreneurs Abraham Klauber
and Samuel Steiner purchased over 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of unincorporated land that sat 400 feet (121.9 m) above sea level northeast of Balboa Park in hopes of developing the area. Together they named it "City Heights" or the "Steiner, Klauber, Choate and Castle Addition" after the original developers of the property. With the opening of the Panama Canal
and the planned Panama-California International Exposition in 1915, the voters of the area voted for City Heights to become an incorporated city known as East San Diego on November 2, 1912. Population boomed in the next few years from 400 in 1910 to 4000 during the incorporation.
On December 31, 1923, the City of East San Diego ceased to exist and was annexed into the City of San Diego. The status of the city was in limbo throughout the early part of 1924, since the East San Diego trustees did not immediately recognize the annexation. Complete annexation occurred over the next few years with the City of San Diego taking over, improving or adding new services into the City Heights area.
During most of the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1950s the area was an important commercial center. In 1959 the neighborhood began to experience a decline as Fashion Valley, Mission Valley and the College Grove Shopping Center siphoned off merchants and customers from the University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard corridor.
In 1965 the San Diego City Council approved the Mid-City Plan. The plan proposed to densify City Heights and surrounding areas, as a means of increasing business and commerce. The plan resulted in many single-family homes being replaced with multi-family apartments. The 1970s and 1980s saw an increase in crime with the arrival of the illegal drug industry, mainly methamphetamine
. White flight
started taking place and intensified into the early 1990s.
In 1993, three teen boys were killed in a gang
-related fight at Hoover High School
. The community reacted and spurred efforts to reduce crime in the neighborhood. The City Heights Business Improvement Association erected billboards that declared Welcome to City Heights, San Diego's Crime Capital. Won't Anybody Help? to gain city officials' attention.
In November 1993, the city of San Diego proposed to build a new police station
to address the rising crime rate. However, the city was strapped for cash and did not have funds readily available. Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Sol Price
pledged money for redevelopment efforts in concert with the city and his for-profit redevelopment
corporation. The city and Sol Price's redevelopment corporation opened the new police substation in 1996. Sol Price collaborated with SDSU to help students in City Heights attend college providing them with scholarships and supports.
The 2000s have seen redevelopment efforts continue and new public facilities have opened. New services are being provided to residents of City Heights including schools, a library and a community center. Crime rates are also down and a new urban retail village is serving the community.
"Downtown" City Heights is generally regarded as around Fairmount and University Avenues.
The neighborhood is further divided into sixteen sub-neighborhoods: Teralta East, Teralta West, Corridor, Cherokee Point, Colina Park, Castle, Fairmount Village, Fox Canyon, Islenair, Chollas Creek
, Swan Canyon, Azalea Park
, Hollywood Park, Fairmount Park, Ridgeview, and Bayridge.
In an effort to reverse the high crime rate and the depressed economy, the community has undergone some redevelopments. The local projects are a major focus of the Smart Growth
strategy by the City of San Diego, which is funded in part by private organizations and philanthropic individuals, notably Sol Price
(founder of Fedmart
and Price Club
).
These projects concentrate primarily on education, crime and gang-related
activity reduction, economic improvements, smart urban growth, renewal of community pride and improvement of overall quality of life, while at the same time enhance the "melting-pot" identity for which City Heights is known.
Recent projects that have been completed include the very first alternative fuel station in the city, a new retail complex with some mixed-use developments, several newly expanded and improved basic schools, a new "urban village" with a new library, a new police headquarter and a gymnasium, as well as a number of innovative uses of open spaces as parks.
A significant addition to the neighborhood is City Heights Square Senior Housing Project on 43rd Street. Completed in 2008 with subsidies provided by the Redevelopment Agency Affordable Housing Program, the project provides critically needed affordable housing for seniors. This very successful project is marred however by a burgeoning and very noisy homeless camp directly next to the building. Persistent calls by residents to the police have been unsuccessful in having anything done about the continuous disturbance caused by these unfortunate homeless people.
