University City (UC) is a community in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, located in the northwestern portion of the city next to the
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...
. University City is bordered by
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
and Interstate 5 to the west,
Miramar and Interstate 805 to the east, and North Clairemont and Highway 52 to the south, giving the community a triangular-shaped boundary. University City is a part of District 1, which is represented by Councilmember Joe LaCava on the San Diego City Council.
The commercial real estate market refers to roughly this area as the UTC submarket.
[Map of UTC submarket CoStar]
/ref> Together with adjacent commercial areas along I-5 and I-805, University City forms part of San Diego's "North City Edge City", the largest such concentration in the county.
History
The area was previously inhabited by the Kumeyaay, where a trade route connecting the villages of Jamo (Pacific Beach), Onap (Rose Canyon), and Ystagua (Sorrento Valley) once existed through what is now Gilman Dr. The route was then adopted into the El Camino Real under the Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
.
Prior to the establishment of UCSD, the area was largely referred to as ''Selwyn'' from the late 1800s.
Camp Calvin B. Matthews was built in 1917 upon US entry in WWI, which was largely used as a rifle range base. The base closed in 1964 to make way for UC San Diego.
University City was a master planned community of 2500 acres acquired in 1959 from Sawday-Sexton. Originally University City was supposed to serve as a residential haven for the University of California, San Diego employees and students, where both college presidents and janitors would be able to live in the same community.
On March 10, 1989, a pipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device which uses a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively huge explos ...
attached to the minivan of a woman exploded while she was driving near the University Towne Center mall. She was the wife of Will C. Rogers III, the captain of the who gave the order to shoot down Iran Air Flight 655
Iran Air Flight 655 was a scheduled passenger flight from Tehran to Dubai via Bandar Abbas that was shot down on 3July 1988 by two SM-2MR surface-to-air missiles fired by the , a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy. The aircraft, ...
. She escaped the blast. Initially, it was suspected to be a terrorist retaliation for the downing of the airliner, but the investigation shifted away from this hypothesis. At this time, the bombing is still unsolved.
The San Diego California Temple __NOTOC__
The San Diego California Temple is the 47th constructed and 45th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located near the La Jolla community of San Diego, it was built with two main spires, but unique to this ...
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
was completed in 1993. It is the 45th operating temple of the LDS Church in the world.
On August 1, 2003, arson by the Earth Liberation Front, an eco-terrorism group, destroyed a housing complex under construction at the east side of UTC. It destroyed a 50 million dollar housing sprawl project Many residents awoke to find popcorn-shaped ashes littering their backyards and streets.
On December 8, 2008 at approximately 11 AM (PST) a military F/A-18
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...
bound for the nearby military base crashed into several homes destroying them on the southeast corner of Cather Avenue and Huggins Street. The pilot ejected and was not injured. There were four civilians killed on the ground by the impact and fire that followed.
Geography
The campus of the University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...
, from which the area derives its name, is to the west of the center of the neighborhood. Many of the professors teaching at UCSD live in the neighborhood.
There are two distinct parts of University City divided by Rose Canyon, featuring the Rose Canyon Open Space preserve, and railroad tracks passing through it. South of Rose Canyon lies the older part of University City, built out in the 1960s-1980s and historically referred to as University Square, centered on Governor Drive. It is a mostly residential neighborhood along Governor Drive with many single family homes. In this area, just southwest of the Governor Drive exit from I-805 is a commercially zoned area containing office parks with low-rise buildings.
The topography of University City includes mesas and canyons such as Rose Canyon, San Clemente Canyon, and finger canyons that provide much of the open space. The canyons provide wildlife habitats with about 100 bird species migrating through the area plus natural views and opportunities for hiking, biking, and birding. The canyons are fire-managed and thus present small wildfire risks. In addition, motorists drive around the canyons, with I-5, Genesee Avenue, and the I-805 being about 1 mile apart from each other.
Neighbors
University City's neighbors include:
* to the south: Clairemont
* to the west: La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
* to the east: Miramar and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...
* to the north: Sorrento Valley
Sorrento Valley is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is located about 17 mi (27 km) north of Downtown San Diego and its main airport, Lindbergh Field. It is roughly bounded by Interstate 5 and Interstate 805, Camino Santa Fe t ...
and Mira Mesa
Mira Mesa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Mesa, Table View") is a community and neighborhood in the city of San Diego, California. The city-recognized Mira Mesa Community Plan Area is roughly bounded by Interstate 15 on the east, Interstate 805 o ...
Fauna and flora
The wildlife in Rose Canyon has over 99 species of birds including the California gnatcatcher
The California gnatcatcher (''Polioptila californica'') is a small long insectivorous bird which frequents dense coastal sage scrub growth. This species was recently split from the similar black-tailed gnatcatcher of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan ...
and California least tern
The California least tern, ''Sternula antillarum browni'', is a subspecies of least tern that breeds primarily in bays of the Pacific Ocean within a very limited range of Southern California, in San Francisco Bay and in northern regions of Mexico ...
which are considered endangered and listed federally as threatened species.
