text:
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, California

Casa de Oro-Mount Helix is a census-designated place (CDP) in the East County region of San Diego County, California.

The CDP encompasses several unincorporated neighborhoods near the cities of El Cajon and La Mesa and the CDP of Spring Valley. Locations in the northern (Mount Helix) part of the CDP use La Mesa addresses, while locations in the southern (Casa de Oro) part use Spring Valley addresses. Informally, Casa de Oro is often considered to be a part of Spring Valley.

History

In 1872, after a scientist discovered a European snail (Cornu aspersum, formerly Helix aspersa) living on a small mountain, Rufus King Porter, the founder of what is now unincorporated Spring Valley, California, named the peak Mt. Helix. Then in 1885, the United States Postal Service rejected the use of two words for a post office name, so Rufus submitted just the name Helix and also became the first postmaster in Spring Valley; the Helix Post Office was operated out of his home.

Around this same time, Hubert Howe Bancroft came to the area. He bought the Porters' ranch and also acquired neighboring properties, accumulating about 500 acre. He began calling his property "Helix Farms." Bancroft hired workers to help develop Helix Farms, planting orchards and building structures for his ranch. By the early 1900s, Helix Farms was home to the largest olive ranch in southern California; some of the original olive trees can still be found today. Bancroft died in 1918, and eventually his family sold the property.

Geography
Casa de Oro-Mount Helix is located at 32.76333°N, -116.9775°W (32.763359, -116.977474).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.9 sqmi, all land.

2011
The 2010 United States Census reported that Casa de Oro-Mount Helix had a population of 18,762. The population density was 2,737.8 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Casa de Oro-Mount Helix was 13,375 (64.6%) White, 1,108 (5.9%) African American, 89 (0.5%) Native American, 593 (3.2%) Asian, 96 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 996 (5.3%) from other races, and 999 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4,815 persons (23.3%).

The Census reported that 18,563 people (98.9% of the population) lived in households, 110 (0.6%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 89 (0.5%) were institutionalized.

There were 6,943 households, out of which 2,179 (31.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,036 (58.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 745 (10.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 360 (5.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 365 (5.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 77 (1.1%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 1,319 households (19.0%) were made up of individuals, and 617 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67. There were 5,141 families (74.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.02.

The population was spread out, with 3,945 people (21.0%) under the age of 18, 1,510 people (8.0%) aged 18 to 24, 3,807 people (20.3%) aged 25 to 44, 6,012 people (32.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 3,488 people (18.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

There were 7,249 housing units at an average density of 1,057.8 /sqmi, of which 5,018 (72.3%) were owner-occupied, and 1,925 (27.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.2%. 13,358 people (71.2% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,205 people (27.7%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,874 people, 7,012 households, and 5,287 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 2,760.1 PD/sqmi. There were 7,140 housing units at an average density of 1,044.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 68.7% White, 7.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 4.2% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2% of the population.

There were 7,012 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,387, and the median income for a family was $72,127. Males had a median income of $51,234 versus $31,923 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,565. About 5.0% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Public high school education is provided by the Grossmont Union High School District. Elementary and middle schools are run by the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.

Government

In the California State Legislature, Casa de Oro-Mount Helix is in, and in.

title: Casa de Oro-Mount Helix, California


text:
Chula Vista, California

Chula Vista is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is also 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 82nd-largest city in the United States. The population was 275,487 as of the 2020 census, up from 243,916 as of the 2010 census. Located about halfway—7.5 mi—between the two downtowns of San Diego and Tijuana in the South Bay, the city is at the center of one of the richest culturally diverse zones in the United States. Chula Vista is so named because of its scenic location between the San Diego Bay and coastal mountain foothills.

The area, along with San Diego, was inhabited by the Kumeyaay before contact from the Spanish, who later claimed the area. In 1821, Chula Vista became part of the newly declared Mexican Empire, which reformed as the First Mexican Republic two years later. California became part of the United States in 1848 as a result of the Mexican–American War and was admitted to the union as a state in 1850.

Founded in the early 19th century and incorporated in October 1911, fast population growth has recently been observed in the city. Located in the city is one of America's few year-round United States Olympic Training centers, while popular tourist destinations include Sesame Place San Diego, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, the Chula Vista marina, and the Living Coast Discovery Center.

Early history
Fossils of aquatic life, in the form of a belemnitida from the Jurassic, have been found within the modern borders of Chula Vista. It is not until the Oligocene epoch that land life fossils have been found; although Eocene epoch fossils have been found in nearby Bonita. It is not until 10,000 years ago that human activity has been found within the modern borders of Chula Vista, primarily in Otay Valley of the San Dieguito people. The oldest site of human settlement within the modern boundaries of Chula Vista, was named Otai by the Spanish in 1769, and had been occupied as far back as 7,980 years ago. Another place where humans first settled within the modern boundaries of Chula Vista was at the Rolling Hills Site, which dates back to 7,000 years ago.

In 3000 BCE, people speaking the Yuman (Quechan) language began moving into the region from the Lower Colorado River Valley and southwestern Arizona portions of the Sonoran desert. Later the Kumeyaay tribe came to populate the land, on which the city sits today, and lived in the area for hundreds of years. The Kumeyaay built a village known as Chiap (or Chyap) which was located by mudflats at the southern end of South Bay. In 1542 CE, a fleet of three Spanish Empire ships commanded by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, sailed into San Diego Harbor. Early explorations by Spanish conquistadors, such as these, led to Spanish claims of the land. The village of Chiap (known to the Spanish as La Punta) became a center of a Kumeyaay revolt against the Spanish in 1775, which was later abandoned by 1776. The historic land on which Chula Vista sits became part of the 1795 land grant known as Rancho del Rey or The King's Ranch. The land eventually was renamed Rancho de la Nación.

After Mexico became independent from Spain, what is now Chula Vista became part of Alta California. Beginning in 1829, the land that is now Chula Vista was divided among Rancho Janal, Rancho Otay, Rancho de la Nación and Rancho La Punta; these were owned by José María Estudillo, José's sister Maria, John (Don Juan) Forster, and Santiago E. Argüello respectively.

During the Mexican–American War, California was claimed by the United States, regardless of the California independence movement that had briefly swept the state. Though California was now under the jurisdiction of the United States, land grants were allowed to continue in the form of private property. In 1873, the United States Army built a telegraph line between San Diego and Fort Yuma which ran through Telegraph Canyon in Chula Vista; its construction was under the command of Captain George F. Price of the 5th Cavalry Regiment out of Camp McDowell. In the 1870s and 1880s mining was done on Rancho Janal.

The San Diego Land and Town Company developed lands of the Rancho de la Nación for new settlement. The town began as a five thousand acre development, with the first house being erected in 1887; by 1889, ten houses had been completed. Around this time, the lemon was introduced to the city, by a retired professor from the University of Wisconsin. Chula Vista can be roughly translated from Spanish as "beautiful view"; the name was suggested by Sweetwater Dam designer James D. Schulyer.

The 1888 completion of the dam allowed for irrigation of Chula Vista farming lands. Chula Vista eventually became the largest lemon-growing center in the world for a period of time. , the oldest surviving buildings in Chula Vista originate from around this time, including the Barber house, and the Cordrey house. Additionally, the Coronado Belt Line Railroad was built through Chula Vista, connecting Hotel Del Coronado with the National City, where Southern California Railroad terminated. Another railroad built through Chula Vista, was the National City and Otay Railroad, which was routed down Third Avenue. During the depression at the end of the century, industrial employment in Chula Vista was limited to the La Punta Salt Works and packing houses.

20th century
The citizens of Chula Vista voted to incorporate on October 17, 1911. The State approved the city's incorporation in November. One of its first city council members was a former Clevelandite Greg Rogers, who was also a leader of the Chula Vista Yacht Club. The yacht club would the first on the West Coast to build race specific boats, which resulted in a uniquely designed sloop. In 1915, a Carnegie Library was built on F Street. In the 1910s, Chinese, Filipino, and Mexican farm laborers worked the fields within the city, with most commuting in from Downtown San Diego and Logan Heights.

In January 1916, Chula Vista was impacted by the Hatfield Flood, which was named after Charles Hatfield, when the Lower Otay Dam collapsed flooding the valley surrounding the Otay River; up to fifty people died in the flood. Later in 1916, the Hercules Powder Company opened a 30-acre bayfront site, now known as Gunpowder point, which produced substances used to make cordite, a gun propellant used extensively by the British Armed Forces during World War I. In 1920, the San Diego Country Club opened in Chula Vista, with its clubhouse designed by Richard Requa who had previously worked on the California Pacific International Exposition. In 1925, aviation began in Chula Vista, with the Tyce School of Aviation, operating the Chula Vista Airport. In 1926, the salt works purchased Rancho Janal and grew barley and lima beans.

