Pacific Highlands Ranch, San Diego
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Pacific Highlands Ranch (often referred to as and considered a part of Carmel Valley, a community to its west) is a primarily residential community of approximately in northern
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. As part of
San Diego City Council The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of San Diego. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council is part of a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts as th ...
District 1, it is represented by Joe LaCava, elected in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, and as part of District 3 of the
San Diego County Board of Supervisors The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is the Board of supervisors, legislative and executive branch of the Government of San Diego County, California, county government of San Diego County, California. Though officially Non-partisan democra ...
, it is represented by
Terra Lawson-Remer Terra Eve Lawson-Remer (born July 1978) is an American educator and politician serving as vice chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (US), Democratic Party, she has represented District 3 ...
, also elected in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
. Both had not been elected to those positions before.


History


Rancho Del Sol

The City of San Diego annexed the land in 1964 to build low-density housing in the area, which was previously known then as ''Rancho Del Sol''.Environmental Impact Report: PACIFIC HIGHLANDS RANCH (SUBAREA Ill) SUBAREA PLAN in the NORTH CITY FUTURE URBANIZING AREA (NCFUA). https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/dsderp_pts432080_02.pdf Rancho Del Sol was largely used for agriculture prior to suburbanization, as it was largely made up of tomato and strawberry farms, as well as plant nurseries.


Rancho de los Diablos

The land was also home to an self-governing, informal migrant farm camp that was known as "Rancho de los Diablos", which housed up to 2,000 residents of the settlement when it first formed in the early 1970's, who worked in the farms and lived off of the land to survive. The encampment was home to a local elected town council, church services, medical clinic, general store, communal bathhouse, brothel, and many sports fields for soccer, basketball, and volleyball. San Diego PD noted that it was a vibrant crystal Methamphetamine hub that was subject to many daily patrols. The settlement was demolished in the summer of 1994 at the request by nearby communities. The community later moved east to Torrey Highlands after becoming displaced to make way for the Pacific Highlands Ranch development.


Pacific Highlands Ranch

The residential development of Pacific Highlands Ranch was approved by the City of San Diego in 1998, in which the majority of the community was developed by Pardee Homes in the 2000s.


Geography

The community is bordered to the north by Fairbanks Ranch and
Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States, within the San Diego metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the 2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping blocks, ...
, to the south by Del Mar Mesa, to the east by Torrey Highlands, and to the west by Carmel Valley. State Route 56 (Ted Williams Freeway) passes through this community. 1,300 acres (49 percent) of this community is preserved as natural habitat.


Demographics

According to January 2010 estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), there were 4,224 people and 1,655 households residing in the neighborhood. The estimated racial makeup was 68.5%
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 ...
, 17.4% 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 ...
, 11.7%
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 ...
, 1.6% from other races, 0.4%
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 0.2% American Indian. The median age was 40.9 with 22.7% under the age of 18 and 13.2% over the age of 65. The estimated
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 $269,757 (current dollars); 47% of the community made more than $200,000; 52% made between $60,000 and $199,999; and 1% made less than $60,000. However, the January 1, 2019 SANDAG estimates indicated a total population of 10,422 made up of 3,211 households. The estimated racial & ethnic makeup was 43.1% White, 37.2% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 10.4% Hispanic, 5% 2 Or More, 2.5% Black, 1% American Indian, and 0.4% Other. The median age was 32.5 with 23.7% under the age of 18 and 11.9% over the age of 65. The estimated median household income was $163,136 in 2010 dollars ($194,434 in the then-current 2018 dollars); in 2010 dollars, 38% of households made $200,000 or more; 47% made between $60,000 and $199,999; and 16% made less than $60,000.


Education

Public schools in this community include Sycamore Ridge Elementary School ( Del Mar Union School District), Solana Ranch Elementary School ( Solana Beach School District), and Pacific Trails Middle School and
Canyon Crest Academy Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) is a public high school in San Diego, California. Founded in 2004, the school is part of San Dieguito Union High School District and is located in Pacific Highlands Ranch (often considered part of Carmel Valley), a ...
(
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, ...
). There are also a number of residents who attend public school outside of Pacific Highlands Ranch, most notably
Torrey Pines High School Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey pine tree that grows in the area. Torrey Pines High School is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School Di ...
in Carmel Valley (San Dieguito Union High School District). The only private school in this community is Cathedral Catholic High School (
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 ...
); however, San Diego Jewish Academy, located in Carmel Valley, is within close proximity of the western border of Pacific Highlands Ranch.


External links


The City of San Diego: Pacific Highlands Ranch Community ProfileSANDAG: Pacific Highlands Ranch 2006 demographsSANDAG: Pacific Highlands Ranch 2030 forecast demographs


References

{{Authority control Neighborhoods in San Diego