Vista (;

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 ...

for "view") is a city in

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 fi ...

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 ...

. Vista is a medium-sized city within the San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metropolitan Area and has a population of 101,638. Vista's

sphere of influence In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence (SOI) is a spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity. While there may be a formal al ...

also includes portions of unincorporated San Diego County to the north and east, with a

county island A county island is a small or large portion of an unincorporated area that is within the jurisdiction of a county, usually surrounded by adjacent areas that are incorporated into a municipality. On maps, these geopolitical anomalies will form ja ...

in the central west. Located just inland from the Pacific Ocean, it has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. A flag is displayed at the Vista Civic Center. The flag design is the seal of Vista on a blue background. Originally the lands of Rancho Buena Vista and

Rancho Guajome Rancho Guajome was a Mexican land grant in present-day San Diego County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Andrés and José Manuel, Indians. The name comes from a Luiseño phrase involving the word "frog", likely ''wakhavumi'' " ...

, Vista was founded on October 9, 1882, with the establishment of a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

. It was incorporated on January 28, 1963, and became a

charter city In the United States, a charter city is a city in which the governing system is defined by the city's own charter document rather than solely by general law. In states where city charters are allowed by law, a city can adopt or modify its organ ...

on June 13, 2007. Vista has more than 25 educational institutions for youth, and a business park home to over 800 companies. In a 2015 review, Vista was ranked as the 173rd-best place in California (out of 240) for families, based on factors such as family life, recreational opportunities, education, health, safety, and affordability.

History

The Vista area was originally inhabited by the Luiseño Indians, who established a village in today's Vista called ''Tovalum.'' The prosperity of the mission-era declined by the 1830s with the

independence of Mexico The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...

from Spain. The Mexican government began to grant land ownerships to a variety of people, thus beginning the Rancho era of California. Three ranchos were granted in the Vista area:

, Rancho Buena Vista, and Agua Hedionda Y los Manos. In the 1850s the ranchos began to fade due to changing political conditions and the scarcity of water. A growing number of settlers came to the area after California became a state in 1850 and began to create smaller agricultural holdings. One settler in the Vista area, John A. Frazier, applied to open the first post office and after several attempts to name the city (

Frazier Frazier is a Scottish surname. Notable people with the surname include: __NOTOC__ A * Adam Frazier (born 1991), American baseball player B *Brenda Frazier (1921-1982), American “celebutante” socialite during the Depression era C *Calvin ...

and

Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan *Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

were already taken), Frazier finally chose the name "Vista". With the opening of the first post office in 1882, Vista had officially arrived. In 1870, Bernard Delpy arrived from France to build what eventually became known as "Delpy Corners" at the intersection of today's East Vista Way and Foothill Drive. His nephew, Jules Jacques Delpy, joined him in 1879 and together they planted several hundred acres of grapes. In 1886, they built the first successful winery in the country. The winery was shut down by the Prohibition era. Inhibited by the lack of water, Vista grew slowly through the early 1910s to less than 1,000 people. With the vote of the people in 1923, the Vista Irrigation District had the necessary funding to construct a new water supply from

Lake Henshaw Lake Henshaw is a reservoir in San Diego County, California at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain, approximately northeast of San Diego, California and southeast of Los Angeles. The lake covers approximately and holds of water when full ...

. New buildings in downtown sprang up almost immediately. Agriculture began to flourish with crops such as tomatoes, celery, and citrus fruits. Some hillsides were also planted for avocados and by 1948, Vista became the "avocado capital of the world" Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, agriculture declined with an influx of population and housing. The City of Vista was incorporated on January 23, 1963. The frequent housing booms of the 1970s through early 2000s greatly increased the population of Vista. Numerous apartment complexes were also built in these booms. Many light manufacturing businesses moved into the Business Park area on the south side, starting in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Wal-Mart, Target and Costco opened large stores. In 1993, Vista became involved in a national controversy when the Vista Unified School District board unsuccessfully tried to incorporate creationist, anti-evolution views into the biology curriculum.