Although the Great Depression affected Chula Vista significantly, agriculture still provided considerable income for the residents. In 1931, the lemon orchards produced $1 million in revenue and the celery fields contributed $600,000. Japanese American farms played a significant role in developing new crops outside of lemons, especially celery. In the 1930s, led by Chris Mensalvas, Filipino and Mexican farm workers went on strike against the celery farms. To the east, on land formerly known as Rancho Janal, dairy farming and cattle farming was done on over 4,000 acre. By the end of the 1930s, the city's population of over 4,000 residents was mostly Caucasian, with small populations of Japanese and Mexican Americans. Prior to World War II, anti-Japanese sentiment had existed in Chula Vista, due to competition between Japanese farmers and White farmers, however an association was formed which decreased those sentiments.

In November 1940, the city purchased the Chula Vista Airport for Rohr Aircraft. The relocation of Rohr Aircraft Corporation to Chula Vista in early 1941, just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, changed Chula Vista. The land never returned to being orchard groves again. At the Rohr factory, the 11,000 employees worked on power units for the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. In 1945, The Vogue Theater opened.

Due to Executive Order 9066, the Japanese Americans who lived in Chula Vista were sent to Santa Anita Racetrack and then to the Poston War Relocation Center. One of those Japanese Americans from Chula Vista was Joseph K. Sano, who was an air corps veteran of World War I, and a member of the American Legion; during World War II, Sano served in the Military Intelligence Service Language School at the University of Michigan. In 1944, the state of California attempted to seize land in Chula Vista owned by Kajiro Oyama, a legal Japanese resident who was then interned in Utah. Oyama was correctly charged with putting the property in his son Fred's name with the intent to evade the Alien Land Law because Fred was a native-born citizen. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court as Oyama v. California, where the court found that Kajiro's equal protection rights had been violated.

The population of post–World War II Chula Vista tripled from 5,000 residents in 1940 to more than 16,000 in 1950. After the war, many of the factory workers and thousands of servicemen stayed in the area, resulting in the huge growth in population. The last of the citrus groves and produce fields disappeared as Chula Vista became one of the largest communities in San Diego County. In 1949, the city limits of Chula Vista expanded for the first time. Due to the construction of the Montgomery Freeway, the Arguello Adobe of Rancho La Punta was demolished. In 1955, the Big Ski Drive-In opened; until it closed in 1980, it was one of the largest drive-in theaters in the nation. By the 1960s, Chula Vista continued its expansion with the annexation of part of Bonita. That same decade, Filipinos and Mexicans began to move into Chula Vista in significant numbers; these included Filipino navy veterans. In 1963, Chula Vista became the second-largest city in San Diego County. From 1960 to 2013, the South Bay Power Plant, a 700-megawatt, four-boiler plant, occupied 115 acres of the Chula Vista waterfront.

In 1985, Chula Vista made the largest annexation in California history, which included the neighborhoods of Castle Park and Otay. In January 1986, Chula Vista annexed the unincorporated community of Montgomery, which had previously rejected annexation in 1979 and 1982. At the time of the annexation the community was virtually surrounded by its larger neighbor. Later, San Diego gave way, allowing Chula Vista to annex the Otay River Valley, which was opposed by residents in Otay Mesa and Nestor. Over the next few decades, Chula Vista continued to expand eastward. Plans called for a variety of housing developments such as the Eastlake, Rancho del Rey, and Otay Ranch neighborhoods. During this expansion a walrus fossil was found, of an extinct species of toothless Valenictus, after the species was named for the city. The quick expansion east of Interstate 805 was not embraced by all of the cities residents, leading to advocacy that new housing developments be built with parks, schools, and emergency services. In 1991, Chula Vista elected its first female mayor, Gayle McCandliss, who died from cancer a few weeks after being elected. In 1995, the United States Olympic Committee opened an Olympic Training Center in Eastlake on donated land; it is the USOC's first master-planned facility and is adjacent to Lower Otay Reservoir. In the last decade of the century, a desalinization plant opened to process water from wells along the Sweetwater River; it was expanded less than two decades later, which included a pumping station built in Bonita.

Camp Otay/Weber
During World War I and II, the army maintained a base on the present-day corner of Main Street and Albany Avenue. It initially served as a border post during World War I, and was reestablished in December 1942. It was home to the 140th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. The regiment conducted war games against the Camp Lockett–based 10th Cavalry, and were defeated. The base was closed in February 1944, and the division went on to see combat in the European theater. All traces of the post have since been removed.

21st century
In 2003, Chula Vista had 200,000 residents and was the second-largest city in San Diego County. That year, Chula Vista was the seventh fastest growing city in the nation, growing at a rate of 5.5%, due to the communities of Eastlake and Otay Ranch. Chula Vista is growing at a fast pace, with major developments taking place in the Otay Valley near the U.S. Olympic Training Center and Otay Lake Reservoir. Thousands of new homes have been built in the Otay Ranch, Lomas Verdes, Rancho Del Rey, Eastlake and Otay Mesa areas. In mid-2006, officials from Chula Vista and the San Diego Chargers met to discuss the potential construction of a new stadium that would serve as the home for the team; however, in June 2009, the Chargers removed Chula Vista as a possible location for a new stadium. The South Bay Expressway, a toll-road extension of State Route 125, opened on November 19, 2007.

As a result of the Mexican Drug War, many Mexicans from Tijuana began to immigrate to Chula Vista. Being in close proximity to Tijuana, however, has led to some drug war activity within Chula Vista. Yet in 2009, Chula Vista—along with nine other second-tier metropolitan area cities such as Hialeah, Florida, and California's own Santa Ana—was ranked as one of the most boring cities in America by Forbes magazine, citing the large population but rare mentions of the city in national media.

In 2013, Forbes called Chula Vista the second-fastest-growing city in the nation, having recovered from the slowdown during the Great Recession, which saw the city lead the nation in having the highest mortgage default rate. In 2014, a survey conducted at the request of the city found that the majority of San Diegans surveyed had a negative perception of the city. By 2015, there were over 31,000 Filipino Americans living in Chula Vista; they make up the majority of the 48,840 Asian Americans who live in Chula Vista. In 2017, Chula Vista purchased the Olympic Training Center and renamed it to Elite Athlete Training Center; the United States Olympic Committee plans to continue to use the facility and pay rent to the city. That same year, a post office in the Eastlake neighborhood was renamed Jonathan "J.D." De Guzman Post Office Building, in honor of a city resident who died while a San Diego Police Department officer in 2016; having immigrated from the Philippines in 2000, De Guzman was active in his community in Chula Vista, and went on to serve as a police officer for 16 years until his death.

The number of reported calls to the Chula Vista Police about issues regarding homeless individuals have increased from 2004 to 2014, with Chula Vista having the largest population of homeless individuals in the South Bay. In 2016, it was estimated that there were about 500 homeless individuals in Chula Vista. Due to the increase in homeless population, Chula Vista, and other neighboring cities began to pass ordinances on recreational vehicles, and other large vehicles, resulting in the number of homeless individuals within the city. By 2018, the number of homeless individuals in Chula Vista was down to 367.

In 2018, a proposal was made to develop Rohr Park into something similar to Griffith Park in Los Angeles. A development plan is to develop the bayfront.

In 2019, Chula Vista was the first city in California to be certified as a sanctuary city by the national non-profit "Welcoming America." In December 2022, the "Welcoming City" designation was revoked due to concerns about its surveillance program. The Chula Vista Police Department was sharing license plate reader data with ICE and CBP.

Geography

Owning up to its Spanish name origins - beautiful view - Chula Vista is located in the South Bay region of San Diego County, between the foothills of the Jamul and San Ysidro Mountains (including Lower Otay Reservoir) and San Diego Bay on its east and west extremes, and the Sweetwater River and Otay River at its north and south extremes. The geography of Chula Vista is impacted by the La Nacion and Rose Canyon Fault zones; it has moved rocks from Pleistocene and younger eras. Yet, as late as 13,000 years ago, soils in the Rancho del Rey area have been unaffected by fault activity.

Chula Vista is the second largest city, by area, within San Diego County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city covers an area of 52.1 sqmi, 49.6 sqmi of it land, and 2.5 sqmi or 4.73% of it water.

Ecological preserves
Chula Vista has within its city limits the Sweetwater Marsh unit of the San Diego Bay NWR. It also maintains several city maintained open space areas.

