Southeast San Diego refers to the southeastern portion 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 States ...

(excluding South San Diego) and the neighborhoods south of State Route 94 ( Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway) and east of

Downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the city center of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. In 2010, the Centre City area had a population of more than 28,000. Downtown San Diego serves as the cultural and financial center and ...

. There are three official community planning areas: Skyline-Paradise Hills, Encanto Neighborhoods, and Southeastern. Largely urbanized in the areas nearer Downtown San Diego to the west and characteristically hilly, with lower-density residential and semi-rural neighborhoods toward the east, it is economically and ethnically diverse. In 1992, Councilman George Stevens campaigned against any official usage of the name "Southeast San Diego," since the designation had long been viewed as shorthand for the community as being crime-ridden and impoverished. His campaign was successful and all official use of "Southeast San Diego" has been discontinued by the city. Many residents and locals however, still refer to the area as "Southeast."

Geography

Harbison Ave and Division St, at the border of National City and Alta Vista, Southeast San Diego, California

Historically, Southeast San Diego had been represented as the communities directly east of the downtown area which lies south of State Route 94 Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway, west of California State Route 125, east of

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 ...

, north of

California State Route 54 State Route 54 (SR 54) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that consists of two segments in San Diego County. The westernmost part of the highway is known as the South Bay Freeway, beginning at Interstate 5 (I-5) in Nation ...

and sharing its borders with surrounding cities of San Diego County National City to the south, Lemon Grove to the northeast, and Spring Valley to the east.

Political boundaries

The areas southeast of downtown San Diego include portions of Council Districts 4, 8 and 9 (Encanto Neighborhoods, Skyline-Paradise Hills, and Southeastern respectively). A few neighborhoods in Central San Diego directly east of Downtown and south of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway have long been considered part of Southeast San Diego by locals, and are under the Southeastern Planning Area, including

Sherman Heights Sherman Heights is an urban neighborhood in central San Diego bordered by Golden Hill to the north, Grant Hill to the east, East Village to the west, and Logan Heights to the south. It is part of the Southeastern Planning Area. The Sherman ...

, Logan Heights,

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely consider ...

Memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...

, and Stockton Though

Barrio Logan Barrio Logan is a neighborhood in south central San Diego, California. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of East Village and Logan Heights to the north, Shelltown and Southcrest to the east, San Diego Bay to the southwest, and National Cit ...

belongs to its own Community Planning Area, the neighborhood has historically been referred to officially as "Western Southeast San Diego" and is still widely considered as part of Southeast San Diego locally and politically.

Neighborhoods

Skyline-Paradise Hills Planning Area *

Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylin ...

* Paradise Hills * South Bay Terraces * North Bay Terraces *

Lomita Lomita (Spanish for "Little hill") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,921 at the 2020 census, up from 20,256 at the 2010 census. History The Spanish Empire had expanded into this area when the ...

* Jamacha Southeastern Planning Area *

* * Logan Heights* *

* *

* * Stockton* * Mount Hope * Mountain View * Southcrest * Shelltown Encanto Neighborhoods Planning Area * Oak Park *

Emerald Hills Emerald Hills is a neighborhood in the southeastern section of the city of San Diego, California, United States. It is bordered by Oak Park and California State Route 94 on the north, Chollas View and Euclid Avenue on the west, Encanto and Sky ...

Chollas View Chollas View is an urban community in the southeastern section of the city of San Diego. It is bordered by Webster and California State Route 94 on the north, Mount Hope and Interstate 805 on the west, Emerald Hills and Euclid Avenue on the e ...

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

Alta Vista AltaVista was a Web search engine established in 1995. It became one of the most-used early search engines, but lost ground to Google and was purchased by Yahoo! in 2003, which retained the brand, but based all AltaVista searches on its own sear ...

Valencia Park Valencia Park is an urban community in the southeastern section of the city of San Diego. It is bordered by Emerald Hills and Market Street on the north, Lincoln Park and Euclid Avenue on the west, Encanto on the east, and Alta Vista and National ...

