Otay Mesa ( ) is a community in the
southern section of the city of
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 eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, just north of the
U.S.–Mexico border.
It is bordered by the
Otay River
The Otay River () is a river in southern San Diego County, California. The river begins at San Miguel Mountain, flows through the Upper and Lower Otay Reservoirs, and continues on between the southern part of the Chula Vista and the Otay Mesa ...
Valley and the city of
Chula Vista
Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fifteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 78th-largest city in the United States. The popu ...
on the north;
Interstate 805
Interstate 805 (I-805) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass auxiliary route of I-5, running roughly through the center of the Greater San Diego region from San Ysidro (part of the c ...
and the neighborhoods of
Ocean View Hills and
San Ysidro on the west; unincorporated
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 ...
on the north and east including
East Otay Mesa
East Otay Mesa is an as-yet undeveloped area in the South Bay region of unincorporated San Diego County, southern California.
It is located along the northern side of the U.S.-Mexico border, with plans for future developments, including an ord ...
and the
San Ysidro Mountains; and the
Otay Centenario borough of
Tijuana
Tijuana ( ,["Tijuana"](_blank)
(US) and [< ...]
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on the south.
Major thoroughfares include Otay Mesa Road/
California State Route 905
State Route 905 (SR 905), also known as the Otay Mesa Freeway, is an state highway in San Diego, in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of California. It connects I-5 and I-805 in San Ysidro to the Mexican border at Otay Mesa. ...
, Otay Valley Road/Heritage Road, Siempre Viva Road, and
California State Route 125
State Route 125 (SR 125) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves as a north–south freeway in the San Diego area. It runs from SR 11 and SR 905 in Otay Mesa, near the Mexican border, to SR 52 i ...
. Otay Mesa is the second-least walkable neighborhood of San Diego.
History
''Otay'' is derived from the
Kumeyaay language
Kumeyaay (Kumiai), also known as Central Diegueño, Kamia, and Campo, is the Native American language spoken by the Kumeyaay people of southern San Diego and Imperial counties in California. Hinton (1994:28) suggested a conservative estimate of 5 ...
. 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
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
, table or tableland.
Aviation pioneer
John J. Montgomery
John Joseph Montgomery (February 15, 1858 – October 31, 1911) was an American inventor, physicist, engineer, and professor at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, who is best known for his invention of controlled heavier-than-air ...
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
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 ...
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.
Climate
Otay Mesa has a
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Bsk'') with mild winters and warm, almost rainless summers.
Border crossings
The
Otay Mesa Port of Entry is one of two border crossings within the city of
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 eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, the other being 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 ...
six miles to the west. Trucks are generally instructed to use the border crossing in Otay Mesa instead of the San Ysidro one. Otay Mesa also houses an immigration detention center.
Two miles east of the Otay Mesa border crossing in the unincorporated area of
East Otay Mesa
East Otay Mesa is an as-yet undeveloped area in the South Bay region of unincorporated San Diego County, southern California.
It is located along the northern side of the U.S.-Mexico border, with plans for future developments, including an ord ...
, the new
Otay Mesa East Port of Entry
The Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is a planned border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, approximately 2 miles east of the existing Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The crossing will connect the Otay Centenario borough of Tijuana with East Otay Mes ...
is planned to be in service as early as 2023.
The
Cross Border Xpress
Cross Border Xpress (CBX), historically also called the Tijuana Cross-border Terminal and the Puerta de las Californias, is an airport terminal located in the Otay Mesa
Otay Mesa ( ) is a community in the southern section of the city of San Die ...
(CBX) is a terminal serving and a pedestrian bridge crossing to the main terminal of
Tijuana International Airport
General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional General Abelardo L. Rodríguez) or simply Tijuana International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional de Tijuana), , in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, is ...
. This crossing has a facility in Otay Mesa. It was established by Otay-Tijuana Ventures LLC and had a cost of $78 million and opened in 2015. CBX makes Tijuana Airport the world's first geographically binational airport, because unlike the binational airports serving the Swiss cities of
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
(entirely on French territory) and
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
(entirely on Swiss territory), the CBX terminal is physically located in the United States but serves an airport whose main terminal and runways are in Mexico.
Highways
(Future I-905)
Other landmarks and facilities
Located 1.5 miles north of the Mexico-United States Border, is the 603 megawatt
Otay Mesa Energy Center, which came online in 2009. This
power plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an el ...
will be joined with the
Pio Pico Energy Center peaker, which will generate an additional 300 megawatts.
Pacific Gateway Park is located between Otay Mesa Road and the international border.
Five major law-enforcement facilities are located in an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in the Otay Mesa region:
* the state's
Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility
* the federal
San Diego Correctional Facility
The San Diego Correctional Facility, also known as the Otay Mesa Detention Facility, is a minimum / medium security federal prison for men, managed by Corrections Corporation of America under contract with the United States Marshals Service and U ...
privately operated by the
Corrections Corporation of America
CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas W. Beasle ...
* the George Bailey County Detention facility
* the East Mesa Detention facility, operated by the City of San Diego
* and a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement firearms training complex used by the FBI, the Customs Service, and local police forces
*
Education
Otay Mesa is in the
San Ysidro School District
The San Ysidro School District (SYSD) is a public school district in San Diego County, California, United States. It includes five elementary schools, one middle school, and several preschools in the San Ysidro community in San Diego, California ...
(SYSD) and the
Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD).
Public schools in and near Otay Mesa include:
* Finney Elementary School
* Juarez Lincon Elementary School
* Los Altos Elementary School
* Howard Pence Elementary School
* Silverwing Elementary School
* San Ysidro Elementary School
The area is zoned to
Montgomery High School.
[ ]
Shown as approved
/ref>
See also
*Mexico–United States border
The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border trave ...
References
External links
Otay Mesa community profile, city of San Diego
* ttp://www.sandiego.edu/tbi Trans-Border Instituteat the University of San Diego
Mesa de Otay Delegation, Tijuana, Mexico (In Spanish)
{{Authority control
Neighborhoods in San Diego
South Bay (San Diego County)