West Chula Vista
The original Chula Vista encompasses the area west of Hilltop Drive and north of L Street. The community of Montgomery was annexed by the city, after several failed attempts, in 1986; The community consists of most of the area south of L Street, west of Hilltop Drive and north of San Diego's city limit. Unlike East Chula Vista, West Chula Vista does not have Mello-Roos, which has been suggested to have led to those not living in West Chula Vista to develop a separate civic identity.

East Chula Vista
Beginning in the late 1980s the planned communities of Eastlake, Otay Ranch, Millenia, and Rancho del Rey began to develop in the annexed areas east of Interstate 805 and California State Route 125. These communities expanded upon the eastern annexations of the 1970s, including the area around Southwestern College. In 1986, Eastlake began to be built. In 1989, Rancho del Rey was established. In 1999, Otay Ranch began to be built on 23,000 acres.

Although "Eastlake" properly refers only to one planned community in east Chula Vista built around an artificial pond, the name is often used to encompass a much broader suburban region along the SR 125 corridor. This is in part due to the misconception that the lake which the name "Eastlake" refers to is the much larger Lower Otay Reservoir. Many businesses and institutions throughout east Chula Vista use "Eastlake" in their names.

In the years around 2008 thousands of Tijuana's elite bought houses in and moved to east Chula Vista escaping violence, kidnapping and other crime taking place during that period in the Mexican metropolis only a few miles away. The Los Angeles Times wrote, "So many upper-class Mexican families live in… Eastlake… and Bonita… that… the area is becoming a gilded colony of Mexicans, where speaking English is optional and people can breathe easy cruising around in their Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs." In late 2018, a new Rapid bus route was created, taking passengers from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, through eastern Chula Vista, and then into Downtown San Diego.

Climate
Like the rest of lowland San Diego County, Chula Vista has a semi-arid climate (BSk), with mediterranean characteristics, though the winter rainfall is too low and erratic to qualify as an actual Mediterranean climate.

With a moderate climate where the annual averages seldom oscillate much, there has still been a 103 F high and a 24 F low recorded since the station's inception in 1918. In 1949, the maximum daytime temperature was just 44 F once, the lowest on record. Thanks to the maritime moderation, on average the coldest day is at a very mild 57 F. Summer nights are warmer than in coastal climates further north, but cooler than in the hot interior. The warmest low on record is 78 F in 2016, while the warmest average night between 1991 and 2020 stood at 72 F.

2022 American Community Survey
American Community Survey estimates, there were 279,158 people and 85,487 households. The population density was 5623.9 PD/sqmi. There were 89,711 housing units at an average density of 1807.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 25.1% White, 23.0% some other race, 12.6% Asian, 5.0% Black or African American, 2.0% Native American or Alaskan Native, and 0.5% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, with 31.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 64.9% of the population.

Of the 85,487 households, 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.1% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% were couples cohabitating, 13.1% had a male householder with no partner present, and 25.6% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size was 3.25 and the median family size was 3.64.

The age distribution was 25.8% under 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household was $101,190, with family households having a median income of $107,238 and non-family households $49,392. The per capita income was $36,572. Out of the 277,336 people with a determined poverty status, 10.1% were below the poverty line. Further, 13.0% of minors and 10.2% of seniors were below the poverty line.

In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of German descent made up 3.4% of the population of the town, followed by Irish at 3.1%, English at 2.3%, Italian at 2.0%, French at 1.3%, American at 1.1%, Caribbean (excluding Hispanics) at 0.8%, Polish at 0.8%, Arab at 0.6%, Sub-Saharan African at 0.6%, Swedish at 0.6%, and Norwegian at 0.5%.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Chula Vista had a population of 243,916. The population density was 4,682.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Chula Vista was 130,991 (53.7%) White, 11,219 (4.6%) African American, 1,880 (0.8%) Native American, 35,042 (14.4%) Asian, 1,351 (0.6%) Pacific Islander, 49,171 (20.2%) from other races, and 14,262 (5.8%) from two or more races. There were 142,066 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (58.2%).

The Census reported that 242,180 people (99.3% of the population) lived in households, 656 (0.3%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,080 (0.4%) were institutionalized.

There were 75,515 households, out of which 36,064 (47.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 42,153 (55.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 12,562 (16.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 4,693 (6.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,720 (4.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 502 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 12,581 households (16.7%) were made up of individuals, and 4,997 (6.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21. There were 59,408 families (78.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.60.

There were 68,126 people (27.9%) under the age of 18, 24,681 people (10.1%) aged 18 to 24, 70,401 people (28.9%) aged 25 to 44, 56,269 people (23.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 24,439 people (10.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

There were 79,416 housing units at an average density of 1,524.5 /sqmi, of which 43,855 (58.1%) were owner-occupied, and 31,660 (41.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%. 143,330 people (58.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 98,850 people (40.5%) lived in rental housing units.

Late 20th century
In 2000, the city's population was 173,556. The racial make up of the city during the 2000 census was 55.1% White, 22.1% Other, 11% Asian, 5.8% of two or more races, 4.6% African American, 0.8% Native American, and 0.6% Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 49.6%. Of these individuals, 28.7% were under the age of 18.

In 1990, the city's population was 135,163. The racial make up of the city during the 1990 census was 67.7% White, 8.2% Asian, 4.5% African American, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 0.6% Native American, and 18.1% of other races,. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 37.2%. Of these individuals, 26% were under the age of 18.

In 1980, the city's population was 83,927. The racial make up of the city during the 1980 census was 83.1% White, 6.1% Asian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% African American, and 0.7% Native American, and 7.9% of other races. People of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 23.4% of the population.

Economy
Chula Vista maintains a business atmosphere that encourages growth and development. In the city, the small business sector amounts for the majority of Chula Vista's business populace. This small business community is attributed to the city's growth and serves as a stable base for its economic engine.

In 2001 Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) stated that concentration of various ethnic groups in Chula Vista, which had multiple Japanese businesses and services, was one reason why the company chose to open an office there.

Tourism
Tourism serves as an economic engine for Chula Vista. The city has numerous dining, shopping, and cinema experiences. As with many California cities, Chula Vista features many golf courses. Some of the city's notable attractions included the Chula Vista Nature Center, Otay Valley Regional Park, North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, OnStage Playhouse, the Chula Vista Marina, Sesame Place San Diego, and the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. The Nature Center is home to interactive exhibits describing geologic and historic aspects of the Sweetwater Marsh and San Diego Bay. The center has exhibits on sharks, rays, waterbirds, birds of prey, insects, and flora. Otay Valley Regional Park is located partially within Chula Vista, where it covers the area of a natural river valley.

The marina at Chula Vista is located in South Bay including multiple marinas and being home to the Chula Vista Yacht Club. Sports fishing and whale watching charters operate the regional bay area. The Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center assists current and future elite athletes in archery, rowing, kayaking, soccer (association football), softball, field hockey, tennis, track and field, and cycling.

Chula Vista Center is the city's main shopping mall, opened in 1962.

Top employers
According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture
Chula Vista is home to OnStage Playhouse, the only live theater in South Bay, San Diego. Other points of interest and events include the Chula Vista Nature Center, the J Street Harbor, and the Third Avenue Village. Downtown Chula Vista hosts a number of cultural events, including the famous Lemon Festival, Starlight Parade, and Chula Vista Rose Festival. North Island Credit Union Amphitheater is a performing arts theatre that was the areas first major concert music facility. OnStage Playhouse produces community theatre productions.

Sports
Chula Vista is the site of the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, formerly the Olympic Training Center. The U.S. national rugby team practices at the OTC. Chula Vista is also home to Chula Vista FC which gained national attention with its 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run.

In 2009 Parkview Little League won the 2009 Little League World Series, earning the nickname "The Blue Bombers".

In 2013 Eastlake Little League won the American Championship at the 2013 Little League World Series.

In 2018, Rebels SC soccer club formed the first ever United Premier Soccer League team for the city. They played in the San Diego County League for the first two years and won the second Division before covid stopped the 2019–2020 season. The Rebels SC adult team were able to win the Fall 2021 South San Diego Division and reach the National Finals but ultimately losing to FC Arizona in the round of 32.

Municipal government
The City of Chula Vista is a California charter city operating under the council–manager government form. The council is composed of four members elected from geographic districts and led by a mayor who is elected by the entire city. The city council serves as the legislative body of the city, and it appoints a city manager to serve as chief administrator. Presently the city council is led by Mayor John McCann. It has four other members: Carolina Chavez (District 1), Jose Preciado (District 2), Alonso Gonzalez (District 3), and Andrea Cardenas (District 4). Each city council member is elected from a single-member district. Elections follow a two-round system. The first round of the election is called the primary election. The top-two candidates in the primary election advance to a runoff election, called the general election. Write-in candidates are only allowed to contest the primary election and are not allowed in the general election. Council members are elected to four-year terms, with a two-term limit. City council seats are all officially non-partisan by state law, although most members identify a party preference. The most recent general election was held in November 2022 for Mayor and Districts 1 and 2. The next elections for these seats will be held in 2026. General elections for Districts 3 and 4 were last held in November 2020. The next election for these seats will be in 2024.