* O'Farrell (formerly South Encanto) * Encanto (formerly North Encanto) * Broadway Heights Barrio Logan Planning Area *

* '' denotes Southeastern neighborhoods located within the central area of San Diego

Transportation

Trains

Light rail

San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system operating in the metropolitan area of San Diego. It is known colloquially as "The Trolley". The Trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. (SDTI), is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Tra ...

: Blue Line ** Barrio Logan ** Harborside ** Pacific Fleet ( NS San Diego at 32nd Street) *

: Orange Line ** Massachusetts Avenue ( Lemon Grove) ** Encanto/62nd Street ** Euclid Avenue ** 47th Street ** 32nd & Commercial ** 25th & Commercial

Highways

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

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 ...

State Route 54 * California 94

State Route 94

Demographics

Southeast San Diego is widely viewed as one of the most diverse areas in the city, inhabited most visibly by

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, and

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

. Estimates based on the neighborhoods spanning the 92102, 92113, 92114, and 92139 ZIP codes of Southeast San Diego put the population at roughly 195,000 people over an area of , placing the area's

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

at 9,285.7/sq mi (3,565.5/km²). Throughout the area, virtually every neighborhood is predominantly

BIPOC The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

, with small concentrations of non-Hispanic Whites, though certain neighborhoods hold a majority or significant plurality of one racial and ethnic group over others. Southcrest, for example is 89.5% Latino. In nearby

, African-Americans make up 31.6% of the neighborhood's population, a much higher than average demographic make-up in comparison to other neighborhoods in the area. Lastly, in Bay Terraces and bordering Paradise Hills, there is a significantly high Asian-Pacific Islander (predominantly Filipino) population of 44.3% and 32.9%, respectively. The area of Barrio Logan, for example, had been first settled by Mexicans arriving in the 1890s, followed soon after by refugees fleeing the violence of the Mexican Revolution and the poor Mexican economy between 1910 and 1920. Barrio Logan is predominantly Latino and is home to Chicano Park. Though located near the City's Central core, it has long been considered part of Southeast San Diego, being directly Southeast of Downtown, and with previous historical records labeling it as part of "Western Southeast San Diego." Prior to "

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

" in the 1960s and early 1970s, many neighborhoods in Southeast San Diego were subject to discriminatory restrictive covenants, a problem faced by African-Americans like former Councilman and Deputy Mayor

George Stevens George Cooper Stevens (December 18, 1904 – March 8, 1975) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer.Obituary '' Variety'', March 12, 1975, page 79. Films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for ...

, who was denied the opportunity to purchase a house in the Skyline Hills from a white realtor. Presently, much of the Skyline Hills, as well as other Encanto neighborhoods such as Emerald Hills, Lincoln Park, Mountain View, O'Farrell, South Encanto, and Valencia Park, have a substantial African-American population. Paradise Hills recreation center

With the great influx of Filipino immigrants joining the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, especially from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

era on to the 1990s, many Filipinos inhabited the Southeast San Diego neighborhoods of Alta Vista, Bay Terraces, Paradise Hills, Shelltown, Skyline Hills, and Valencia Park, both for the relatively affordable housing prices and its close proximity to

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, con ...

. During the 1980s, in the interest of urban renewal, an unused tract of land (formerly a canyon) between the Skyline and Paradise Hills neighborhoods underwent development. This tract would eventually become Bay Terraces. The notion of a new subdivision built directly triangulated in what were already considered high-crime areas repelled the great majority of home-buyers. The homes were also priced out of the range of typical residents of the area and most went unsold or, in some cases, unbuilt. Federal subsidies and economic programs were then employed to assist in completing and populating the subdivision. As a result, military personnel, Filipino immigrants with military ties, and low-income families were able to secure loans to buy the new homes in the area. The federally funded recovery project was only marginally successful, however, as several large portions of the development stood partially constructed and abandoned for nearly twenty years, the most noticeable example at the intersection of Skyline Dr. and Woodman Ave. Additionally, enlisted military personnel (ranks E-1 to E-6) and their families occupy the Bayview Hills, a sprawling military housing complex operated by Lincoln Military Housing. This community of townhouse-style homes occupy a significant tract north of Paradise Hills adjacent to National City. Demographics from the remaining senior public high schools in the area,