Geography and climate

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of of land. Vista is a hilly city. Most of the businesses are located in the flatter areas, and residences climb the hills. In undeveloped areas, the natural vegetation types includes chaparral brushland, oak-sycamore woodland, riparian (stream) woodland and oak-grass savanna. The natural vegetation is best seen in Buena Vista Park on the south side, in the San Marcos Hills, east of the city, and in undeveloped pockets on the north side (e.g. along Gopher Canyon Road and Guajome Regional Park).

Climate

Vista 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 semi-ar ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Bsk'') bordering on a Mediterranean climate (''Csa''). The climate is temperate, with extremes of temperature uncommon. Coastal breezes and foggy overcast (especially in May and June) keep the late spring/early summer high temperatures below . on most days. In general, the western side of the city (closer to the Pacific) is cooler and more overcast with ocean fog than the eastern side. It is common in May–June for the western side of Vista to be overcast and cool, while the eastern side basks in clear skies and sunshine. July, August and September are usually warmer, as the coastal breezes lessen. High temperatures in excess of , rarely above sometimes occur in late summer. High temperatures also accompany dry Santa Ana wind events, which can strike any month, but are most common during fall. On 90% of days, though, the moderating influence of the nearby Pacific keeps the weather pleasant and temperatures moderate. Frost is quite rare in winter, and snowfall almost unknown. Most of the annual rainfall of falls between November and April (Mediterranean climate type). Rainfall is higher in the San Marcos Hills on the eastern edge of the city, up to per year. The moderate climate has made Vista and surrounding areas a center of the plant nursery industry. Avocados and other subtropical plants thrive in the area.

Demographics

2010

The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

reported that Vista had a population of 93,834. The population density was . The racial makeup of Vista was 59,551 (63.5%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 3,137 (3.3%)

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 1,103 (1.2%) Native American, 3,979 (4.2%)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 677 (0.7%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 20,423 (21.8%) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 4,964 (5.3%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 45,380 persons (48.4%). The Census reported that 91,789 people (97.8% of the population) lived in households, 661 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,384 (1.5%) were institutionalized. There were 29,317 households, out of which 12,139 (41.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,024 (51.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 4,030 (13.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,065 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,143 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 236 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,784 households (19.7%) were made up of individuals, and 1,963 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 21,119

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

(72.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.55. The population was spread out, with 25,074 people (26.7%) under the age of 18, 11,738 people (12.5%) aged 18 to 24, 27,659 people (29.5%) aged 25 to 44, 20,690 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,673 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males. There were 30,986 housing units at an average density of , of which 15,194 (51.8%) were owner-occupied, and 14,123 (48.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 44,897 people (47.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,892 people (50.0%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 89,857 people, 28,877 households, and 20,791 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,810.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,857.3/km²). There were 29,814 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 64.3%

, 4.2%

African American 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 ens ...

, 1.0% Native American, 3.7%

, 0.7%

, 21.3% from

, and 4.8% from two or more races.

residents of any race were 38.9% of the population. There were 28,877 households, out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.48. The FBI crime index for 2005 was 32.9 for every 1000 residents. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,594, and the median income for a family was $45,649. Males had a median income of $32,936 versus $25,812 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,027. About 10.0% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Current estimates

According to estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments, the

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

of Vista in 2011 was $59,414 (not adjusted for

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...

). When adjusted for

(2010 dollars; comparable to

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

data above), the median household income was $57,665.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Government

City government

Vista, a

, is governed by a mayor, Judy Ritter, and a city council, consisting of John B. Franklin (Deputy Mayor), Joe Green, Corrina Contreras and Katie Melendez.

Public safety

Law enforcement is provided by the San Diego Sheriff's Department. Fire suppression, fire prevention and EMS is provided by the Vista Fire Department.

State and federal representation

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, Vista is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Vista is in

California's 49th congressional district California's 49th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is represented by Mike Levin. The district currently covers the northern coastal areas of San Diego County, including Oceansi ...

, which has a Cook PVI of D+4 and is represented by . According to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, on November 1, 2016, the City of Vista had more registered Democrats than Republicans. Out of a total of 40,837 registered voters, 13,859 were Democrats, and 13,507 were Republicans.