Twice a year FaceLife chooses a Neighborhood in City Heights and closes off the streets and renovates 12 - 15 homes by painting, landscaping, and cleaning up the surrounding area in a one day event. FaceLift is a program of Community HousingWorks a non-profit organization connected with NeighborWorks America.
Project CLEAN is another program with Community HousingWorks that provides graffiti supplies and clean-up organization to any resident that would like to get involved in making their community a better place to live.
As a result of the improvements, population in the neighborhood has been on the increase, reversing the trend of urban flight for those who could afford to move just a few years prior. Indeed, the redevelopment is now starting to focus on controlling growth.
A few trendy bars and clubs have started to move into the neighborhood; some would argue that gentrification
is happening along with redevelopment. This most evident in Normal Heights and Kensington which is not actually a part of City Heights, but borders.
The annual International Village Celebration is held around late spring or early summer and is aimed at highlighting the community's diversity.
City Heights is home to types of cuisine from all corners of the world, including Vietnamese, Korean, African, and Mexican. There are also a few Ethiopian restaurants in City Heights, although there are almost none elsewhere in San Diego.
City Heights also has a Jamba Juice, Subway, Albertson's, a drive-thru Starbucks, many car repair shops, and Pet Zone, a local pet shop/tropical fish store.
Quite a few pubs and bars such as The Tower Bar, Til-Two Club, Last Call & Black Cat Bar cater to those into the nightlife.
Because of the presence of the University Avenue transit corridor (the busiest in the metro region), City Heights has substantial bus service connecting to Downtown as well as to the Mission Valley trolley stops.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, known for its ethnic diversity. Along the main streets (which include University Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue) one can find Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, White American
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
n, African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Indian
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern, and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
n businesses. City Heights was previously the city of East San Diego.
Socially and economically, City Heights has a high concentration of lower income businesses and households, resulting from the newly arrived immigrant communities. Businesses tend to be smaller and wider spread than to the north and east. Like other urban mesa neighborhoods north of Balboa Park, City Heights has a high rate of pedestrian activity, relative to the rest of San Diego. Crime rates were quite high until the recent renaissance, which ushered in one of the highest concentrations of police presence in the city.
History
A short history of the City Heights neighborhood can be found on the City Heights Business Association website.In the 1880s, Entrepreneurs Abraham Klauber
Abraham Klauber
Abraham Klauber was born in Zdeslav, Bohemia. was the grandson of Rabbi Moses Klauber, and the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Klauber. Abraham’s father died of cholera in 1844, leaving 13 year old Abraham as the sole support for both his mother and younger sister Mary...
and Samuel Steiner purchased over 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of unincorporated land that sat 400 feet (121.9 m) above sea level northeast of Balboa Park in hopes of developing the area. Together they named it "City Heights" or the "Steiner, Klauber, Choate and Castle Addition" after the original developers of the property. With the opening of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and the planned Panama-California International Exposition in 1915, the voters of the area voted for City Heights to become an incorporated city known as East San Diego on November 2, 1912. Population boomed in the next few years from 400 in 1910 to 4000 during the incorporation.
On December 31, 1923, the City of East San Diego ceased to exist and was annexed into the City of San Diego. The status of the city was in limbo throughout the early part of 1924, since the East San Diego trustees did not immediately recognize the annexation. Complete annexation occurred over the next few years with the City of San Diego taking over, improving or adding new services into the City Heights area.
During most of the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1950s the area was an important commercial center. In 1959 the neighborhood began to experience a decline as Fashion Valley, Mission Valley and the College Grove Shopping Center siphoned off merchants and customers from the University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard corridor.
In 1965 the San Diego City Council approved the Mid-City Plan. The plan proposed to densify City Heights and surrounding areas, as a means of increasing business and commerce. The plan resulted in many single-family homes being replaced with multi-family apartments. The 1970s and 1980s saw an increase in crime with the arrival of the illegal drug industry, mainly methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
. White flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
started taking place and intensified into the early 1990s.
In 1993, three teen boys were killed in a gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
-related fight at Hoover High School
Herbert Hoover High School (San Diego)
Herbert Hoover High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in the Talmadge neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District.The school was established in 1930 and named in honor of then U.S...