According to the city's most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $388.9 million in Revenues, $305.4 million in expenditures, $1.952 billion in total assets and $613.9 million in total liabilities. City of Chula Vista CAFR

Politics
Following 2021 redistricting by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, the city's federal representation is entirely within the 52nd congressional district. In the California State Senate, the city is entirely within the 18th Senate district. In the California State Assembly, it is entirely within the 80th Assembly district.

At the state and federal levels, Chula Vista is represented entirely by Democrats. In the State Senate, Chula Vista is represented by. In the Assembly, it is represented by. In the United States Senate, it is represented by Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, and in the United States House of Representatives, it is represented by.

, out of the city's total population, 114,125 are registered to vote, up from 103,985 in 2009; the three largest registered parties in the city are the Democratic Party with 47,986, Republican Party with 31,633, and Decline to State with 29,692. In a survey conducted by The Bay Area Center for Voting Research in 2004, it found that Chula Vista had a 50.59% conservative vote compared to a 49.41% liberal vote.

Education
Most of Chula Vista is in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, while a few blocks are within the National Elementary School District. The Sweetwater Union High School District, headquartered in Chula Vista, serves as the secondary school district. The Chula Vista Elementary School District, the largest K-6 district in the State of California, with 44 campuses, serves publicly educated kindergarten through sixth grade students.

Chula Vista is home to Chula Vista Christian University (CVCU), one of the four private colleges in San Diego County, and is host to Southwestern College, a community college founded in 1961 that serves approximately 19,000 students annually.

The city has been trying since 1986 to get a university located in the city. In 1993, the city adopted the Otay Ranch General Development Plan, which included a four-year university as a part of its vision. In 2012, the city acquired a 375 acre parcel of land in the Otay Lakes area intended for the development of a University Park and Research Center, and chose a master developer for the project; who later backed out of the project. State Assemblymember Shirley Weber has proposed that the state open a satellite or extension campus of the California State University system at the site, with the hope that it will grow into a full university. CVCU was founded in 2020.

Media
Chula Vista is served by The Star-News and The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Major freeways and highways
Chula Vista is served by multiple Interstates and California State Routes. Interstate 5 begins to the south of the city and runs through its western edge. Interstate 5 connects Chula Vista to North County and beyond to Greater Los Angeles and Northern California. Interstate 805 serves as a bypass to Interstate 5, linking to the latter interstate in Sorrento Valley. Interstate 905 runs from the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and is one of three auxiliary three-digit Interstates to meet an international border. State Route 54 and State Route 125 serve as highways to East County cities via northern and northeastern corridors.

Sister cities
Chula Vista has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Chula Vista, California


text:
Coronado, California

Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 20,192 in 2020, down from 24,697 in 2010.

Coronado is a tied island which is connected to the mainland by a tombolo (a sandy isthmus) called the Silver Strand. The explorer Sebastian Vizcaino gave Coronado its name and drew its first map in 1602. Coronado is Spanish term for "crowned" and thus it is nicknamed The Crown City. Its name is derived from the Coronado Islands, an offshore Mexican archipelago. Three ships of the United States Navy have been named after the city, including USS Coronado (LCS-4).

History
Prior to European settlement, Coronado was inhabited by the Kumeyaay, who sustained fishing villages on the peninsula in North Island and on the Coronado Cays. As American settlers moved into the area, the Kumeyaay were pushed out of Coronado, with the last six Kumeyaay families deported to Mesa Grande Reservation in 1902.

Coronado was incorporated as a town on December 11, 1890. The community's first post office predates Coronado's incorporation, established on February 8, 1887, with Norbert Moser assigned as the first postmaster. The land was purchased by Elisha Spurr Babcock, Hampton L. Story, and Jacob Gruendike. Their intention was to create a resort community, and in 1886, the Coronado Beach Company was organized. By 1888, they had built the Hotel del Coronado, and the city became a major resort destination. They also built a schoolhouse and formed athletic, boating, and baseball clubs. In 1900, a tourist/vacation area just south of the Hotel del Coronado was established by John D. Spreckels and named Tent City. Spreckels also became the hotel's owner. Over the years, the tents gave way to cottages, the last of which was torn down in late 1940 or early 1941.

In the 1910s, Coronado had streetcars running on Orange Avenue. These streetcars became a fixture of the city until their retirement in 1939.

In 1946, an African-American man from Coronado named Alton Collier was forced off of a San Diego and Coronado ferry by white sailors. The case was ruled a suicide until 2024, when the Equal Justice Initiative declared a lynching.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.7 sqmi; 7.9 square miles (20.5 km2) of the city is land and 24.7 sqmi of it (75.72%) is water.

Geographically, Coronado is a tied island connected to the mainland by a tombolo known as the Silver Strand. The Silver Strand, Coronado and North Island, form San Diego Bay. Since recorded history, Coronado was mostly separated from North Island by a shallow inlet of water called the Spanish Bight. The development of North Island by the United States Navy prior to and during World War II led to the filling of the bight by July 1944, combining the land areas into a single body. The Navy still operates Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI or "North Island") on Coronado. On the southern side of the town is Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, a training center for Navy SEALs and Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC). Both facilities are part of the larger Naval Base Coronado complex. Coronado has increased in size due to dredge material being dumped on its shoreline and through the natural accumulation of sand. The "Country Club" area on the northwest side of Coronado, the "Glorietta" area and golf course on the southeast side of Coronado, most of the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, most of the Strand Naval Housing, and most of the Coronado Cays (all on the south side of Coronado) were built on dirt dredged from San Diego Bay.

On New Year's Day 1937, during the Great Depression, the gambling ship SS Monte Carlo, known for "drinks, dice, and dolls", was shipwrecked on the beach about a quarter mile (400 m) south of the Hotel del Coronado.

In 1969, the San Diego–Coronado Bridge was opened, allowing much faster transit between the cities than bay ferries or driving via State Route 75 along the Silver Strand. The bridge is made up of five lanes, one of which is controlled by a moveable barrier that allows for better traffic flow during rush hours. In the morning, the lane is moved to create three lanes going southbound towards Coronado, and in the evening it is moved again to create three lanes going northbound towards downtown San Diego.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Coronado has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that the City of Coronado had a population of 24,697. The racial makeup of Coronado was 20,074 (81.2%) White, 1,678 (6.8%) African American, 201 (0.8%) Native American, 925 (3.7%) Asian, 101 (0.4%) Pacific Islander, 762 (3.1%) from other races, and 956 (3.9%) from two or more races. There were 3,354 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (13.6%).

2000
As of the 2000 census, there were 24,100 people, 7,734 households, and 4,934 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,121.9 PD/sqmi. There were 9,494 housing units at an average density of 1,229.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 84.40% White, 5.15% African American, 0.66% Native American, 3.72% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 3.14% from other races, and 2.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 9.83% of the population.

There were 7,734 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city, 16.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 20.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 139.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 149.1 males.

48.2% of those aged 25 and over had a bachelor's degree or higher. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $91,748, and the median income for a family was $119,205.

Real estate in the city of Coronado is very expensive. According to a recent county-wide ZIP code chart published in The San Diego Union-Tribune in August 2006, the median cost of a single-family home within the city's ZIP code of 92118 was $1,605,000. In 2010, Forbes.com found that the median home price in Coronado had risen to $1,840,665.

By 2023, the median home value was $2.2 million with more than a quarter of households earning more than $200,000.

Government and politics
Coronado is governed by a city council, which is presided over by a directly elected mayor. The mayor and councilmembers serve four-year terms. Council designates one of its members as Mayor Pro Tempore. Coronado has long been a Republican stronghold; in 2013, about 47% of voters were registered Republican, 25% Democratic, and 24% nonpartisan.

Prior to 2020, the resort city had voted for the Republican nominee in each presidential election since at least 1964. From 1968 to 1988, each Republican presidential candidate received over 70% of the vote. However the city has been trending Democratic in recent years, with each of the last four Republican presidential candidates receiving less than 60% of the vote. In 2016, Donald Trump won Coronado with a plurality of the vote, and Hillary Clinton received the largest share of the vote for a Democratic candidate since at least 1960. In 2020, Democratic nominee and former vice president Joe Biden won Coronado with 51.50% of the vote, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry the city in decades. This result was nevertheless significantly lower than his statewide vote share of 63.48%.