Education

The

Vista Unified School District Vista Unified School District is a public school district headquartered in Vista, California, United States. It serves sections of northern San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest ...

serves Vista and parts of Oceanside and several Unincorporated communities, with eighteen

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

, six

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

s, and seven

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s, including

Rancho Buena Vista High School Rancho Buena Vista High School or "RBV" is a California Distinguished School and International Baccalaureate Organization World School, located in Vista, California. In the 1990–1991 and 1994–1995 school years Rancho Buena Vista High School ...

, Vista High School and

Mission Vista High School Mission Vista High School is a public, comprehensive, dual-magnet high school that is part of the Vista Unified School District and is located in Oceanside, California; it currently serves 1,725 students and has been accredited by the Western ...

. Guajome Park Academy is a charter school with joint elementary, middle, and high schools that receives part of its funding from the Vista Unified School District. Alta Vista Continuation High School is another option for teens who cannot attend regular school. There are 12 private schools serving over 2,500 students, including Tri-City Christian School, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School and Calvary Christian School. Vista Adult School was established in 1977 by the Vista Unified School District. Vista Adult School is a provider of adult education services in the City of Vista and its surrounding communities. Vista Adult School offers adult education courses for adults in the areas of: high school diploma, GED, HISET, adult basic education, ESL, parenting classes, community education courses, and career technical education courses (CTE). Vista Adult School also offers a robust selection of short-term medical training courses such as: Medical Terminology, Healthcare Essentials, Medical Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy, and Medical Billing and Coding. Vista Adult School is a member of the Education to Career Network of North San Diego County (ETCN). Vista Adult School/Vista Unified School District serve as the fiscal agent for Education to Career Network. ETCN is one of 71 Consortiums in the State of California. Vista was mentioned in ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' when a group of social conservatives associated with the

Christian right The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with t ...

were elected to the Vista Unified School District's school board and tried to implement

creationism Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...

into the curriculum in the early 1990s.

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...

has a branch campus in Vista.

Brightwood College Brightwood College, formerly Kaplan College, was a system of for-profit colleges in the United States, owned and operated by Education Corporation of America. Main qualifications offered included health, business, criminal justice, information ...

(formerly known as Kaplan College) had a campus in Vista until the college's sudden closure in 2018.

Recreation

Vista is home to two city-owned theaters: the recently updated Moonlight Amphitheatre and the Avo Playhouse. The Moonlight is an open-air theater that specializes in musical productions, performing several Broadway-caliber, musical productions during the course of the summer. A winter season concert venue called ClubM hosts shows where the performance and audience areas are on the Moonlight stage, sheltered from the elements. The Avo Playhouse located in Historic Downtown Vista is rented year round for private performances. Several popular downtown events include the North County St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival, the Vista Strawberry Festival, the Vista Rod Run (over 25 years running) and the annual Winterfest & Christmas Parade. Vista houses one movie theater, currently a Cinepolis theater (as of 2015), but which opened as a Krikorian Cinema in fall 2003. Two of the best-known parks in the city are Brengle Terrace Park and Guajome County Park. Brengle Terrace Park houses the Moonlight Amphitheatre,

Alta Vista Gardens The Alta Vista Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located in Vista, California, in the United States. The mission of the gardens is to "bring together people, nature and art". History "Plans for a botanical garden in Vista go back more t ...

(a city-owned

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

), two softball fields, a senior center, a playground, and the city community center, where the main offices of the city's day camps are held. Guajome County Park has of land, which is shared between Vista and nearby Oceanside. It features a small lake, willow and oak woodlands, campsites,

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

trails, and the

Rancho Guajome Adobe Rancho Guajome Adobe is a historic 19th-century hacienda (and now a historic house museum) in Rancho Guajome Adobe County Park, on North Santa Fe Avenue in Vista, San Diego County, California. Built in 1852–53, it is a well-preserved but la ...

, a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. Buena Vista Park on the south side of Vista is a natural park where users can hike on trails through native chaparral and oak woodland. The Rancho Guajome Adobe and Rancho Buena Vista Adobe are two historic rancho buildings in Vista, built in the mid-nineteenth century, both available for tours and special occasions. The city's Parks and Recreation Department runs the Wave Waterpark, a small but well-equipped waterpark in the downtown area open from mid-spring to early fall, and the brand new Vista Community Sports Park. Another attraction is the

Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum The Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum (AGSEM) is a living-history museum founded in 1969 located on of county-owned land on the outskirts of Vista, California. The museum is a non-profit 501c(3) organization. It is located at 2040 N Santa Fe Av ...