. The community reacted and spurred efforts to reduce crime in the neighborhood. The City Heights Business Improvement Association erected billboards that declared Welcome to City Heights, San Diego's Crime Capital. Won't Anybody Help? to gain city officials' attention.
In November 1993, the city of San Diego proposed to build a new police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
to address the rising crime rate. However, the city was strapped for cash and did not have funds readily available. Entrepreneur and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Sol Price
Sol Price
Sol Price was the founder of FedMart and Price Club . He is considered a pioneer of the "warehouse store" retail model....
pledged money for redevelopment efforts in concert with the city and his for-profit redevelopment
Redevelopment
Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses.-Description:Variations on redevelopment include:* Urban infill on vacant parcels that have no existing activity but were previously developed, especially on Brownfield land, such as the redevelopment of an industrial site...
corporation. The city and Sol Price's redevelopment corporation opened the new police substation in 1996. Sol Price collaborated with SDSU to help students in City Heights attend college providing them with scholarships and supports.
The 2000s have seen redevelopment efforts continue and new public facilities have opened. New services are being provided to residents of City Heights including schools, a library and a community center. Crime rates are also down and a new urban retail village is serving the community.
Geography
City Heights is large and diffuse, with many subneighborhoods. The neighborhood is divided into two pieces by Fairmount Avenue: City Heights East and City Heights West. The neighborhood is bounded by Interstate 805 to the West, El Cajon Boulevard to the north, 54th Street to the east, and Home Avenue/Euclid Avenue/Chollas Parkway to the southeast."Downtown" City Heights is generally regarded as around Fairmount and University Avenues.
The neighborhood is further divided into sixteen sub-neighborhoods: Teralta East, Teralta West, Corridor, Cherokee Point, Colina Park, Castle, Fairmount Village, Fox Canyon, Islenair, Chollas Creek
Chollas Creek
Chollas Creek is an urban creek in the city of San Diego that drains to the San Diego Bay. It is also the name of a populated area of City Heights, San Diego, California.Chollas Creek arises in Lemon Grove and La Mesa, where its four branches begin...
, Swan Canyon, Azalea Park
Azalea Park, San Diego
The Azalea Park neighborhood is a community within City Heights in the greater San Diego, California area. Secluded and canyon-laced, located on top of a plateau 3 miles east of San Diego Bay, with an elevation of around 300 feet...
, Hollywood Park, Fairmount Park, Ridgeview, and Bayridge.
Demographics
Population stands at 65,450 as of 2005. Median household income is $19,393. Median family size 5. Racial makeup is approximately 65% Hispanic, 14% Asian, 19% African-American, 2% White Non-Hispanic . Median age is approximately 23 years old.Renaissance
As with other older neighborhoods found just north of Downtown San Diego and Balboa Park, City Heights is currently enjoying a renaissance.In an effort to reverse the high crime rate and the depressed economy, the community has undergone some redevelopments. The local projects are a major focus of the Smart Growth
Smart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
strategy by the City of San Diego, which is funded in part by private organizations and philanthropic individuals, notably Sol Price
Sol Price
Sol Price was the founder of FedMart and Price Club . He is considered a pioneer of the "warehouse store" retail model....
(founder of Fedmart
FedMart
FedMart was a chain of discount department stores started by Sol Price, who later founded Price Club. His first location in San Diego, California was in a converted airport hangar. It was originally a discount department store open to government employees, who paid a membership fee of $2 per...
and Price Club
Price Club
Price Club was the pioneer of the warehouse store. Founded by Sol Price in San Diego, California in 1976, the company charged shoppers a $25 annual membership fee to purchase bulk products at discount prices in a no-frills warehouse setting. Price Club's high sales volume enabled Price to give his...
).
These projects concentrate primarily on education, crime and gang-related
Gangs in the United States
Street gangs in the United States date to the early 19th century. The most publicized street gangs in the U.S. are African-American; black gangs were not recognized as a social problem until after the great migration of the 1910s...
activity reduction, economic improvements, smart urban growth, renewal of community pride and improvement of overall quality of life, while at the same time enhance the "melting-pot" identity for which City Heights is known.
