Otay Mesa West is a residential neighborhood in the southern section 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 ...

. It borders

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 ...

to the east,

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

to the west, and

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. ...

to the south. It neighbors Ocean View Hills to the east, Nestor and Palm City to the west and

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 ...

to the north. The northern boundary of Otay Mesa West roughly coincides with 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 ...

. Just north of the Otay River the community of Otay resides within the city of Chula Vista. Major thoroughfares include Palm Avenue, Coronado Avenue, Picador Boulevard, Del Sol Boulevard, Beyer Boulevard, and Beyer Way.

History

''Otay'' (pronounced ''Oh-Tie'') 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. The Otay Mesa West area was used by

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 ...

for his experimentation with manned gliders in the 1880s. The Montgomery family ranch was located in the

valley below. The area which now includes Otay Mesa West 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.

Landmarks and facilities

Otay Mesa West abuts the Otay Valley Regional Park, a regional natural resource. Within the neighborhood's boundaries are Palm Ridge Park, Silverwing Park, and Montgomery Waller Community Park.

Education

Public schools in Otay Mesa West include Pence Elementary, Los Altos Elementary, Southwest Middle, Montgomery Middle, Silver Wing Elementary and Montgomery High School.

References

Harwood, Craig S. and Fogel, Gary B. ''Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West,'' University of Oklahoma Press 2012. {{coord, 32, 34, 50, N, 117, 3, 37, W, type:adm3rd_region:US_dim:4100, display=title Neighborhoods in San Diego South Bay (San Diego County)