The flora of the Rose Canyon is known for its vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...
s. The pools are located on the east end of the canyon adjacent to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar). Endemic endangered species have included the Orcutt's brodiaea (''Brodiaea orcuttii
''Brodiaea orcuttii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae. It is a cluster-lily known by the common name Orcutt's brodiaea. The bulb is native to Southern California, mainly San Diego County, Califo ...
''), San Diego button celery ('' Eryngium aristulatum parishii''), San Diego golden star ('' Muilla clevelandii''), spreading navarretia (''Navarretia fossalis
''Navarretia fossalis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name spreading navarretia.
Distribution
The plant is native to southern California and Baja California, where it is known only from vernally w ...
''), prostrate navarretia (''Navarretia prostrata
''Navarretia prostrata'' is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names prostrate pincushionplant and prostrate vernal pool navarretia. It is endemic to California.
The plant has a scattered distribution ...
''), California adder's tongue fern ('' Ophioglossum californicum''), California Orcutt grass (''Orcuttia californica
''Orcuttia californica'' is a rare species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name California Orcutt grass.
Distribution
It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in scattered locations in vernal pool ha ...
''), and San Diego mesa mint ('' Pogogyne abramsii'').
Economy
With its large academic, office and retail facilities, University City forms part of adjacent commercial areas in Sorrento Mesa/Sorrento Valley
Sorrento Valley is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is located about 17 mi (27 km) north of Downtown San Diego and its main airport, Lindbergh Field. It is roughly bounded by Interstate 5 and Interstate 805, Camino Santa Fe t ...
, Torrey Pines, and Del Mar Heights/ Carmel Valley – to form San Diego's "North City edge city", edge city
''Edge city'' is a term that originated in the United States for a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional downtown or central business district, in what had previously been a suburban residential or rura ...
being a major center of employment outside a traditional downtown.
University City's economy is anchored by the University of California, San Diego campus which forms the north part of the community. University City has also become a major corporate center in the San Diego region with many real estate, legal, accounting, consulting and other professional services firms relocating from offices in downtown to be closer to clients in the northern parts of the city. Thousands of workers commute from across San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
to University City daily. It is one of the region's most significant economic centers.
The commercial real estate market refers to roughly this area (between the 5, 805 and 52 freeways) as the UTC submarket,[ UTC being the name of the Westfield UTC shopping mall located in the neighborhood. With over 9.5 million square feet it is the largest office space market in the county after Downtown San Diego.]["San Diego Office Market Report, Q1 2019", Avison Young]
/ref>
Besides containing three local shopping centers, there is also a large regional shopping mall referred to as Westfield UTC
Westfield UTC (formerly known as University Towne Centre) is an open-air shopping mall located in the University City community of San Diego, California built in 1977. It lies just east of La Jolla, near the University of California, San Diego c ...
. This shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Genesee Avenue and La Jolla Village Drive, and is anchored by Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, a ...
and Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
. The northeastern mesas of University City started to be developed for industrial and corporate uses in late 1980s to early 1990s, and are home to several biotech, technology, and professional services
Professional services are occupations in the service sector requiring special training in the arts or sciences. Some professional services, such as architects, accountants, engineers, doctors, and lawyers require the practitioner to hold profe ...
firms among other businesses. The northern part of University City also contains two major hospitals, Scripps Memorial and UCSD's Jacobs Medical Center
Jacobs Medical Center is a teaching hospital on the University of California, San Diego campus in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego. Along with the UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest, it serves as a flagship hospital of UC San Diego Heal ...
, with surrounding medical office buildings. Development and re-development of this area continues today. University City was the site of a 2003 fire bombing of a condominium complex, causing 50 million dollars in damage to the La Jolla Crossroads apartments. The ostensible reason for the bombing concerned the overdevelopment of northern University City.
University City also has multiple parks, three elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and a police and fire station.
The University Square shopping center at Governor Drive and Genesee Avenue is anchored by a Vons
Vons is a Southern California and Southern Nevada supermarket chain owned by Albertsons. It is headquartered in Fullerton, California, and operates stores under the Vons and Pavilions banners. It was owned by Safeway Inc. and headquartered in ...
grocery store and a Rite Aid
Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 l ...
pharmacy. Another shopping center to the west at Governor Drive and Regents Road is anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market
Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc., is a supermarket chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The grocer offers a wide selection of natural and organic foods, including fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, mea ...