In the California State Legislature, Coronado is in, and in. In the United States House of Representatives, Coronado is located in California's 52nd congressional district, which has a Cook partisan voting index of D+12 and is represented by.

After California state law mandated that localities zone for affordable housing across the state, Coronado refused to comply with the law. Coronado mayor Richard Bailey described the housing development as "central planning at its worst" and refused to submit a housing plan that allows for construction of the required amount of homes.

Tourism
Tourism is an essential component of Coronado's economy. This city is home to three major resorts (Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Island Marriott, and Loews Coronado Bay Resort), as well as several other hotels and inns. The downtown district along Orange Avenue, with its many shops, restaurants and theaters, is also a key part of the local economy. Many of the restaurants are highly rated and provide a wide variety of cuisine choices.

Golf on Coronado started in 1897 with a nine hole golf course hosting the 1905 Southern California Open. Later, golf on Coronado migrated to a new site in the Southern portion of the island with 18 holes designed by Jack Daray Sr.. Golf is a popular diversion on the island, entertaining 90,000 golf rounds annually.

In 2008, the Travel Channel rated Coronado Beach as the sixth-best beach in America.

Hotel del Coronado

Coronado is home to the famous Hotel del Coronado, built in 1888 and long considered one of the world's top resorts. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and has hosted many notable guests, including American presidents George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft, as well as sports, entertainment, and noted public figures: Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Thomas Edison, Magic Johnson, Charles Lindbergh, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Oprah Winfrey, and Robert Downey. Notable actresses Mary Pickford and Marilyn Monroe also stayed here.

"The Del" has appeared in numerous works of popular culture and was said to have inspired the Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It is rumored that the city's main street, Orange Avenue, was Baum's inspiration for the yellow brick road. Other sources say Oz was inspired by the "White City" of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. Author L. Frank Baum would have been able to see the hotel from his front porch overlooking Star Park. Baum designed the crown chandeliers in the hotel's dining room.

Because of the reported association with Oz, Coronado is often associated with the color green and is sometimes referred to as "The Emerald City". The colors of Coronado High are green and white; the Coronado city flag is a tricolor of green-white-green, with a crown in the middle.

The hotel is said to be haunted, with room 3372 being visited by the ghost of Kate Morgan. It served as the setting for a fictitious Florida hotel in the Billy Wilder classic comedy film Some Like it Hot.

Once owned locally, the Hotel Del is now owned by the Blackstone Group (60%), Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. (34.5%), and KSL Resorts (5.5%). When Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. bought its stake in 2006, the hotel was valued at $745 million; as of 2011, the hotel was valued at roughly $590 million.

In popular culture
Scenes from Denzel Washington's film Antwone Fisher were shot in Coronado. Parts of Brian De Palma's film Scarface and Ron Howard's film Splash were shot at Coronado Beach. A film called Carbon featuring Randy Davison was shot in Coronado near the restaurant Nado Republic.

Principal photography for most films took place at the Hotel del Coronado.

Schools

Coronado Unified School District includes Coronado Middle School (CMS), Coronado High School, Silver Strand Elementary, and Village Elementary. Coronado School of the Arts, a public school-within-a-school, is located on the campus of Coronado High School. Among the city's private schools are Sacred Heart Parish School and Christ Church Day School.

Top employers
According to the city's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top 10 employers in the city are:

Notable people

 * Lisa Bruce – film producer
 * Johnny Downs – child actor who played "Johnny" in the Our Gang series of short films from 1923 to 1926
 * Christa Hastie - contestant on CBS Survivor Pearl Islands, Season 7, 2003
 * Lloyd Haynes – actor and television writer, known for TV series Room 222
 * Mary Beardslee Hinds - American First Lady of Guam.
 * Mae Hotely – silent film actress who appeared in 85 films between 1911 and 1929
 * Jim Kelly – martial artist and actor, starred in Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee
 * Genai Kerr - U.S. Water Polo Olympian and NCAA All-American
 * Anita Page – silent film actress
 * Orville Redenbacher -- popcorn marketer
 * Sarah Roemer – actress and model, starred in 2007's Disturbia with Shia LaBeouf
 * Rodney Scott – Chief of United States Border Patrol
 * Tim Thomerson – actor and comedian, known for his portrayal of Jack Deth in the Trancers film series
 * Wende Wagner – actress
 * William Witney – film director

Music

 * Kevin Kenner – concert pianist
 * Mojo Nixon – musician and radio host
 * Nick Reynolds – founding member of The Kingston Trio
 * George Sanger – video game music composer
 * Paul Sykes – singer
 * Scott Weiland – former lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver.
 * Tina Weymouth – bassist and vocalist of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club

Commerce

 * Charles T. Hinde – riverboat captain, businessman, original investor in Hotel del Coronado
 * Doug Manchester – real estate developer and publisher of San Diego Union Tribune
 * Orville Redenbacher – businessman behind eponymous brand of popcorn
 * John D. Spreckels – transportation and real estate mogul
 * Jonah Shacknai – (CEO of Medicis Pharmaceutical) and his girlfriend Rebecca Zahau
 * Ira C. Copley – publisher, politician, and utility tycoon

Army

 * William P. Duvall, U.S. Army major general, retired to Coronado
 * Townsend Griffiss, first American airman killed in Europe following the United States's entry into World War II

Marine Corps

 * General Joseph Henry Pendleton, USMC – Mayor of Coronado from 1928 to 1930, namesake of Camp Pendleton
 * Major General John H. Russell Jr., USMC – 16th Commandant of the Marine Corps, son of Rear Admiral John Henry Russell, USN and father of Brooke Astor, noted philanthropist.

Navy

 * Captain Ward Boston, USN – World War II Navy fighter pilot, then attorney for the Naval Board of Review which investigated the 1967 USS Liberty Incident
 * Admiral Charles K. Duncan – USN Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
 * Admiral Leon A. Edney – USN
 * Admiral Thomas B. Fargo, USN – inspiration for fictional Captain Bart Mancuso in film The Hunt for Red October
 * Alfred Walton Hinds - Naval officer and Governor of Guam.
 * John S. McCain Sr. – grandfather of Arizona senator and U.S. presidential candidate John McCain
 * Admiral George Stephen Morrison, USN – father of The Doors' lead singer, Jim Morrison
 * Commander Alan G. Poindexter, USN – NASA astronaut and Navy test pilot
 * Rear Admiral Uriel Sebree, USN – made two Arctic expeditions, was the second acting governor of American Samoa, and served as commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet
 * Commander Earl Winfield Spencer Jr., USN – first commanding officer of Naval Air Station San Diego
 * Vice Admiral James Stockdale, USN – Medal of Honor recipient and 1992 candidate for vice president with Ross Perot

Politics and government

 * Brian Bilbray – Republican politician and member of the United States House of Representatives
 * Alexander Butterfield – White House deputy assistant to Richard Nixon 1969–73, a key figure in Watergate scandal
 * Don Davis – Florida politician
 * Duncan Hunter – Congressman
 * M. Larry Lawrence – US Ambassador to Switzerland and owner of Hotel del Coronado
 * Cindy Hensley McCain – wife of Sen. John McCain
 * John McCain – U.S. Senator and 2008 Republican presidential candidate
 * Nathan Oakes Murphy – Republican delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona Territory and 14th governor of the Territory
 * Dana Rohrabacher – Republican politician and member of United States House of Representatives
 * Donald Rumsfeld – former Secretary of Defense
 * George G. Siebels Jr. – first Republican mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, born in Coronado in 1913.
 * Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, American-born wife of abdicated King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

Sports

 * Layne Beaubien – 2008 Olympic silver medalist in water polo
 * Cam Cameron – offensive coordinator for NFL's Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers
 * Chad Fox – Major League baseball pitcher for several teams, including Florida Marlins 2003 World Series championship team
 * Ken Huff—former NFL player
 * Fulton Kuykendall – former NFL player
 * Jim Laslavic – former NFL linebacker
 * Gene Rock – former professional basketball player
 * Sven Salumaa – former professional tennis player
 * William Thayer Tutt – past president of International Ice Hockey Federation, member of Hockey Hall of Fame
 * Don Orsillo – play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres

Writers and poets

 * L. Frank Baum – author of The Wizard of Oz, which in part was written while he resided on Coronado.
 * Landis Everson – poet

title: Coronado, California


text:
Crest, California

Crest is an unincorporated community in the East County region of San Diego County, California. The Crest census-designated place (CDP) had a population of 2,828 at the 2020 census, a rise from 2,593 at the 2010 census.

History
Crest was twice devastated by wildfires: first by the Laguna Fire in 1970 then again by the Cedar Fire in 2003.

Geography
Crest is located on a hill east of El Cajon. The CDP has a total area of 6.5 sqmi, all land.