, an open-air museum demonstrating agricultural equipment from the 19th and early 20th centuries. A Boomers family fun park is also located in Vista. Vista is home to a Japanese-American Cultural Center and Buddhist Temple (one of only two in California), a mosque, and over 75 other churches and temples of various denominations.

Media

Radio stations

AM 1000

KCEO KCEO (1000 AM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Vista, California. KCEO broadcasts with a power of 10,000 watts directional day, and 900 watts directional at night. The transmitter is located near State Route 76, nor ...

TV stations

* KHAX-LD channel 17 is a translator of KBNT-LP channel 17 in San Diego.

Newspapers

Daily newspaper service is provided by the regional ''

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 ...

''.

Infrastructure

The automobile is the primary means of transportation within the city of Vista, however bus service is provided by the

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 Dieg ...

(NCTD) BREEZE. NCTD has an east–west lightweight commuter train called the Sprinter with a stop in downtown Vista and another further east on Civic Center Drive near Highway 78.

Major roads and highways

State Route 78 * San Diego County S13

Vista Village Drive/East Vista Way *West Vista Way * San Diego County S14

Santa Fe Avenue Avenida Santa Fe is one of the principal thoroughfares in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The artery is essential to the imaginary axis of Barrio Norte in Buenos Aires, comprising the areas influenced by the route of the avenue through Retiro, Recole ...

*Bobier Drive *Civic Center Drive *Melrose Drive *Sycamore Avenue *Shadowridge Drive *Emerald Drive * Santa Fe Avenue

Mass transit

The

operates a bus system and a light rail system, Sprinter, with stations at Vista Transit Center and Civic Center Drive within city limits and also the Buena Creek Road in eastern Vista

. The Sprinter provides service, west to Oceanside and east to

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

and Escondido. From the Sprinter station in Oceanside, commuters can connect to

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

trains, or to the

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 ...

commuter trains to downtown San Diego, or to the Metrolink commuter trains to the Los Angeles area.

Utilities

In the city of Vista, gas and electric service is provided by

San Diego Gas & Electric San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) provides natural gas and electricity to San Diego County and southern Orange County in southwestern California, United States. It is owned by Sempra, a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Dieg ...

, while water is provided by the Vista Irrigation District. Sewerage is provided by the City of Vista.

Healthcare

The city of Vista is located within the Tri-City Hospital District, which provides emergency care and hospitalization, while ambulance service is provided by the Vista Fire Department. The Vista Community Clinic provides general health care to those who face economic, social or cultural barriers.

Government facilities

Located in Vista is the North County Regional Center, a

facility shared by the Superior Court, Sheriff, Vista Detention Facility jail, Probation, District Attorney, Revenue and Recovery, and the County Board of Supervisors. The North County Superior Court is a full service branch court.

Notable people

Carrie Prejean Caroline Michelle "Carrie" Prejean Boller (; born 1987) is an American model, former Miss California USA 2009, and Miss USA 2009 first runner-up. Prejean was stripped of her Miss California USA crown for alleged breaches of contract. Litigation ...

, Miss California 2009 *

Darrell Issa Darrell Edward Issa ( ; born November 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California's 50th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served i ...

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

California's 50th congressional district California's 50th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, and encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a small part of Riverside County. Darrell Issa is currently the ...

, former U.S. representative for

and chair of the

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in t ...

Red Killefer Wade Hampton "Red" Killefer (April 13, 1885 – September 4, 1958) was an outfielder and second baseman in Major League Baseball who played seven seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1907–1909), Washington Senators (1909–1910), Cincinnati Reds ( ...

, professional baseball player * Katherine "Scottie" MacGregor, actress, most notably in television series ''Little House on the Prairie'' *

Danny Way Danny Way (born April 15, 1974) is an American professional skateboarder, company owner and rallycross driver who has been awarded ''Thrasher'' magazine's "Skater of the Year" award twice. He is known for extreme stunts, such as jumping into a ...