. A third shopping center is located in the "La Jolla Colony" area in north University City, and it is also anchored by a Vons
Vons is a Southern California and Southern Nevada supermarket chain owned by Albertsons. It is headquartered in Fullerton, California, and operates stores under the Vons and Pavilions banners. It was owned by Safeway Inc. and headquartered in ...
grocery store.
Transportation
The Rail Authority has mentioned University City as a possible location for a California High-Speed Rail
California High-Speed Rail (also known as CAHSR or CHSR) is a publicly funded high-speed rail system currently under construction in California in the United States. Planning for the project began in 1996, when the California Legislature and Gover ...
station. However, the location has been removed from current consideration.
Currently, the area is served by the SuperLoop bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
which circulates through the area, local bus service provided by San Diego Metropolitan Transit System
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (''SDMTS'' or often simply ''MTS'') is a public transit service provider for Central, South, Northeast and Southeast San Diego County. The agency directly operates a large transit system that includes t ...
and North County Transit District
The North County Transit District (typically abbreviated as NCTD) is the agency responsible for public transportation in Northern San Diego County, California. The agency manages the COASTER commuter rail service between Oceanside and San Die ...
, and the Blue Line (San Diego Trolley)
The Blue Line (officially the UC San Diego Blue Line for sponsorship purposes) is a light rail line in the San Diego Trolley system, operated by San Diego Trolley, Inc., an operating division of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). ...
which connects the area to Old Town (San Diego), Downtown San Diego, South Bay (San Diego), and the San Ysidro Port of Entry
__NOTOC__
The San Ysidro Port of Entry (aka San Ysidro Land Port of Entry or San Ysidro LPOE) is the largest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, and the fourth- busiest land border crossing in the world (second-busiest if one exclu ...
. Also, the University City Tunnel has been proposed for existing Pacific Surfliner
The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The service carried 2,924,117 passengers during fiscal year 2016, a 3.4% increase from F ...
and Coaster
Coaster (stylized as COASTER) is a commuter rail service in the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County, California, United States operated by the North County Transit District (NCTD). The commuter rail line features eight s ...
service. However, with an estimate cost of over $450 million, it is not considered a high priority.
The only connection between UTC and South UC (not including the bordering 8-lane freeways Interstate 5 and Interstate 805) is the four-lane Genesee Avenue. The City of San Diego also wants to extend Regents Road by building a bridge over Rose Canyon. This plan has been strongly opposed by a local group calling itself Friends of Rose Canyon. The argument has been going on for years.
Regents Road bridge
During the original planning of University City, Regents Road was planned to be connected by a bridge running through Rose Canyon. With so much construction going on at the same time, Regents Road was put on hold and was not connected from Governor Dr to Nobel Dr. Forty years later, the canyon is now surrounded by residential neighborhoods.
Some residents want the bridge constructed due to the time it takes for emergency vehicles to be transported between southern and northern University City. The fire department claimed that: "A bridge or the widening of Genesee Avenue would shorten response time for emergency vehicles in the neighborhood. It has one of the slowest response times in the city." Along with emergency centers nearby, Rose Canyon provides the perfect environment for wildfires in UC. An emergency such as that would require evacuation, which for the citizens of UC would only leave one escape route, Genesee, already one of the busiest streets in the city.
Other residents want to cancel the construction of the bridge due to the disruption to wildlife and the community. The proposed bridge would be across Rose Canyon.
Education
There are five public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
schools in University City:
* Marie Curie Elementary School
* John D. Spreckels Elementary School
* Doyle Elementary School
* Standley Middle School
* University City High School (San Diego)
University City High School (UCHS) is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in the University City section of San Diego, California, United States. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. The school opened its door ...
There are three private schools in University City:
*Mission Bay Montessori Academy (preschool - 6th grade
*La Jolla Country Day School (preschool - 12th grade)
*Fusion Academy San Diego (6 - 12th grade)
Culture
* San Diego Public Library
The San Diego Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Diego, California.
History
The San Diego Public Library was established on May 19, 1882, by an elected board of library trustees, one of whom was civic leader a ...
** North University Community Library
** University Community Library
Recreation
Several golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
s are recognized as children-friendly, unique in the area:
*The University City Golf Course has 9 holes, with a par 27. Most holes are about long or less, except the 6th, which is .
Several community and neighborhood parks and recreation centers are also available:
* Standley Recreation Center and Park
* Doyle Recreation Center and Park includes an off-leash dog park with two fenced areas to keep large and small dogs separated.
* La Jolla Colony Park
* Rose Canyon Open Space Park
* Marcy Park - 5500 Stresemann Street
* Tot Lot at University Village Park - Corner of Florey and Cather Streets
* University Gardens Park - Corner of Governor Drive at Gullstrand Street
References
External links
University City Community Association
University City High School
{{Authority control
Neighborhoods in San Diego
Edge cities in the San Diego metropolitan area