Samuel F. B. Morse High School Samuel F. B. Morse High School is an urban public high school located in southeastern San Diego in the neighborhood of Skyline Hills serving grades 9–12 in the American K-12 education system. Morse, which serves a predominantly socioeconomical ...

in the Skyline neighborhood and Lincoln High School in Lincoln Park, provide unique snapshot samples of the area's diversity, especially around Free-Reduced Lunch eligibility, where roughly 80% (for Morse) and 85% (for Lincoln) of the respective student bodies were eligible, a figure that reflects the working-class nature of the area.

Image

View of O'Farrell Park and South Encanto from 61st Street, Southeast San Diego, California

Southeast San Diego had long struggled with an image problem plagued by street gangs, drug dealing, assaults, and homicide throughout its communities. In 1992, Councilman George Stevens campaigned against any official designation of the area as "Southeast San Diego" since the name labeled the area in an entirely negative light. The San Diego Police Department's Southeastern Division includes some of the city's peak crime areas including the neighborhoods of Encanto, Paradise Hills,

, Shelltown, and Southcrest. Many of the inhabitants in these neighborhoods are working class or lower-income, and a typical sight that is evident throughout Southeast San Diego are homes outfitted with iron bars over the ground-floor windows and doors, and in many cases, cast-iron gates and chain-link fences guarding driveways, a reflection of the perceived need for security in these high-crime urban neighborhoods. Zest Street

Southeast San Diego is home to some of the deadliest zip codes in the

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. In 1990, for example, the City of San Diego registered 135 homicides, with a staggering 100 of those homicides occurring south of Interstate 8 and concentrated in Barrio Logan and Southeast San Diego, in addition to

City Heights City Heights is a dense urban community in central San Diego, California, known for its ethnic diversity. The area was previously known as East San Diego. City Heights is located south of Mission Valley and northeast of Balboa Park. City Height ...

, and the

Border area The border area is the area immediately adjacent to the border of a country. In addition to the informal definition, a border area may have a legal definition and delineation, both domestically and due to bilateral agreements. Reasons for legal d ...

. Although crime has gone down citywide over the years, shootings are still a regular occurrence throughout Southeast San Diego, and the area continues to routinely have a disproportionate number of homicides in relation to the rest of the city. Additionally, many crimes in the area are not reported to the police which makes it difficult to give a completely accurate assessment on crime statistics in Southeast San Diego. Over the last few years, statistics from the San Diego Police Department show that about half of all homicides in the whole city had been accounted for in southeastern San Diego neighborhoods (covered by both the Central and Southeastern Districts), a substantial figure considering Southeast San Diego's relatively small geographic size and population in relation to the rest of the city. For example, in 2004, of the 62 homicides in the City of San Diego, 32 of them (roughly 16.4 murders per 100,000 residents or three times the national average of 5.5 murders per 100,000 for that year) had been accounted for in sixteen southeastern San Diego neighborhoods, from Barrio Logan to Lomita Village. In comparison, the northern San Diego suburb of Mira Mesa, which covers a substantial geographical area sizeable to Southeast San Diego's, to Southeast San Diego's , had no homicides for that year. More recent figures show that in 2019, of the 50 homicides in the City of San Diego, 20 of those occurred in seven Southeast San Diego neighborhoods, with Paradise Hills leading all city neighborhoods with 7 murders (a rate of 41.91 murders per 100,000 people), followed by Logan Heights with 5 (34.77 murders per 100,000 people). In

, the intersection of Euclid Ave and Imperial Ave has long been considered "The Four Corners of Death" due to the staggering number of deaths that have occurred in and around the area. Of the county’s estimated 88

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...

s, at least 50 operate within a few square miles of this intersection. Sections of Bay Terraces recorded the greatest percentage increase in violent crimes during a five-year period reviewed by the

San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

. The census block, from Paradise Valley Road to just south of Shadyglade Lane along South Meadowbrook Drive saw violent crime reports increase 450 percent. For the entire five-year period, there were 51 reported violent crimes, or about one every five weeks in just those few blocks alone. According to a study by

Rand Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is finance ...