Recent projects that have been completed include the very first alternative fuel station in the city, a new retail complex with some mixed-use developments, several newly expanded and improved basic schools, a new "urban village" with a new library, a new police headquarter and a gymnasium, as well as a number of innovative uses of open spaces as parks.
A significant addition to the neighborhood is City Heights Square Senior Housing Project on 43rd Street. Completed in 2008 with subsidies provided by the Redevelopment Agency Affordable Housing Program, the project provides critically needed affordable housing for seniors. This very successful project is marred however by a burgeoning and very noisy homeless camp directly next to the building. Persistent calls by residents to the police have been unsuccessful in having anything done about the continuous disturbance caused by these unfortunate homeless people.
Twice a year FaceLife chooses a Neighborhood in City Heights and closes off the streets and renovates 12 - 15 homes by painting, landscaping, and cleaning up the surrounding area in a one day event. FaceLift is a program of Community HousingWorks a non-profit organization connected with NeighborWorks America.
Project CLEAN is another program with Community HousingWorks that provides graffiti supplies and clean-up organization to any resident that would like to get involved in making their community a better place to live.
As a result of the improvements, population in the neighborhood has been on the increase, reversing the trend of urban flight for those who could afford to move just a few years prior. Indeed, the redevelopment is now starting to focus on controlling growth.
A few trendy bars and clubs have started to move into the neighborhood; some would argue that gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
is happening along with redevelopment. This most evident in Normal Heights and Kensington which is not actually a part of City Heights, but borders.
Arts, culture, businesses and cuisine
Due to the large immigrant population of City Heights, a vast array of ethnic restaurants can be found in the community. Most are located along the main arteries of University Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue.The annual International Village Celebration is held around late spring or early summer and is aimed at highlighting the community's diversity.
City Heights is home to types of cuisine from all corners of the world, including Vietnamese, Korean, African, and Mexican. There are also a few Ethiopian restaurants in City Heights, although there are almost none elsewhere in San Diego.
City Heights also has a Jamba Juice, Subway, Albertson's, a drive-thru Starbucks, many car repair shops, and Pet Zone, a local pet shop/tropical fish store.
Quite a few pubs and bars such as The Tower Bar, Til-Two Club, Last Call & Black Cat Bar cater to those into the nightlife.
Transportation
City Heights is a walkable neighborhood with many of the restaurants, businesses and shops near the main residential pockets. It is common to see pedestrians, cyclists and scooters throughout the neighborhood and surrounding communities. Centrally located within San Diego, City Heights has easy access to freeways, Mission Valley commercial centers and the downtown area. University Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue are the major thoroughfares.Because of the presence of the University Avenue transit corridor (the busiest in the metro region), City Heights has substantial bus service connecting to Downtown as well as to the Mission Valley trolley stops.
Education
City Heights is home to twelve public elementary schools, three public middle schools, two public high schools, and two private grade schools, and one charter school.Private grade schools
- Waldorf School of San Diego
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School (OLSH)
Public elementary schools
- Cherokee Point (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Hamilton (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Euclid (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Marshall (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Edison (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Central (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Florence Griffith Joyner (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Herbert Ibarra (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Mary Lanyon Fay (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Wilson (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Rowan (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Rosa Parks (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
)
Public middle schools
- Clark (Monroe) (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Wilson (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
) - Mann (San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego City SchoolsSan Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
)
Public high schools
Both in San Diego Unified School DistrictSan Diego Unified School District
San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
- Hoover High SchoolHerbert Hoover High School (San Diego)Herbert Hoover High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in the Talmadge neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District.The school was established in 1930 and named in honor of then U.S...
- Crawford Educational Complex (former Will C. Crawford High School)
- Community Health and Medical Practices School (CHAMPS)
- Invention and Design Educational Academy (IDEA)
- School of Law and Business (LAB)
- Multimedia and Visual Arts School (MVAS)