Bonita, California

Bonita ( Spanish for "Beautiful") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. The population was 12,917 at the 2020 census, up from 12,538 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Bonita is located at .

According to the United States Census Bureau, Bonita has a total area of . of it is land and of it (2.71%) is water.

While Bonita is politically designated as an unincorporated community, bounded by the incorporated cities of Chula Vista, San Diego and National City, it is closely associated with the geography of the Lower Sweetwater Valley. Thus considered, Bonita occupies about a five-mile (8 kilometer) stretch of the Sweetwater River, its valley, and surrounding hills on either side, bounded upstream (east) by Sweetwater Reservoir, and downstream (west) effectively by Interstate 805. The community crosses west of I-805—an area less than —reaching as far south and west as East H Street and Hilltop Drive. Its northern boundary is State Route 54 and its southern extent reaches approximately one-mile (1.6 km) south of the river.

Large portions of modern Bonita consist of housing tracts built throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including:
* Bonita Verde Estates
* Bonita Downs
* Bonita Fairways
* Bonita Glen
* Bonita Highlands
* Bonita Long Canyon
* Bonita Woods
* Bonita Woods Park
* Emerald Ranch
* Lynwood Hills
* Ames Ranch
* Villas de Bonita
* Rancho Robinhood

The Bonita area is populated by coyote, racoon, fox, rabbit, squirrel, bobcat, opossum, and skunk, among other wildlife.

History

Before the arrival of the Spanish, Kumeyaay lived in the area around Sweetwater Valley, and called it Apusquel. After the establishment of Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the valley was used for cattle raising but was not significantly settled. After gaining independence from the Spanish Empire, the valley became part of a land grant awarded to John (Don Juan) Forster. The word ''Bonita'' is a feminine word for "pretty" in the Spanish language. It was the name of a ranch owned by Henry Ernest Cooper, Sr. in 1884, and was used by the nearby post office. The ranch itself was used to cultivate lemons, which were first grown in the area beginning in 1871. During the early years lemon industry was thriving, where it became the originator of the Bonnie Brae Lemon variety, named after the first lemon ranch in the community.

In 1888, Sweetwater Dam was built, creating Sweetwater Reservoir and forever changing the geography of the region. Soon after, in 1906, the dam broke as a result of extensive rains which overfilled the reservoir, and the Lower Sweetwater Valley was completely flooded.

Bonita has experienced minor flooding throughout history, generally as a result of high seasonal rains attributed to El Niño. The floods most affect the Central Avenue river crossing, as no bridge has ever been built, unlike the Bonita Road and Willow Road crossings which are bridges, the former of which was rebuilt in the late 1990s.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the development of State Route 125 (The South Bay Expressway) became a major issue to Bonita residents, much as Interstate 805 and State Route 54 did during their development. Opponents argued that Bonita's rural nature would be compromised without benefit while proponents argued that the highway would reduce the significant increase in surface-street car traffic the community had seen since the 1980s when the eastern Chula Vista communities surrounding Eastlake were developed. The tollway opened in November 2007 and sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 22, 2010, when the cost of litigation over the construction of the road threatened to overwhelm its ability to operate and pay off its loans. On April 14, 2011, South Bay Expressway LP emerged from bankruptcy, and in a closed session on July 29, 2011, the SANDAG board of directors voted to purchase the lease to operate the State Route 125 toll road for approximately $345 million.

In 2007, Glen Abbey Memorial Park was declared a historic district, having been designed by architects who also worked on Balboa Park, and other landscapes and architectures that are significant to the history of San Diego. It is one of only three historic districts in unincorporated San Diego County.

The Bonita Historical Society, which operates the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center, is the principal repository of historical information for the Lower Sweetwater Valley.

Climate

The climate in Bonita is a combination of the coastal and inland valley climates of San Diego County: warmer (and sunnier during the May Gray 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.

Government

In the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Bonita is in District 1.

In the California State Senate, Bonita is in California's 40th State Senate district. In the California State Assembly, Bonita is split between , and .

In the United States House of Representatives, Bonita is in .