, homicides in Southeast San Diego share similar demographic characteristics with those in the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

's 77th Street Division (which serves

South Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

), though despite having 29 gangs appear in the

San Diego Police Department The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of San Diego, California. The department was officially established on May 16, 1889. History Prior to the establishment of the San Diego Police Departm ...

's Southeast Division's murder files, only a handful of gangs appear responsible for the majority of gun violence that has occurred. In 2010, the Southeast San Diego neighborhoods of Logan Heights and

were featured on The History Channel's '' Gangland'' television series. The show documented the

Logan Heights Gang The Logan Heights Gang, also known as Varrio Logan Heights or LH, is a Sureño street gang based in Southeast San Diego. History The Logan Heights Gang was established in Southeast San Diego, when several individual Mexican-American street gan ...

in the Season 6 episode titled "The Assassins," which first aired on February 19, 2010. Less than three months later, the

Bloods The Bloods are a primarily African-American street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. It is identified by the red color worn by its members and by particular gang symbols, includ ...

were featured on the Season 7 episode titled, "Vendetta of Blood" which first aired on May 14, 2010. The rash of violence in Southeast San Diego had been met with community outrage over the years and prompted a series of anti-violence marches and rallies. In 2005, as a response to the spike in violence in the area, hundreds of middle school students took part in an anti-violence rally from the Lincoln Park area to Gompers Park in Chollas View, echoing chants of "Peace in Southeast" as they marched. More recent efforts in 2020 to revitalize the area through the arts brought artists and activists to the intersection of Euclid Ave and Imperial Ave in Lincoln Park, in an attempt to reclaim the deadly street intersection long considered as "The Four Corners of Death," to "The Four Corners of Life."

Landmarks

There are various landmarks, historical places, and other noteworthy locations in Southeast San Diego. Murals and dedicated public art areas are spread out across the community, the most notable of which are Chicano Park, a nearly 8 acre park of murals under the Coronado Bridge in Barrio Logan, and Writerz Blok, the first legal graffiti art park in the nation with over 10,000 sq. ft. of paintable walls in its half acre site, in Chollas View. * Chicano Park (Barrio Logan) * Coronado Bridge (Barrio Logan)
Elementary Institute of Science
(Emerald Hills)
Malcolm X Library and Performing Arts Center
(Valencia Park) * Murals along Ocean View Blvd near

(Mountain View)
Terra Nova Garden at Morse High School
(Skyline Hills)
(currently the Tubman-Chavez Community Center)
(Valencia Park)
Walls of Excellence
(Lincoln Park)
Writerz Blok
(Chollas View) *

Villa Montezuma Villa Montezuma is a Queen Anne style mansion in San Diego, California's Sherman Heights neighborhood that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Jesse Shepard residence The home was built in 1887 for Jesse Shepard, ...

(Sherman Heights)

Education

Southeast San Diego is served primarily by the

San Diego Unified School District San Diego Unified School District (formerly known as San Diego City Schools) is the school district based in San Diego, California, United States. It was founded in 1854. As of 2005 it represents over 200 institutions and has over 15,800 employee ...

, along with some

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

and

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

schools. Based on surveys area principals conducted with parents, violence is a big part of the reason why 70 percent of southeastern San Diego families opt for charters or schools in other neighborhoods. Many students in Southeast San Diego have taken advantage of San Diego Unified School District's Voluntary Enrollment Exchange Program (VEEP), and have opted to be bused to high schools in San Diego's more affluent northern suburban neighborhoods,. Depending on their VEEP Allied School Pattern, a high school student, for example, may be voluntarily bused to

Mira Mesa High School Mira Mesa Senior High School (MMHS) is a public high school in the San Diego Unified School District. The school is recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and a California Distinguished School. The school has an overall rating of 9.6/10 accor ...

