City Heights, San Diego, California

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City Heights is a large community in the eastern part of San Diego, California known for its ethnic diversity. Along the main streets (which include University Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue) one can find Hispanic, East African, African American, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian businesses.

Geographically, City Heights is large and diffuse, with many subneighborhoods. The city officially recognizes two neighborhoods which are collectively known as "City Heights;" City Heights East and City Heights West. The street layout is mainly grid pattern, which has some interesting consequences near some of the fault lines and canyons in the neighborhood. City Heights West is bounded roughly by 805 freeway to the west and 43rd Street to the east. City Heights East is bounded by 40th Street to the west and 54th Street to the east. Both are bounded by El Cajon Boulevard to the north, and roughly by Home Avenue to the south.

"Downtown" City Heights is generally regarded around Fairmount Avenue and 43rd Street.

The following are the subneighborhoods collectively known as City Heights: Corridor, Teralta West, Teralta East, Colina Park, Cherokee Point, Castle, Fairmount Village, Fox Canyon, Chollas Creek, Islenair, Swan Canyon, Azalea Park, Hollywood Park, Ridgeview, Fairmont Park and Baybridge.

Socially and economically, City Heights has a high concentration of lower income businesses and households, resulting from the newly arrived immigrant communities. Businesses tend to be smaller and wider spread than to the north and east. Like other urban mesa neighborhoods north of Balboa Park, City Heights has a high rate of pedestrian activity, relative to the rest of San Diego. Crime rates were quite high until the recent renaissance, which ushered in one of the highest concentrations of police presence in the city.

Students from City Heights generally attend Herbert Hoover High School in Talmadge or Crawford High School in El Cerrito as well as Clark Middle School.

Contents 1 Demographics 2 History 3 Renaissance 4 Arts, Culture and Cuisine 5 External links

[edit] Demographics

Population stands at 65,450 as of 2005. Median household income is $19,393. Racial makeup is approximately 57% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 12% White, 12% African-American and 4% other. Median age is approximately 23 years old.

[edit] History

1880s - Entrepreneurs Abraham Klauber and Samuel Steiner purchased a tract of over 240 unincorporated acres that sat 400 feet above sea level northeast of Balboa Park in hopes of developing the area, and named it City Heights.

November 2, 1912 - With the opening of the Panama Canal and the planned Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, the voters of the area voted for City Heights to become an incorporated city known as East San Diego. Population boomed in the next few years from 400 in 1910 to 4000 during the incorporation.

January 20, 1914 - Attempts at disincorporating the City of East San Diego were defeated.

1917 - Another attempt at disincorporation was defeated, partly because the Carnegie Library Corporation refused to build a library in East San Diego if it were not an incorporated town.

1922 - The issue of water supply shortage fueled anti-incorporation and pro-annexation movements throughout the city.

June 26, 1923 - East San Diego residents voted to consolidate with the bigger city of San Diego. The old city trustees continued to govern as if nothing had happened.

October 1923 - San Diego residents approved the annexation of East San Diego.

December 31, 1923 - On this date, the City of East San Diego ceased to exist and was annexed into the City of San Diego. The status of the city was in limbo throughout the early part of 1924, since the East San Diego trustees still refused to recognize the annexation. They finally stepped down later that year saying they would rather step down than see the services in the old city deteriorate. Complete annexation occurred over the next few years with the City of San Diego taking over, improving or adding new services into the City Heights area.

September 2, 1930 - Herbert Hoover High School opened in City Heights.

1930s - Several highways and roads opened to better connect City Heights/East San Diego to the rest of the city. Some still exist today like Fairmount Avenue and Home Avenue.

1950 - City Heights/East San Diego population reached 50,000. Great commercial growth was seen in the area.

1954 - The East San Diego Sign at Fairmount and University Avenue was erected. This was similar to the other signs in neighboring communities during the same time period (North Park, Kensington, Normal Heights and Hillcrest).

1959 - This year marks the decline of commercial businesses in the area. Shopping centers in the outer suburbs such as Fashion Valley, Mission Valley and the College Grove Shopping Center siphoned off merchants and customers from the University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard corridor.

1962 - The Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the now defunct City of East San Diego.

1965 - The San Diego City Council approved the Mid-City Plan. The plan proposed to densify City Heights and surrounding areas, as a means of increasing business and commerce. The plan resulted in many single-family homes being replaced with multi-family apartments.

1967-1968 - The Council approved the widening of University Avenue on 12 blocks. The East San Diego Sign was taken down as a result. The sign was never put back in place, unlike others of the "original five".

1970 - The census indicated the trend of increased diversity in City Heights.

1970s to the 1980s - Crime started to increase with the arrival of the illegal drug industry, mainly methamphetamine. White flight started taking place and intensified in the later years.

Early 1990s - Crime intensified in the area. A state of emergency was declared by the City of San Diego. The houses bought by Caltrans for the construction of I-15 contributed to the rising crime rate because Caltrans had no policy in place for dealing with abandoned buildings. The abandoned areas were prime spots for gang and drug-related activities. It took years before they were finally taken down for the actual construction of the freeway.

1993 - Three teen boys were killed in a gang-related fight in Hoover High School. The community reacted and spurred efforts to reduce crime in the neighborhood. The City Heights Business Improvement Association erected billboards that declared Welcome to City Heights, San Diego's Crime Capital. Won't Anybody Help? to gain city officials' attention.

November 1993 - Vons planned to close many stores in San Diego, including the one in City Heights with much community protest. This move caught the attention of the city, which proposed to build a new police station to address the rising crime rate. However, the city was strapped for cash and did not have funds readily available. This in turn caught the eye of entrepreneur and philanthropist Sol Price. He pledged money for redevelopment efforts in concert with the city and his for-profit redevelopment corporation.

1996 - The city and Sol Price's redevelopment corporation opened the new police substation.

2000s - Redevelopment efforts continue to this day and new public facilities have opened. New services are being provided to residents of City Heights including schools, a library and a community center. Crime rates are also down and a new urban retail village is serving the community.

[edit] Renaissance

As with other older neighborhoods found just north of Downtown San Diego and Balboa Park, City Heights is currently enjoying a renaissance.

In an effort to reverse the high crime rate and the depressed economy, the community has undergone some redevelopments. The local projects are a major focus of the Smart Growth strategy by the City of San Diego, which is funded in part by private organizations and philanthropic individuals, notably Sol Price (founder of Fedmart and Price Club).

These projects concentrate primarily on education, crime and gang-related activity reduction, economic improvements, smart urban growth, renewal of community pride and improvement of overall quality of life, while at the same time enhance the "melting-pot" identity for which City Heights is known.

Recent projects that have been completed include the very first alternative fuel station in the city, a new retail complex with some mixed-use developments, several newly expanded and improved basic education schools, a new "urban village" with a new library, a new police headquarter and a gymnasium, as well as a number of innovative uses of open spaces as parks.

As a result of the improvements, population in the neighborhood has been on the increase, reversing the trend of urban flight for those who could afford to move just a few years prior. Indeed, the redevelopment is now starting to focus on controlling growth.

A few trendy bars and clubs have started to move into the neighborhood, a sign some would argue, that gentrification, along with redevelopment, is also happening.

[edit] Arts, Culture and Cuisine

Due to the large immigrant population of City Heights, a vast array of ethnic restaurants can be found in the community. Most are located along the main arteries of University Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue.

There is also a sizeable gay community in Azalea Park.

The annual International Village Celebration is held around late spring or early summer and is aimed at highlighting the community's diversity.

[edit] External links

• City Heights Town Council
• Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network
• Price Charities
• History of City Heights