Carmel Valley, San Diego
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Carmel Valley is a suburban
planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
in the northwestern corner of
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California, United States. The community is composed of commercial offices, residential units, hotels, retail stores and restaurants.


History


Ahwel-Awa

Native American
Kumeyaay The Kumeyaay, also known as 'Iipai-Tiipai or by the historical Spanish name Diegueño, is a tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas who live at the northern border of Baja California in Mexico and the southern border of California in the Uni ...
history within the area has been documented to 7,000 years ago, which was adjacent to a Kumeyaay village west of El Camino Real near the
San Dieguito River The San Dieguito River is a major river in Southern California, United States. Its headwaters rise on the southern slope of the Volcan Mountains in San Diego County, and the river flows generally southwest for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National ...
in North City at the time of European contact with the Spanish known as ''Ahwel-Awa'' or ''‘aqwilawa,'' meaning "twine house". The
Portolá expedition thumbnail, 250px, Point of San Francisco Bay Discovery The Portolá expedition was a Spanish voyage of exploration in 1769–1770 that was the first recorded European exploration of the interior of the present-day California. It was led by Gas ...
in 1769, described it as "a large village... and many well built houses with grass roofs". The village were referred to various names by the Spanish such as Sellegua or Jellegua, and were given Christian names under Spanish rule such as ''San Jacome De la Marca, La Poza de Ozuna'', or ''San Dieguito'' (name for the region). Ahwel-Awa was the ancestral home of the Kwitlp clan of the Ipai-Kumeyaay people who spoke the Ipai dialect, and were one of the first Kumeyaay clans to convert to Catholicism in the 1770s under the leadership of Jamacuain "Benito" Culip, who was the kwaapay (leader) of the clan.


Cordero

After the
Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...
, the area was known to locals as ''Cordero'' as land grants were distributed to rancheros to promote settlement and dispossessed many local Kumeyaay peoples of their rights to the land''.'' The Kwitlp clan were relocated inland into what is today, the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians under the Quilp surname. The name Cordero comes from men with this surname who settled in the area in 1770s (Joaquin Ignacio, Francisco, Mariano Antonio, the sources also contain references to "Cordero brothers" that participated in the
Portolá expedition thumbnail, 250px, Point of San Francisco Bay Discovery The Portolá expedition was a Spanish voyage of exploration in 1769–1770 that was the first recorded European exploration of the interior of the present-day California. It was led by Gas ...
), a ranch house owned by one or more of them was located to the east of El Camino Real and south of Carmel Valley Road. Following the
Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
and the
California Gold rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
, the area developed to support agriculture and horse farms. Some equestrian facilities remain in the area.


Carmel Valley

The name Carmel Valley comes from the Catholic
Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...
, who in 1905 had established a dairy farm (Mercy Hospital Farm) and monastery in the lower McGonigle Canyon. The Sisters of Mercy had named a nearby hill Mount Carmel after a Biblical place near Jerusalem when they came to San Diego in 1890s and were given 1,000 acres in the area by the McGonigle family in exchange for health care (Sisters established the Mercy Hospital). When Robert Stevens acquired the farm in 1940s, he changed its name to Mount Carmel Ranch; the name Carmel got attached to the valley, at first starting with the lower portion of the McGonigle Canyon. Sisters of Mercy had also established the Carmel Valley Cemetery in 1900 (to the north of the modern SR 56). Carmel Valley is one of the newer neighborhoods of the City of San Diego, California. The community was formed by the City of San Diego on February 1, 1975. The construction later began in 1983 as farms were replaced by residential communities. Although the area was known locally as Carmel Valley, in 1974 the area was given the institutional name ''North City West'' in the master plan. The name ''Carmel Valley'' was adopted by residents in 1991 to replace the old one.


Geography

Carmel Valley is bordered to the north by the North City Future Urbanizing Area (NCFUA) and Pacific Highlands Ranch; to the south by Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and Torrey Hills; to the east by Pacific Highlands Ranch and Del Mar Mesa; and to the west by
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, 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 thro ...
and Torrey Pines. Nearby is
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a coastal state park in San Diego, California. The reserve is one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast, covering . It is bordered immediately to the south by Torrey Pines Golf Co ...
, where one of two stands of the
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
Torrey Pine is found to occur. The area overlooks the ocean and is located in the hills. While many people in the area are now referring to the entire 92130 ZIP code as Carmel Valley, the actual boundaries of the community remain unchanged from the original community plan. The remainder of the 92130 ZIP code is filled by the surrounding communities of Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, and Torrey Hills. Torrey Highlands, the easternmost section of Del Mar Mesa, is considered to be a part of Carmel Valley and the boundary between Carmel Valley and Rancho Peñasquitos.