Mission Bay High School Mission Bay High School (MBHS), is a public high school located in the San Diego, California community of Pacific Beach. It is a magnet school with emphasis on Academic Studies. In Fall 2006, Mission Bay introduced International Baccalaureate c ...

Scripps Ranch High School Scripps Ranch High School (SRHS) is a public school located in northeast San Diego, California, United States, that serves the Scripps Ranch community as well as students participating in the Voluntary Enrollment Exchange Program (VEEP) busing prog ...

, Serra High School, and University City High School.

Elementary schools

*Audubon Elementary *Balboa Elementary *Baker Elementary *Bethune Elementary *Boone Elementary *Burbank Elementary *Cesar Chavez Elementary *Chollas-Mead Elementary *Daniel Boone Elementary *Emerson/Bandini Elementary *Encanto Elementary *Freese Elementary *Fulton Elementary *Horton Elementary *Johnson Elementary *John F. Kennedy Elementary *Logan Elementary *Mt. Erie Christian Academy (Private) *Nye Elementary *Oliver Hazard Perry Elementary *Pacific View Elementary *Paradise Hills Elementary *Penn Elementary *Perkins Elementary *Porter Elementary *Rodriguez Elementary *Valencia Park Elementary *Webster Elementary *Zamorano Elementary

Middle and junior high schools

Bell Middle SchoolGompers Preparatory Academy (6-12)Keiller Leadership Academy (Middle School)KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy
(Middle School)
Knox Middle SchoolMillennial Tech Middle School

Senior high schools

The Southeast San Diego area is served primarily by three urban senior high schools. * Abraham Lincoln High School *

San Diego High School San Diego High School (SDHS) is an urban public high school located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California, United States. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District, one of the oldest public sc ...

(in

)

Atypical and other charter schools

Gompers Preparatory Academy Known simply as Gompers or Gompers Prep, Gompers Preparatory Academy (GPA) is a public charter secondary school in San Diego, South California, operated under the San Diego Unified School District in cooperation with the University of California, S ...

(grades 6-12)
Holly Drive Leadership
(grades K-8)
King/Chavez Preparatory Academy
*Marcy School
Memorial Preparatory for Scholars & Athletes
(under construction) (grades K-12) *Nubia Leadership Academy (closed in 2014) * The O'Farrell Charter School (grades K-12) *

San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, known as SDSCPA, is an audition-only public arts magnet school in southeastern San Diego, California, US. The San Diego SCPA is a non-tuition, public, dedicated magnet school in the San Die ...

(grades 6-12)
Twain High School (Morse Campus)

People from Southeast San Diego

Artists

* Yolanda M. Lopez, artist (Logan Heights, Lincoln High School) *

Salvador Torres Salvador Roberto Torres (born July 3, 1936) is a Chicano artist and muralist and an early exponent of the Chicano art movement. He was one of the creators of Chicano Park, and led the movement to create its freeway-pillar murals.Norman Milner Jr Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

"Stormin MFN Norman/Stormin Stakk" rap artist (Skyline Hills, Morse High School)

Athletes

* Eric Allen, football, (Southcrest, O'Farrell Junior High School) * Marcus Allen, football, 1981

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner (Lincoln High School) *

Archie Amerson Archie J. Amerson (born August 24, 1974) is an American former professional Canadian football running back and slotback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 1997 to 2004, appearing in 122 regular season games for the Hamilton ...

, football (Morse high school) CFL. *

Tommy Bennett Tommy Bennett (born February 19, 1973 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a former American football safety in the National Football League. Bennett graduated from Samuel F. B. Morse High School in 1991, where he was a member of the 1990 Morse Tigers, voted ...

, football (Morse High School) *

Quintin Berry Quintin Lonell Berry (born November 21, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers. Early c ...

, baseball (Morse High School) *

Marcus Brady Marcus Brady (born September 24, 1979) is an American football coach who is the senior offensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis ...