, skateboarder * Rudolph B. Davila, World War II Medal of Honor recipient *

Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist and composer. Holdsworth was known for his esoteric and idiosyncratic usage of advanced music theory concepts, especially with respe ...

, British guitarist and composer.Anon.
"In Memory of Allan Holdsworth"

Legacy.com Legacy.com is a United States-based website founded in 1998, the world's largest commercial provider of online memorials. The Web site hosts obituaries and memorials for more than 70 percent of all U.S. deaths.Keagle, Lauri Harvey"Death in the D ...

, Apr 16, 2017. * Dave Roberts, manager of the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

; former Major League outfielder *

Tony Wolters Anthony John Wolters (born June 9, 1992) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers. Career Cleve ...

, catcher for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

, *

Don Prudhomme Don Prudhomme (born April 6, 1941 in San Fernando, California), nicknamed "The Snake", is an American drag racer. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991. Racing career Prudhomme crewed for "TV Tommy" Ivo on Ivo's ...

, retired drag racer and businessman *

Sara Watkins Sara Ullrika Watkins (born June 8, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of Nickel Creek, the progressive bluegrass group she formed with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addi ...

, singer-songwriter and fiddler *

Sean Watkins Sean Charles Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration. He is the brother of Sara ...

, singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for being in the band

Nickel Creek Nickel Creek (formerly known as the Nickel Creek Band) is an American bluegrass band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). Formed in 1989 in Southern California, they released six alb ...

, the duo

Fiction Family Fiction Family is a musical collaboration between Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman and Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins. The duo's self-titled, full-length album was released on January 20, 2009. The band has since added a drummer and a bass ...

and the supergroup

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

Alan S. Thompson Alan S. Thompson (born 1954) is a Vice admiral (United States), Vice Admiral in the United States Navy. He retired from the U.S. Navy in November 2011 as the Director of the Defense Logistics Agency. He was in this position since November 2008. ...

, retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and former director of the

Defense Logistics Agency The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is a combat support agency in the United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Defense (DoD), with more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel throughout the world. Located in 48 state ...

Leon Hall Leon Lastarza Hall (born December 9, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football for the University of Michigan, and earned consensus All-American honors. Hall was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first rou ...

, defensive back for NFL's

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

* Pisa Tinoisamoa, retired NFL linebacker *

Bob Burnquist Robert Dean Silva Burnquist (; born 10 October 1976) is a Brazilian-American professional skateboarder who competed for Brazil throughout his career. In 2010, he became the first skateboarder to land a " fakie 900" (900-degree reverse-natural r ...

, Brazilian skater *

Cove Reber Cove Reber (born August 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and the lead vocalist for American post-hardcore band Dead American and best known as the former lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Saosin from 2004 to 2010. Early life Cov ...

, singer-songwriter; lead vocalist of

Saosin Saosin is an American rock band formed in Orange County, California in 2003 by Beau Burchell, Justin Shekoski, Zach Kennedy, and Anthony Green. The band released their first EP, '' Translating the Name'', in 2003. That year, vocalist Anthony G ...

from 2004 to 2010 and Dead American *

Michael Damian Michael Damian Weir (born April 26, 1962) is an American actor, recording artist, and producer, best known for his role as Danny Romalotti on the soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', which he played from 1980 to 1998 and again in 2002-2004, ...

, actor known for '' The Young & The Restless'' *

Kirby Wright Kirby Michael Wright is an American writer best known for his 2005 coming-of-age island novel ''Punahou Blues'' and the epic novel ''Moloka'i Nui Ahina'', which is based on the life and times of Wright's paniolo grandmother. Both novels deal with t ...

, poet and writer *

Heather Youmans Heather Youmans is an American dancer and singer-songwriter known for her soundtrack work on the feature films, ''Moondance Alexander'' (2007), ''Flicka 2'' (2010) and ''Marley & Me: The Puppy Years'' (2011). Youmans recently appeared on ...

, singer, actress, and contestant on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

Sports

* North County Cobras, semi-professional football team, founded 2008

References

External links

*
Vista Historical Society & Museum

Vista Chamber of Commerce

The Vista Press – Community News
* {{authority control Cities in San Diego County, California North County (San Diego County) San Diego metropolitan area Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1963 1963 establishments in California