Demographics

According to the San Diego County Assessor's Office's 2006 estimates, there were 42,047 people living in the neighborhood, a 49.2% increase from 2000. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 70.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 18.0% Asian &
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 7.0%
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
, 3.4% from other races, 0.89%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, and 0.001% American Indian. The neighborhood is diverse in age with 30.2% under 18 and 6.5% over 65. The
median age A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...
was 36.6. There were 2.7 persons per household. The annual
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two 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 und ...
was $120,886. According to the United States Census Bureau, as accessed from the American FactFinder website, the total population of the 92130 area code in the 2010 census was 48,940 with a 5-year estimate of 51,757 in 2016. There are very low crime rates and a very small homeless population within the community.


Education

Carmel Valley has an overlay of various school districts. For the elementary schools, the northern section is part of the Solana Beach School District (K-6). The southern section is managed by the Del Mar Union School District (K-6). Overlaying the entire community, the
San Dieguito Union High School District San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) is a public school district based in northern San Diego County, California. Established in 1936, the district serves over 13,000 students in five middle schools, five comprehensive high schools, ...
manages the middle schools and high schools. Some Carmel Valley residents attend schools in the bordering communities of Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Hills, and Torrey Pines. Carmel Valley schools are known for outstanding education and rigorous academics.


Elementary schools

* Ashley Falls ( Del Mar Union School District) * Carmel Creek ( Solana Beach School District) * Carmel Del Mar (Del Mar Union School District) * Del Mar Pines (private, nonsectarian) * Ocean Air (Del Mar Union School District) * Pacific Sky (Del Mar Union School District); actually in Pacific Highlands Ranch * Sage Canyon (Del Mar Union School District) * Solana Highlands (Solana Beach School District) * Solana Santa Fe (Solana Beach School District) * Solana Pacific (Solana Beach School District) * Solana Ranch (Solana Beach School District) * Sycamore Ridge (Del Mar Union School District); actually in Pacific Highlands Ranch * Torrey Hills (Del Mar Union School District); actually in Torrey Hills


Middle schools and junior high schools

* Carmel Valley Middle School (
San Dieguito Union High School District San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) is a public school district based in northern San Diego County, California. Established in 1936, the district serves over 13,000 students in five middle schools, five comprehensive high schools, ...
) * Pacific Trails Middle School (San Dieguito Union High School District) * Earl Warren Middle School (San Dieguito Union High School District); actually located in
Solana Beach Solana Beach (''Solana'', Spanish for "sunny side") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, on the South Coast. Its population was at 12,940 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 census. History The area was first set ...


K through 8

* Notre Dame Academy (
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
) * Del Mar Pines School (
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 recorded ...
)


High schools

* Torrey Pines High School (San Dieguito Union High School District) * Canyon Crest Academy (San Dieguito Union High School District) * Cathedral Catholic High School (Catholic) * Westview High School (Poway Unified School District)


K through 12

* San Diego Jewish Academy (
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish)


Economy

The large office, retail, entertainment and academic facilities in University City a.k.a. UTC (over 9 million sq. ft. of office space), Sorrento Mesa/ Sorrento Valley (also over 9 million sq. ft.), Torrey Pines (over 2.6 million sq. ft.), and Del Mar Heights/Carmel Valley (over 4.4 million sq. ft.), together form San Diego's "North City edge city",
edge city An edge city is a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional downtown or central business district, in what had previously been a suburban, residential or rural area. The term was popularized by the 1991 boo ...
being a major center of employment outside a traditional downtown.


Notes


Sources

*


External links


Carmel Valley community Information

City of San Diego: Carmel Valley community profile

Del Mar Regional Chamber of Commerce
serves Carmel Valley {{Coord, 32.9436607, N, 117.2088167, W, source:dewiki_region:US-CA_type:city, format=dms, display=title North County (San Diego County) Planned communities in California Populated places established in 1975 1975 establishments in California Edge cities in the San Diego metropolitan area