, football (Morse High School) *

Reggie Bush Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. (born March 2, 1985) is an American former football running back who now serves as an on-air college football analyst for Fox Sports. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twi ...

, football, 2005

winner (Skyline Hills) * Rashard Cook, football (Morse High School) *

Terrell Davis Terrell Lamar Davis (born October 28, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2001. He is the Broncos all-time leading rusher and ...

, football (Morse and Lincoln High School) * Tony Drake, pro wrestling *

David Dunn David John Ian Dunn (born 27 December 1979) is an English former professional football player and manager; he is now a coach at club Port Vale. Dunn played as an attacking midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career representing ...

, football (Morse High School) *

Lonnie Ford Lonnie Ford (born February 21, 1979) is an Arena Football League fullback–defensive end for the Los Angeles Avengers. Professional career Ford signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers following the 2002 NFL Draft, but was release ...

, football (Morse High School) *

LaRoi Glover La'Roi Damon Glover (; born July 4, 1974) is an American former football defensive tackle who is the defensive line coach for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He played college football at San Diego State University. Glover enjoyed a 13-yea ...

, football *

Dave Grayson David Lee Grayson (June 6, 1939 – July 29, 2017) was an American football cornerback in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. He played colleg ...

, football (Lincoln High School) * Monique Henderson, track and field,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, 4 × 400 m relay (Morse High School) *

Wally Henry Wallace "Wally" Henry (born October 30, 1954) is a former professional American football wide receiver. He played in the National Football League for six seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles. He went to the Pro Bowl after the 1979 season as a ...

, football (Lincoln High School) NFL Pro Bowler Philadelphia Eagles *

Sam Horn Samuel Lee Horn (born November 2, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player who spent parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) and was an anchor for New England Sports Network, the flagship station of Boston sports team ...

, baseball (Morse High School) * Adam Jones, baseball (Morse High School) *

Jacque Jones Jacque Dewayne Jones (born April 25, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins. He also coached for the Washington Nationals. Early life He graduated from San D ...

, baseball (San Diego High School) *

Lincoln Kennedy Tamerlane Lincoln Kennedy (born Tamerlane Fizel Kennedy Jr.; February 12, 1971) is a former football offensive tackle. He played college football at Washington, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. A first-round selection in the 19 ...

, football (Skyline Hills, Morse High School) * Cliff Levingston, basketball (Morse High School) * Keith MaGee, football, basketball, baseball. (Morse High School) *

Dominic McGuire Dominic Rashad McGuire (born October 20, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Real Estelí Baloncesto. High school career McGuire played high school prep basketball at Lincoln High School in San Diego. College career After hi ...

, basketball (Lincoln High School) * Mark McLemore, baseball (Morse High School) *

Keith Mitchell Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more ...

, baseball (Lincoln High School) Seattle Mariners, cousin of Kevin Mitchell * Kevin Mitchell, baseball (Mountain View), cousin of Keith Mitchell * Archie Moore, boxing (Stockton) *

Norman Powell Norman WC Powell (born May 25, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Powell played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, where he was an all-conference ...

, high school basketball (Lincoln High School), college basketball (UCLA 2011-2015), professional basketball (2015–Present) *

Arnie Robinson Arnie Paul Robinson Jr. (April 7, 1948 – December 1, 2020) was an American athlete. He won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 1972 Olympics and a gold medal in 1976. Early life and education Arnie Paul Robinson Jr. was born in San Diego in ...

, track and field, 1972 Olympic Bronze Medalist and 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist, long jump (Paradise Hills, Morse High School) *

Rashaan Salaam Rashaan Iman Salaam (October 8, 1974 – December 5, 2016) was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons during the 1990s. Salaam played college football ...

, football, 1994

winner *

Akili Smith Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (born August 21, 1975) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (3rd overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft, the third quarterback in the first three choices, beh ...