2010
At the 2010 census Crest had a population of 2,593. The population density was 397.0 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Crest was 2,329 (89.8%) White, 23 (0.9%) African American, 21 (0.8%) Native American, 38 (1.5%) Asian, 7 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 90 (3.5%) from other races, and 85 (3.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 319 people (12.3%).

The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.

There were 962 households, 291 (30.2%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 576 (59.9%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 93 (9.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 51 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 39 (4.1%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 7 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 179 households (18.6%) were one person and 61 (6.3%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70. There were 720 families (74.8% of households); the average family size was 3.04.

The age distribution was 496 people (19.1%) under the age of 18, 257 people (9.9%) aged 18 to 24, 551 people (21.2%) aged 25 to 44, 964 people (37.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 325 people (12.5%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

There were 997 housing units at an average density of 152.7 per square mile, of the occupied units 808 (84.0%) were owner-occupied and 154 (16.0%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 2,181 people (84.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 412 people (15.9%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
At the 2000 census there were 2,716 people, 964 households, and 746 families in the CDP. The population density was 425.4 PD/sqmi. There were 999 housing units at an average density of 156.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.89% White, 0.33% African American, 0.81% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.84%.

Of the 964 households 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 16.7% of households were one person and 4.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.12.

The age distribution was 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.

The median household income was $56,728 and the median family income was $60,852. Males had a median income of $50,293 versus $35,610 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,890. About 5.2% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Crest has 3 churches (two Protestant and one Catholic), a library, an elementary school, a taco shop, and two convenience stores.

Government
In the California State Legislature, Crest is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Crest is in.

title: Crest, California


text:
Del Mar, California

Del Mar (Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach town in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The Del Mar Horse Races are hosted on the Del Mar racetrack every summer. The population was 3,954 at the 2020 census, down from 4,161 at the 2010 census.

History
Del Mar was first settled in the early 1880s by Theodore M. Loop, a railroad official, and his wife Ella. Ella gave the site its name, inspired by Bayard Taylor's poem "The Fight of Paso del Mar". In 1885, Colonel Jacob Taylor purchased 338 acre from Enoch Talbert, with visions of building a seaside resort for the rich and famous.

The United States Navy operated a Naval Auxiliary Air Facility for blimps at Del Mar during World War II.

Much of the population is on the coast and nearby bluff which are vulnerable to sea level rise caused by climate change. In 2019, the city refused to develop a managed retreat strategy for moving infrastructure and population centers from the water. This decision was made against the recommendation of the California Coastal Commission. Instead the city is planning on using other climate change adaptation strategies, such as seawalls and beach nourishment.

The Surf Line railroad tracks are adjacent to coastal bluffs some 40 feet above the beach for 1.7 mi. Coastal erosion eats away at the bluffs each year. The North County Transit District drove steel beams into the beach at the base of the bluffs in September 2020 to stabilize the face of the bluffs for 20 or 30 years. The city wanted to require the transit agency to cover the shotcrete wall on the bluff with natural soil and native plantings. The city council, the California Coastal Commission, and residents have opposed the district's plans to install a chain-link fence that would stop pedestrians from crossing the tracks to get to the beach. The district considered this to be a safety issue as trespassers along the right-of-way have been hit by trains. This mile-and-a-half stretch (2.4 km) along the southern half of the city does not have legal access to the beach. Due to offshore reefs and wave patterns, this section has some of the best surfing in San Diego County.

In 2023, the city was out of compliance with the state Housing Element Law. They submitted a housing plan to the state that did not meet guidelines for future housing. They were working with the state to get in compliance, but until they did, they couldn't block new housing projects based on city zoning laws alone.

Geography
Del Mar is one of only two locations where the Torrey pine tree naturally occurs. The Torrey pine is the rarest pine in the United States; only two populations of this endangered species exist, in Del Mar and on Santa Rosa Island. The Soledad Valley at the south of Del Mar severs two colony segments.

At the southern edge of Del Mar is the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon. To the north is the San Dieguito Lagoon and the San Dieguito River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean at Del Mar.

The bluffs along Del Mar's south beach are subject to collapse. Properties on the bluffs are subject to the impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise and coastal erosion. The transportation infrastructure is under threat. The city has a climate change adaptation plan which excludes the option of a managed retreat, the strategy was recommended by the California Coastal Commission in 2019.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 sqmi, of which 1.7 sqmi of it is land and 0.1 sqmi of it (3.94%) is water.

Climate
Del Mar's climate is considered mediterranean-subtropical with warm, dry summers and mild, humid winters. Temperatures exceed 85 °F only on a few occasions throughout the year and rarely drop below 41 °F. The average yearly temperature in Del Mar is approximately 65 °F. Del Mar regularly receives heavy marine layer clouds due to its position between two lagoons and bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean.

2020
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, at the 2020 census the population was 3,954. The racial makeup of Del Mar was 3,352 (93.1%) White (alone), 22 (0.1%) Black or African American (alone), 9 (0.002%) American Indian and Alaska Native (alone), 152 (4.2%) Asian (alone), 49 (1.2%) of any other race (alone), and 356 (9.9%) two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 274 (14.4%). The median household income of Del Mar in 2018-2022 was $185,335, in 2022 dollars.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Del Mar had a population of 4,161. The population density was 2,341.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of Del Mar was 3,912 (94.0%) White, 10 (0.2%) African American, eight (0.2%) Native American, 118 (2.8%) Asian, three (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 25 (0.6%) from other races, and 85 (2.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 175 people (4.2%).

There were 2,064 households, with 340 (16.5%) having children under the age of 18, and 927 (44.9%) with opposite-sex married couples living together, 114 (5.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 57 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 124 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 19 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. There were 707 households (34.3%) comprising one individual, and 209 (10.1%) comprising one individual 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02. There were 1,098 families (53.2% of all households); the average family size was 2.57.

The population comprised 564 people (13.6%) under the age of 18, 205 people (4.9%) aged 18 to 24, 1,071 people (25.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,455 people (35.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 866 people (20.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.1 males.

There were 2,596 housing units at an average density of 1,461.1 /mi2, of which 1,113 (53.9%) were owner-occupied, and 951 (46.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%. Of the population, 2,398 people (57.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,763 people (42.4%) lived in rental housing units.

2000
The 2000 census, reported 4,389 people, 2,178 households, and 1,083 families residing in the city, with an average family size of 2.61. The age distribution was reported as 13.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 33.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $120,001, and the median income for a family was $130,270. Males had a median income of $81,250 versus $70,069 for females. The per capita income for the city was $92,425. About 7.8% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The City of Del Mar is governed by a city council of five elected representatives. Each year a new mayor is chosen from among the councilmembers. Tracy Martinez is the mayor in 2023.

In the California State Legislature, Del Mar is in, and in.

In the United States House of Representatives, Del Mar is in.

Education
Del Mar is served by the Del Mar Union School District, which includes eight K–8 schools. High school education is provided by the San Dieguito Union High School District.

Transportation
The North County Transit District operates their BREEZE bus service. The historic Del Mar station once served passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Surf Line and the Amtrak San Diegan intercity service between the early 1900s until its closure in 1995, due to the opening of the new Solana Beach Transit Center two miles north. That station provides Coaster commuter rail and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner service. This trainline is the second busiest passenger rail corridor in the United States.

The railroad tracks were built adjacent to coastal bluffs some 40 feet above the beach. San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is conducting a $3 million study on relocating the rail line farther inland through the city. On August 16, 2020, the California Coastal Commission emphasized the need to move the railroad tracks inland due to the persistent coastal erosion which eats away at the bluff each year. The accelerating rate of sea level rise due to global warming adds urgency to the issue. A tunnel under Del Mar which would cost more than $3 billion is being considered.

Attractions

 * Del Mar racetrack, held live during the summer and now the fall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds also hosts the satellite wagering facility Surfside Race Place throughout the year when races are not live.
 * San Diego County Fair
 * Torrey Pines State Beach
 * Powerhouse Community Center
 * Del Mar Antique Show, held three times a year for over 50 years on the Del Mar Fairgrounds
 * North Beach Area (29th Street to Solana Beach border), also known as "Dog Beach".

