Bonita - is considered a rural and equestrian enclave in the middle of suburbia.
To visitors and residents alike, one of the most visible features of Bonita recreational life is the walking trail which loops the Chula Vista Municipal Golf Course in central Bonita. Hundreds of residents walk, run, and ride this trail every day for pleasure and fitness, and the trail has become a vital component of Bonita life for many residents.
The climate in Bonita is a combination of the coastal and inland valley climates of San Diego County : warmer (and sunnier during the May Grey and June Gloom periods) than areas directly adjacent to San Diego Bay or the coast, but not as hot as communities in inland valleys such as El Cajon, or even nearby Spring Valley. In summer, Bonita's climate is pleasant.
Chula Vista - Owning up to its Spanish name origins - beautiful view - Chula Vista is located in the South Bay region of San Diego County, between the foothills of the Jamul and San Ysidro Mountains (including Lower Otay Reservoir) and San Diego Bay on its east and west extremes, and the Sweetwater River and Otay Ranch at its north and south extremes. In South Bay, Chula Vista has a large footprint and, aside from South San Diego, it is the largest geographic entity in the region.
Chula Vista is home to OnStage Playhouse the only live theater in South Bay, San Diego. Other points of interest and events include the Chula Vista Nature Center, the J Street Harbor,the Third Avenue Village, and the Olympic Training Center.Downtown Chula Vista hosts a number of cultural events, including the famous Lemon Festival, Starlight Parade, and Chula Vista Rose Festival.
SleepTrain Amphitheatre is a performing arts theatre that was the areas first major concert music facility. OnStage theater stages high quality productions; serving as a large contributor to the cultural arts setting in Chula Vista.
Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 26,324 at the 2010 census. The city is the most southern beach city in Southern California and the West Coast of the United States. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, 14.1 miles south of downtown San Diego and 5 miles northwest of downtown Tijuana, Mexico.
National City is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 58,582 at the 2010 census, up from 54,260 at the 2000 census. National City is the second-oldest city in San Diego County and has a historic past.
For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai, lived peacefully and prospered in San Diego County's moderate climate. The area known as National City today was part of the Kumeyaay's ancestral territory which ranged east to El Centro, north to Escondido, and south to Baja California. The Kumeyaay were skilled hunters and innovative agriculturists. The Kumeyaay established their rich cultural identity and traditions, many of which are still practiced and honored today. The Kumeyaay first encountered Europeans with the arrival of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542 in what is now San Diego. By the year 1769, when Spanish soldiers and missionaries, led by Father Junipero Serra, founded the Mission San Diego de Alcalá and the Presidio of San Diego, the destruction of the Kumeyaay way of life had irreversibly begun. By the late 18th century, Spaniards entered Tipai-Ipai (Kumeyaay) territory, bringing with them non-native, invasive flora, and domestic animals like horses and cattle, which brought about degradation to local ecology.
The Spanish named the 26,000 acres (11,000 ha) of land El Rancho del Rey (the Ranch of the King), used by Spanish soldiers to graze horses. After independence from Spain, in 1810, the Mexican government renamed it Rancho de la Nacion (Ranch of the Nation). Governor Pio Pico granted Rancho de la Nación to his brother-in-law John (Don Juan) Forster in 1845. President Andrew Johnson, in issuing the land patent, listed the name as simply "The National Ranch". National City is the English translation the land grant name, "Rancho de la Nacion". In 1868, Frank Kimball and his brothers Warren and Levi, contractors and builders from San Francisco, purchased the entire rancho and thus began the foundation of the celebrated city, retaining the National name.
Frank Kimball first brought novelty and change to the area by building his personal residence. His home included a bathtub as well as hot, running water, making it the first modern house in the entire county. However, it was more than his personal innovative endeavors that allowed the region to flourish. By constructing the first roads and railroad in what is now National City, Frank and his brothers most notably were responsible for introducing modern transportation to the residents of the community. The brothers also implemented the area’s first post office and a wharf for sea-bound imports and exports. These large ventures, coupled with smaller personal missions, both contributed to the overall goal of creating a community unparalleled to the times. A lasting mark of the Kimballs was the trees they imported and planted from Europe and Asia, accomplished via a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These trees can be found dotted throughout the city to this very day. It was the passion and influence of the Kimballs as well as other early pioneers that made way for the city’s incorporation on September 17, 1887.
Otay Mesa is a community in the southern section of the city of San Diego, just north of the U.S.–Mexico border. It is bordered by the Otay River Valley and the city of Chula Vista on the north, Interstate 805 and the neighborhoods of Ocean View Hills and San Ysidro on the west, and unincorporated land of San Diego County on the north and east. Major thoroughfares include Otay Mesa Road/California State Route 905, Otay Valley Road/Heritage Road, Siempre Viva Road, and California State Route 125. South of the border between the United States and Mexico, the same region continues as a residential and industrial area called "Mesa de Otay", which is one of nine "delegaciones" (boroughs) of Tijuana Municipality.
Otay (pronounced Oh-Tie) is derived from the Kumeyaay language. Although its meaning is disputed, possible derivations include "otai", meaning "brushy"; "Tou-ti" meaning "big mountain"; or "etaay" meaning "big". Mesa is the Spanish word for plateau, table or tableland. Aviation pioneer John J. Montgomery made the first controlled flights in the western hemisphere using a series of gliders from the west rim of Otay Mesa in 1883/1884., The area which now includes Otay Mesa was annexed from San Diego County along with other portions of South San Diego in 1957. Additional annexation of almost four thousand acres was approved in 1985. Since 2010, seven cross-border tunnels have been found linking Warehouses in Otay Mesa with entry points within Mexico.
Paradise Hills is a neighborhood in the southeastern area of the city of San Diego, California. It is an outlying neighborhood adjacent to the independent city of National City and the unincorporated communities of Lincoln Acres and certain portions of Bonita.
Geographically, Paradise Hills encompasses the area east of Rachael Avenue (the boundary between San Diego and National City), south of Paradise Valley Road (a boundary with another San Diego neighborhood, Bay Terraces), north of State Route 54 (a boundary between San Diego and Bonita), and west of Dusk Drive and Potomac Street (another boundary with Bay Terraces). Stemming from old gang-enforced boundaries, "Paradise Hills" is sometimes incorrectly used to locate any place near the Skyline-Paradise Hills Community which includes the neighborhoods Skyline, Paradise Hills, Bay Terraces, Lomita, and the Meadowbrook Housing Project.
Public elementary schools located in Paradise Hills are Lee Elementary, Paradise Hills Elementary, and Perry Elementary; Penn Elementary lies on the border between Paradise Hills and Bay Terraces. Public secondary schools serving Paradise Hills residents are Bell Middle School and Morse High School (both in neighboring Bay Terraces and Skyline, respectively); San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) also lies on the border between Paradise Hills and Bay Terraces. SCPA provides education from 9th through 12th grades with an added emphasis on performing arts. The largest private school in Paradise Hills, St. Michael's Catholic School, provides education from Kindergarten through 8th grade. Recreation centers in and bordering the neighborhood include Charles L. Lewis III Memorial Skate Park, Paradise Hills Recreation Center, and Penn Athletic Field.