, football (Lincoln High School) * Marcus Smith, football (Morse High School)

Notable Crimes

* David Barron,

Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a Mexican American criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico, and is entirely a ...

figure and enforcer for the

Tijuana Cartel The Tijuana Cartel (Spanish: ''Cártel de Tijuana'') or Arellano-Félix-Organization (Spanish: ''Organización Arellano Félix'', AFO) is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Founded by the Arellano-Félix family, the ...

(Logan Heights) * Sagon Penn, Acquitted for the 1985 shooting death of a San Diego Police Officer.

Musical and performance artists

* B.Slade (formerly known as Tonèx), rapper, singer, and songwriter (Oak Park) *

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's ...

, rapper, actor, comedian (Grant Hill and Lincoln Park) *

Andra Day Andra may refer to: People *Andra (singer) (born 1986), Romanian singer *Andra (musician), Zimbabwean-American musician *Andra Karpin (born 1979), Estonian footballer *Andra Neiburga (1957–2019), Latvian writer *Andra Day (born 1984), America ...

, singer (Valencia Park and San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts) *

Jayo Felony James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California. Career In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called J ...

, rapper (Chollas View, Gompers Secondary High School) * Rosie Hamlin, singer and songwriter (O'Farrell Community School) *

Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ...

, rapper (Skyline Hills) *

Ananda Lewis Ananda Lewis (born March 21, 1973) is an American television host, carpenter, former model, and social activist. She was an MTV veejay from the late 1990s until 2001, when she left the network to host her own broadcast syndicated television tal ...

, model, television personality (San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts) *

Faizon Love Faizon Andre Love (born Langston Faizon Santisima; June 14, 1968) is a Cuban-born American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles in the comedy films '' The Meteor Man'', ''Don't Be a Menace'', ''Friday'', '' B*A*P*S'', '' Elf'', '' ...

, actor (Emerald Hills, Morse High School) * Mitchy Slick, rapper (Lincoln Park, Lincoln High School) * Members of the rock band

My American Heart My American Heart is an American rock band from San Diego, California, formed in 2001. Originally named No Way Out, the band released two studio albums through Warcon Enterprises and toured the world before disbanding in late 2009. They reunite ...

(Morse High School) *

Rafael Reyes Rafael Reyes Prieto (December 5, 1849 – February 18, 1921) was a Colombian politician and soldier who was the Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia (1904–1909).Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Po ...

, creator of the Cholo Goth genre and member of Prayers (Sherman Heights, Grant Hill) * Tiny Doo, rapper (Lincoln Park) *

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

, singer and songwriter (O'Farrell Community School)

Political figures

Myrtle Cole Myrtle Cole is an American politician in San Diego, California. She was a member of the San Diego City Council representing City Council District 4 from 2013 until 2018. Cole served as president of the City Council from 2017 until 2018. In 2018 C ...

, former San Diego City Councilmember (4th District), former President of the San Diego City Council * Georgette Gómez, San Diego City Councilmember (9th District), President of the San Diego City Council (Barrio Logan) *

Shirley Horton Shirley Grasser Horton (July 17, 1952) is a Japanese–American politician who served as the 37th mayor of Chula Vista, California, and in the California State Assembly as a member of the Republican Party. Horton was born in Japan and educated ...

, California Assemblywoman and former Mayor 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 ...

( Paradise Hills, O'Farrell Junior High School) *

Ben Hueso Benjamin "Ben" Hueso (born September 2, 1969) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 40th Senate District, which encompasses Imperial County and the border regions of San Di ...

California State Senator The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. D ...

from the 40th Senate District (Logan Heights) * Charles L. Lewis, former San Diego City Councilmember (4th District) (Morse High School) *

Fabian Núñez Fabian Núñez (also transcribed variously as Fabián Núñez, Fabian Nuñez and Fabian Nunez; born December 27, 1966) is an American politician and labor union adviser. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three two-year terms as a mem ...

, former

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...