Notable people

 * Desi Arnaz maintained a residence in North Del Mar on the beach west of Highway 101 near the Del Mar Racetrack after his divorce from Lucille Ball. He was arrested once for brandishing a firearm and ordering people off of his beach area. He resided there until his death.
 * Burt Bacharach, songwriter, had a beach residence in north Del Mar.
 * Gary Beck radio DJ lived on top of Del Mar Heights in the early 70's on Mission Carmel Cove.
 * Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints.
 * Rachel Buehler, defender for the United States women's national soccer team.
 * Martin Cooper, conceived the first handheld mobile phone.
 * Tom DeLonge, guitarist and founding member of the pop-punk band Blink-182, rock band Angels & Airwaves, and punk rock band Box Car Racer.
 * Jimmy Durante, lived on the beach for many years and has a street named after him.
 * Steve Fisher, former head basketball coach at San Diego State University, resident since 1999.
 * Rachael Flatt, former figure skater, 2010 Olympian, 2010 US Champion, three-time US silver medalist and 2008 World Junior Champion, was born in Del Mar.
 * Terry Gaasterland, professor of biology at UCSD, serves on the Del Mar City Council and served as its mayor.
 * Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, has a vacation residence on Del Mar beach.
 * Craig Taro Gold, author, entrepreneur and entertainer, was raised in Del Mar and attended Torrey Pines High School.
 * Tony Hawk, skateboarder and business entrepreneur, was raised in Del Mar.
 * Kristin Hayter, singer-songwriter
 * Gary E. Jacobs, businessman, philanthropist, minority owner in the Sacramento Kings, founder of the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High Charter School, and owner of the Lake Elsinore Storm, lives in Del Mar.
 * Sara Jacobs, US Congresswoman
 * Nate Kaeding, former San Diego Chargers placekicker.
 * Charles David Keeling, American scientist known for the Keeling Curve, and Chairman of the Citizen Task Force responsible for developing the City of Del Mar's Community Plan (General Plan) adopted in 1976.
 * George R. Lunn, former US Congressman and Lt. Governor of New York.
 * William Murray, American fiction editor and staff writer at The New Yorker for more than thirty years and author of numerous fiction and nonfiction work, including a series of mystery novels with a racetrack setting, spent the majority of his later years living in Del Mar.
 * George Emil Palade, Nobel Prize winner.
 * Carson Palmer, former NFL quarterback.
 * Ardem Patapoutian, 2021 Nobel Prize laureate, lives in Del Mar.
 * Steve Perry, former lead singer of the rock band Journey, lives in Del Mar.
 * Madeleine A. Pickens, along with her deceased husband Allen Paulson owned a home in Del Mar overlooking the Del Mar Racetrack. She currently owns a home on the beach in Del Mar.
 * Tristan Prettyman, singer-songwriter.
 * Zandra Rhodes, celebrity fashion designer, splits her time between homes in Del Mar and London.
 * Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers previously had a residence in Del Mar, selling it in 2022.
 * Willie Shoemaker, jockey, lived in North Del Mar on beach west of US 101 near Del Mar Racetrack.
 * Garrett Stubbs, baseball player.
 * Norv Turner, former head coach of the San Diego Chargers.

In popular culture

 * In 1966, winners of a KHJ radio station contest rode with members of The Monkees band on a train from Del Mar, which had been renamed 'Clarksville' for the day by the town's mayor.
 * Del Mar is the first surfing location mentioned in the 1963 Beach Boys song "Surfin' U.S.A."
 * Tip on a Dead Crab (Viking Press 1984), William Murray's first mystery in the Shifty Lou Anderson series, is set at Del Mar's racetrack.

title: Del Mar, California


text:
El Cajon, California

El Cajon (, ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, 17 mi east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was named for the box-like shape of the valley that surrounds the city, and the origin of the city's common nickname "the Box".

Name
El Cajón, Spanish for "the box", was first recorded on September 10, 1821, as an alternative name for sitio rancho Santa Mónica to describe the "boxed-in" nature of the valley in which it sat. The name appeared on maps in 1873 and 1875, shortened to "Cajon", until the modern town developed, in which the post office was named "El Cajon".

In 1905, the name was once again expanded to "El Cajon" under the insistence of California banker and historian Zoeth Skinner Eldredge.

History
During Spanish rule (1769–1821), the government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English word "ranch" is derived. Land grants were made to the Roman Catholic Church, which set up numerous missions throughout the region. In the early 19th century, mission padres' search for pastureland led them to the El Cajon Valley. Surrounding foothills served as a barrier to straying cattle and a watershed to gather the sparse rainfall. For years, the pasturelands of El Cajon supported the cattle herds of the mission and its native Indian converts.

Titles to plots of land were not granted to individuals until the Mexican era (1821–1846). The original intent of the 1834 secularization legislation was to have church property divided among the former mission Indians, but most of the grants were actually made to rich "Californios" of Spanish background who had long been casting envious eyes on the vast holdings of the Roman Catholic missions. In 1845, California Governor Pio Pico confiscated the lands of Mission San Diego de Alcala. He granted 11 square leagues (about 48800 acre) of the El Cajon Valley to Dona Maria Antonio Estudillo, daughter of José Antonio Estudillo, alcalde of San Diego, to repay a $500 government obligation. The grant was originally called Rancho Santa Monica and encompassed present-day El Cajon, Bostonia, Santee, Lakeside, Flinn Springs, and the eastern part of La Mesa. It also contained the 28 acre Rancho Cañada de los Coches grant. Maria Estudillo was the wife of Don Miguel Pedrorena (1808–1850), a native of Madrid, Spain, who had come to California from Peru in 1838 to operate a trading business.

With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican–American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho El Cajon was filed by Thomas W. Sutherland, guardian of Pedrorena's heirs (his son, Miguel, and his three daughters, Victoria, Ysabel, and Elenain) with the Public Land Commission in 1852, confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the grant was patented in 1876. In 1868, Los Angeles land developer Isaac Lankershim bought the bulk of the Pedrorena's Rancho El Cajon holdings and employed Major Levi Chase, a former Union Army officer, as his agent. Chase received from Lankershim 7624 acres known as the Chase Ranch. Lankershim hired Amaziah Lord Knox (1833–1918), a New Englander whom he had met in San Francisco, to manage Rancho El Cajon. In 1876, Knox established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling between San Diego and Julian, where gold had been discovered in 1869. Room and board for a guest and horse cost $1 a night. The area became known as Knox's Corners and was later renamed. By 1878 there were 25 families living in the valley and a portion of the hotel lobby became the valley post office with Knox as the first postmaster.

El Cajon was incorporated as a city in 1912. For the first half of the 20th century, El Cajon was known for its grape, avocado, and citrus agriculture.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Frontier Town, Big Oak Ranch, was a tourist attraction, featuring a typical frontier-town theme park and a periodic simulated shootout. The park closed around 1980 and is being used for residential housing.

Cajon Speedway was a 70 acre that operated from 1961 to 2005, which was founded by Earle Brucker Jr. of the El Cajon Stock Car Racing Association. One of his sons, Steve Brucker, later took over ownership of the track. Though closing after the death of Steve Brucker, it is a historic museum featuring the original entrance sign with the slogan "The fastest 3/8-mile paved oval in the West."

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 sqmi, all land. It is bordered by San Diego and La Mesa on the west, Spring Valley on the south, Santee on the north, and unincorporated San Diego County on the east. It includes the neighborhoods of Fletcher Hills, Bostonia, and Rancho San Diego.

Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, El Cajon straddles areas of Mediterranean climate (Csa) and semiarid climate (BSh). As a result, it is often described as "arid Mediterranean" and "semiarid steppe". Like most inland areas in Southern California, the climate varies dramatically within a short distance, known as microclimate. El Cajon's climate has greater extremes compared to coastal San Diego. The farther east from the coast, the more arid the climate gets, until one reaches the mountains, where precipitation increases due to orographic uplift.

Temperature variations between night and day tend to be moderate with an average difference of 24 F-change during the summer, and an average difference of 26 F-change during the winter.

The annual average precipitation at El Cajon is 11.63 in. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the winter, but rare in summer. The wettest month of the year is February with an average rainfall of 2.61 in.

The record high temperature was 114 F on September 5, 2020. The record low temperature was 19 F on January 8, 1913. The wettest year was 1941 with 28.14 in and the driest year was 1989 with 1.51 in. The most rainfall in one month was 11.43 in in January 1993. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 5.60 in on January 27, 1916. A rare snowfall in November 1992 totaled 0.3 in. 3 in of snow covered the ground in January 1882.

2022
American Community Survey estimates, there were 104,417 people and 33,580 households. The population density was 7196.2 PD/sqmi. There were 34,370 housing units at an average density of 2368.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 50.6% White, 15.0% some other race, 5.6% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 1.3% Native American or Alaskan Native, and 1.3% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, with 22.8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 36.6% of the population.

Of the 33,580 households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% had seniors 65 years or older living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 4.8% were couples cohabitating, 16.8% had a male householder with no partner present, and 26.0% had a female householder with no partner present. The median household size was 3 and the median family size was 3.53.