Educational institutions

The following districts serve the local Bonita community:

Elementary schools

Chula Vista Elementary School District
*Ella B. Allen Elementary School
*Sunnyside Elementary School
*Tiffany Elementary School ( Chula Vista)
*Valley Vista Elementary School

Middle and high school

Sweetwater Union High School District
*Bonita Vista Middle School (Chula Vista)
* Bonita Vista High School (Chula Vista)

Community college

Southwestern Community College District
* Southwestern College (Chula Vista)

Parks and recreation

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's recreational life is the walking trail that 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's life for many residents. During El Nino years, this golf course and surrounding walking trails have flooded, closing the golf course and preventing many residents from using the walking trails.

In the late 1990s, Sweetwater Regional Park was expanded and significantly improved, extending the walking and equestrian trails to an even greater number, and introducing a camping area at Summit Meadow Road. Now, virtually the entire valley from the reservoir to I-805 formally serves recreational purposes as either park or golf course. Sweetwater County Park, at the intersection of Briarwood Road and Sweetwater Road, is a wildlife preserve with a small pond that supports some fishing.

Equestrianism has long been a part of the Bonita community, and many trails exist throughout the Lower Sweetwater Valley. There are several connections to trails external to Bonita as well. Many residents still keep their own horses and can be seen riding the trails regularly. The Bonita Valley Trails organization monitors and supports the network of trails throughout the valley.

The following parks serve the Bonita community:
* Rohr Park
* Sweetwater Regional Park
* Sweetwater County Park
* Sweetwater Reservoir Riding and Hiking Trail
* Bonita Golf Course
* Chula Vista Municipal Golf Course

Events

Bonitafest is an annual community event, held in early autumn, highlighted by a parade and street fair along Bonita Road which includes crafts, music, entertainment, and food. The Kiwanis Club hosts a Bonitafest Golf Tournament in conjunction with this event. At this time, there is also an annual community play called the Bonitafest Melodrama, co-founded by Max Branscomb in the 1970s.
In 2008, Bonita did not have enough funds to pay for traffic police to redirect traffic during the parade, so no parade was held during the Bonitafest.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Bonita had a population of 12,917. The population density was . The racial makeup of Bonita was 42.3% White, 3.6% African American, 1.2% Native American, 10.3% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 17.1% from other races, and 25.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.6% of the population.

The census reported that 99.3% of the population lived in households, 0.1% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.6% were institutionalized.

There were 4,223 households, out of which 33.2% included children under the age of 18, 59.8% were married-couple households, 4.8% were cohabiting couple households, 22.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 13.4% had a male householder with no partner present. 14.7% of households were one person, and 8.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.04. There were 3,391 families (80.3% of all households).

The age distribution was 20.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% aged 18 to 24, 23.1% aged 25 to 44, 25.5% aged 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 43.5years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males.

There were 4,391 housing units at an average density of , of which 4,223 (96.2%) were occupied. Of these, 74.9% were owner-occupied, and 25.1% were occupied by renters.

2023 estimates

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that 21.9% of the population were foreign-born. Of all people aged 5 or older, 59.8% spoke only English at home, 31.5% spoke Spanish, 1.4% spoke other Indo-European languages, 7.2% spoke Asian or Pacific Islander languages, and 0.1% spoke other languages. Of those aged 25 or older, 91.4% were high school graduates and 39.2% had a bachelor's degree.

The median household income was $117,750, and the per capita income was $58,271. About 6.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

2008 estimates

Bonita is primarily served by three elementary K-6 schools in Chula Vista Elementary School District: Ella B. Allen, Sunnyside, and Valley Vista. As of the 2007–08 school year, 1291 students were enrolled in these schools; their combined demographic makeup was 54.1% Hispanic, 23.5% non-Hispanic White, 5.7% Filipino, 3.8% African American, 1.5% Asian, 1.2% Native American, 0.8% Pacific Islander. 9.4% belonged to multiple races or declined to state the race.

Like many communities in the southwestern United States, Bonita could go through the process of hispanicization. According to 2008 SANDAG estimates, between 2000 and 2008, the number of Whites in Bonita dropped by 8%, and the number of Blacks, by 17%. At the same time, the Hispanic population in the community grew by 26%. Hispanics now constitute the majority of the population of Bonita in all age cohorts under 40; they are far outnumbered (by a factor of 2 or more) in age cohorts over 50.SANDAG 2008 population estimates, zip code 91902
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Notable people

* Andrew Cunanan, American spree killer, lived briefly in Bonita as a child.

References

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Census-designated places in San Diego County, California
South Bay (San Diego County)
Census-designated places in California