(Logan Heights, San Diego High School) * Monica Montgomery Steppe, San Diego City Councilmember (4th District) * George L. Stevens, former San Diego City Councilmember (4th District), and former Deputy Mayor of the City of San Diego (Skyline Hills) * Tony Young, former San Diego City Councilmember (4th District) (Morse High School)

Distinguished military veterans

*Marine Sergeant

Rafael Peralta Rafael Peralta (April 7, 1979 – November 15, 2004) was a United States Marine killed in combat during the Second Battle of Fallujah during the Iraq War. In September 2008 his family was notified that he was awarded the Navy Cross, the sec ...

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

, casualty

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

(Morse High School)

References in popular culture

Southeast San Diego and its individual neighborhoods have appeared in various media, and has been referenced in many songs.

Chollas View/Mt. Hope

*Rollin' Forties Neighborhood Crips claim this area.

Barrio Logan

* Chicano Park was subject to a 1988 documentary, produced by Redbird Films * The 2012

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning documentary, '' Inocente'', featured Inocente Izucar, a then-homeless teen and aspiring artist who hailed from Barrio Logan among other areas in the city * Scenes from the film, '' South of 8'' (2016) were shot in Chicano Park * Chicano Park is featured prominently in the 2016 music video, "Mexica," by Prayers

Grant Hill

* In 2007, actor and rapper

was featured in the VH1 show ''Rags to Riches''. In it, he showcases his upbringing in Southeast San Diego, including the first apartments he grew up in with his mother, the Grant Heights Park Apartments, in Grant Hill. * Grant Hill and Sherman Heights are mentioned repeatedly in the 2017 song, "Death is in Bloom," by Prayers ("Southeast SD, Sherman, GHP")

Lincoln Park

* In 2010,

was featured on The History Channel's '' Gangland'' television series. the

were featured on the Season 7 episode titled, "Vendetta of Blood" which first aired on May 14, 2010. Lincoln Park native and rapper, Mitchy Slick, appears extensively in the broadcast.

Logan Heights

* In 2010, Logan Heights was featured on The History Channel's '' Gangland'' television series. The show documented the

in the Season 6 episode titled "The Assassins," which first aired on February 19, 2010. * The

and its ties to the

, are depicted in the 2017

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

and

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and include ...

series, '' El Chapo''.

Paradise Hills

* Scenes from the film, '' South of 8'' (2016) were shot in Paradise Hills

Sherman Heights

* Sherman Heights and Grant Hill are mentioned repeatedly in the 2017 song, "Death is in Bloom," by Prayers ("Southeast SD, Sherman, GHP")

Skyline

* The East Side Pirus are referenced along other Piru affiliated groups as "the Skylines" in the 1993 single, " Piru Love" by

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

-based rap group,

Bloods & Crips Bloods & Crips was an American gangsta rap group from Los Angeles County mostly known for their record selling song "Piru Love". History The success of N.W.A. had frustrated many in the gang community who saw the group capitalizing on the gang ...

. * Hip Hop artist,

, mentions Skyline in his music, most notably on his 2013 single, " I'm Turnt," ("It's Southeast Daygo in the building, shout out to Peter Pan, Skyline, Imperial"), and the 2019 single, "

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 1 ...

" with 116, ("I'm rollin' down Imperial, old school in my stereo, from Skyline, you don't hear me, though (Skyline))." The music video for the latter was filmed entirely in the Skyline neighborhood that he grew up in.

References

External links

City Council District 4 websiteSoutheastern San Diego Community ProfileSoutheast San Diego - A Diamond in the Rough Community Website
{{Neighborhoods of San Diego Neighborhoods in San Diego Urban communities in San Diego

Geography

Political boundaries

Neighborhoods

Transportation

Trains

Light rail

Highways

Demographics

Image

Landmarks

Education

Elementary schools

Middle and junior high schools

Senior high schools

Atypical and other charter schools

People from Southeast San Diego

Artists

Athletes

Notable Crimes

Musical and performance artists

Political figures

Distinguished military veterans

References in popular culture

Chollas View/Mt. Hope

Barrio Logan

Grant Hill

Lincoln Park

Logan Heights

Paradise Hills

Sherman Heights

Skyline

References

Further reading

External links