The age distribution was 25.9% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household was $66,045, with family households having a median income of $72,704 and non-family households $43,584. The per capita income was $28,221. Out of the 102,390 people with a determined poverty status, 22.7% were below the poverty line. Further, 31.4% of minors and 17.3% of seniors were below the poverty line.

In the survey, residents self-identified with various ethnic ancestries. People of Arab descent made up 10.3% of the population of the town, followed by German at 6.7%, English at 5.8%, Irish at 4.3%, Italian at 3.0%, American at 2.4%, Sub-Saharan African at 1.9%, Polish at 1.7%, Norwegian at 1.4%, Swedish at 1.0%, French at 0.9%, Dutch at 0.8%, Hungarian at 0.8%, Scottish at 0.6%, Greek at 0.5%, Portuguese at 0.5%, and Czech at 0.5%.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that El Cajon had a population of 99,478. The racial makeup of El Cajon was 43,746 (41.6%) White, 6,306 (6.3%) African American, 835 (0.8%) Native American, 3,561 (3.6%) Asian (1.7% Filipino, 0.5% Chinese, 0.4% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.1% Indian, 0.1% Korean, 0.6% other), 495 (0.5%) Pacific Islander, 26,498 (26.6%) from other races, and 6,832 (6.9%) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 31,542 persons (30.4%).

About one-third of El Cajon residents are foreign-born. In particular, the city has a large Iraqi immigrant population, consisting of both Arabs and Chaldean Catholics; both groups are among the largest such communities in the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2008-2010 Estimate, 7,537 residents self identify as Arabs (7.6%; mainly Iraqi), and 6,409 (6.4%) are Chaldean Catholic Assyrians. In 2017, a spokesperson for the city of El Cajon estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 Chaldo-Assyrians live in the city.

In 2010, El Cajon had the highest poverty rate in San Diego County among adults, at 29.7%, and children, at 36.5%.

2000
As of the census of 2000, 94,869 people, 34,199 households, and 23,152 families were residing in the city. The population density was 6510.6 PD/sqmi. There were 35,190 housing units at an average density of 2415.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 42.9% White, 5.4% African American, 1.0% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 24.1% from other races], and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 29.2% of the population.

Of the 34,199 households, 37.0% had children under 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were not families. About 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70, and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city, the age distribution was 27.9% under 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,566, and for a family was $40,045. Males had a median income of $32,498 versus $25,320 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,698. About 13.5% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Household income
According to estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments, the median household income of El Cajon in 2005 was $47,885 (not adjusted for inflation). When adjusted for inflation (1999 dollars; comparable to Census data above), the median household income was $38,884.

Ethnic groups
, it had an estimated 40,000 Iraqi Americans. Included are members of different religious and ethnic groups originating from Iraq. The Iran-Iraq War prompted the first immigration, and it continued due to the Persian Gulf War and then the U.S. Invasion of Iraq and the resulting conflict.

Government
Until 2012, El Cajon was a general law city operating under a council-manager system. In June 2012, the voters adopted a city charter, changing its status to chartered city. El Cajon is governed by a five-member city council, on which the mayor also sits. Starting in 2018, four councilmembers are elected from single-member districts and the mayor is elected at-large.

On October 24, 2013, Mayor Mark Lewis resigned his position after coming under criticism for remarks he made about El Cajon's Chaldean community. Many notable figures including Congressman Juan Vargas and Neighborhood Market Association President Mark Arabo called for his resignation. Lewis resigned shortly after due to health issues. On November 12, the city council appointed Councilman Bill Wells, who had been serving as mayor pro tem. The vote of the council was 4–0; Wells recused himself. He was elected to a full four-year term as mayor in November 2014 and re-elected in November 2018.

In 2024, councilmembers were Gary Kendrick (district 1), Michelle Metschel (district 2), Steve Goble (district 3), and Phil Ortiz (district 4). All council terms end in December 2024 except for Kendrick's, which ends in December 2026.

El Cajon's city manager is Graham Mitchell.

State and federal representation
In the California State Legislature, El Cajon is in. The northern half of the city is in, and the southern half of the city is in.

In the United States House of Representatives, El Cajon is in.

Economy
The Parkway Plaza shopping mall is located in El Cajon.

Top employers
According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Schools
Cajon Valley Union School District operates public elementary and middle schools. Grossmont Union High School District operates public high schools.

Public elementary schools

 * Anza Elementary
 * Avocado Elementary
 * Blossom Valley Elementary
 * Bostonia Elementary
 * Chase Avenue Elementary
 * Crest Elementary
 * Dehesa School
 * Fletcher Hills Elementary
 * Flying Hills Elementary
 * Fuerte Elementary
 * Jamacha Elementary
 * Johnson Elementary
 * Lexington Elementary
 * Madison Elementary
 * Magnolia Elementary
 * Meridian Elementary
 * Naranca Elementary
 * Rancho San Diego Elementary
 * Rios Elementary
 * Vista Grande Elementary
 * W.D. Hall Elementary

Public middle schools

 * Cajon Valley Middle School
 * Greenfield Middle School
 * Hillsdale Middle School
 * Los Coches Creek Middle School
 * Montgomery Middle School

Public high schools
Steele Canyon high school
 * Chaparral High School
 * Christian High School
 * El Cajon Valley High School
 * Granite Hills High School
 * Grossmont High School
 * Grossmont Middle College High School
 * IDEA Center High School
 * Valhalla High School

Private schools

 * Foothills Christian Schools (Preschool, middle school, and high school campuses )

Colleges

 * Advanced Training
 * Cuyamaca College
 * Grossmont College
 * San Diego Christian College
 * Seminary of Mar Abba the Great of the Chaldean Catholic Church

Annual events
On a Saturday in May, the city celebrates its diversity with a free family-friendly event called "America on Main Street". The festival replaces a previous city-sponsored event called the International Friendship Festival, which ran from 1991 to 2003. Both festivals highlight the city's identity as a "mini-United Nations", with 30% of its population being immigrants from Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, and other countries.

El Cajon's annual Mother Goose Parade has been held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving every year since 1946. Organizers claim it is the largest parade in San Diego County. It features more than 100 entries, including "motorized floats, marching bands and drill units, equestrians, clowns, performing artists, giant helium balloons, specialty vehicles, and Santa Claus."

Visitor attractions
Visitor attractions in and around El Cajon include the Water Conservation Garden and Butterfly Garden at Cuyamaca College, Sycuan Casino, Summers Past Farms, and the Parkway Plaza Mall.

Airports

 * Gillespie Field

Notable people

 * Lester Bangs, Rolling Stone rock critic
 * William Bengen, certified financial planner who proposed the 4 percent draw-down rule in retirement planning
 * Kurt Bevacqua, former Major League Baseball player
 * Aaron Boone, former Major League Baseball player
 * Bob Boone, former Major League Baseball player
 * Bret Boone, former Major League Baseball player
 * Tony Clark, former Major League Baseball player
 * Kevin Correia, former Major League Baseball player
 * William John Cox (Billy Jack Cox), public interest attorney, political activist, El Cajon police officer 1962-68
 * Dave Dravecky, former Major League Baseball player
 * Amy Finley, host of The Gourmet Next Door on Food Network Channel
 * Geoff Geary, former Major League Baseball player
 * Brian Giles, former Major League Baseball player
 * Marcus Giles, former Major League Baseball player
 * Broc Glover, professional motocross racer
 * Brian Graham, former Minor League Baseball player
 * A.J. Griffin, current Major League Baseball player
 * Ryan Hansen, actor
 * Mike Hartley, former Major League Baseball player
 * Chris Holder, former Minor League Baseball player
 * David Jeremiah, Christian minister
 * Jimmie Johnson, seven-time NASCAR champion
 * Ricky Johnson, motocross racer
 * Joe Kennedy, former Major League Baseball player
 * Jean Landis, aviator
 * David Lee, volleyball Olympic gold medalist
 * Darrell Long, noted American Computer Scientist and Engineer
 * Greg Louganis, Olympic diver, 1984 and 1988 gold medalist
 * Mark Malone, former NFL football player and sportscaster
 * Glen Morgan, film director
 * Joe Musgrove, current Major League Baseball player
 * Swen Nater, former NBA basketball player
 * Alfred Olango, shooting victim
 * Grant Roberts, former Major League Baseball player
 * Brian Sipe, former NFL football player
 * Shane Spencer, former Major League Baseball player
 * Kyle Stowers, Current Major League Baseball player
 * Tommy Vardell, former NFL football player
 * Brandon Whitt, former NASCAR driver
 * Katie Wilkins, Team USA Olympic volleyball player
 * James Wong, television producer
 * Frank Zappa, musician
 * Barry Zito, former Major League Baseball player

title: El Cajon, California