Mira Mesa, San Diego, California

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Mira Mesa is a large suburb that is part of the city of San Diego, California.

Contents 1 History 2 Transportation in Mira Mesa 2.1 Main thoroughfares 3 Community events 4 Schools in Mira Mesa 4.1 Junior Colleges 4.2 Senior High Schools 4.3 Middle Schools 4.4 Elementary Schools 4.5 Private Schools 5 Notable people from Mira Mesa 6 External links

Mira Mesa is bordered by Interstate 15 to the east, Interstate 805 to the west, the Los Penasquitos Canyon to the north and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, to the south. At the west end, the Sorrento Valley business and technology park is a major employer.

[edit] History

Around the time of World War II the area now called Mira Mesa was used by the United States Army as a test area. Just west of U.S. Route 395 (now Interstate 15) was a Navy auxiliary landing field that was known locally as Hourglass Field because the layout of the runways was a single piece of asphalt in the shape of an hourglass. The Navy also used the surrounding area as a bombing range. Starting in 1969 the area was quickly built up. It was one of the earliest areas of urban sprawl along the I-15 Corridor. Hourglass field became the site of San Diego Miramar College and Hourglass Field Community Park. The area was built so quickly that it was lacking schools, shopping centers, or other services for its thousands of residents. In 1971 Pete Wilson started his political career running for mayor with the slogan "No more Mira Mesas!" as a promise to stop quick, unplanned growth in San Diego.

Since its inception, Mira Mesa was largely influenced by the military located at adjacent NAS Miramar. Mira Mesa was the northernmost "real community" of San Diego, and was separated from the rest of the city by NAS Miramar for many years. For nearly 30 years the Navy's Top Gun School was located here and most of the pilot's made their homes in Mira Mesa. There was a good relationship between the military and the local community as Navy pilots were of a more professional demeanor as compared to other demographics of the military. There was a noticeable change when the Marine Corp took over the base in 1997, and the "professionals" were stationed elsewhere, and the "grunts" moved in. Since then, Mira Mesa took on the profile of nearby Oceanside, CA(home of Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base) with an increase in crime due to simple demographics -the rise in numbers of uneducated, young, and lower paid military personnel, whom had little respect for the community. Although, the introduction of these young Marines has economically benefitted Mira Mesa, as they always have money to spend and are more than willing to spend it.

Mira Mesa was always a place that students of UCSD could reside, being only a short commute from the UCSD campus. Since the housing market boom of the late 1990's, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of UCSD students residing in Mira Mesa. Much of this was due to the students parents' seeking to cash in on the real estate market, as well as provide a home for their children and their college to friends to reside in. Now, as the kids graduate college and go on their merry way, many of these homes are now turning into dedicated UCSD rentals, in which the owners rent to only UCSD students year after year. One can drive down just about any street in Mira Mesa and see the vast numbers of UCSD students that live in the community by observing the license plate frames on their cars, or stickers they place around the community. It is now said that within 100 yards of any home in Mira Mesa there is at least one "UCSD house", overcrowded with out-of-town college students, most of whom don't have jobs, but drive a BMW or Mercedes.

As of the late 1990s, the Mira Mesa area has undergone extensive expansion to accommodate the thousands of new residents attracted by its ideal location (between two major freeways) and its close proximity to Downtown San Diego. Several commercial and industrial centers have been built within the Mira Mesa area. The Mira Mesa area has attracted a large Filipino and Vietnamese community, and Filipino and Vietnamese grocery stores (as well as other ethnic markets, including Indian and Chinese) have been opened in Mira Mesa.

The development of the Sorrento Valley "technology & biotech" area to the west of Mira Mesa in the late 1990's signaled the end of an era for Mira Mesa(and San Diego). No longer would Mira Mesa(San Diego) be the "Utopian Hamlet by the Sea" that it had once been. Starting about this time, high tech companies, large and small, sprouted all over the area, and their effects on the surrounding communities were substantial. There was(and continues to be) a huge influx of people from all over the country, mostly professional, looking for work or whom were recruited by companies in the Sorrento Valley area. Many of these new transplants moved(and continue to move) into the Mira Mesa area, and inevitably resulted in the gentrification (for better or for worse)of the community. Many long time residents were displaced either directly or indirectly by the sizeable incomes moving in to their community. This has played(and continues to play) a major role in the rapid increase in cost of living- most notably the cost of housing, the unmanageable population density, and the ever decreasing quality of life as perceived by long time residents.

There is a lack of "sense of community" in Mira Mesa.

[edit] Transportation in Mira Mesa

Public transportation in Mira Mesa is provided by the San Diego Transit and the Metropolitan Transit System, through buses and DART (Direct Access to Regional Transit) shuttles.

A train station serves Mira Mesa in Sorrento Valley and is served by the Coaster commuter train, of the North County transit district. The Coaster links Mira Mesa to Downtown San Diego, and north to coastal communities like Solana Beach and Oceanside.

Main highways include: Interstates 805 and 15.

[edit] Main thoroughfares

• Mira Mesa Boulevard runs east to west, and is the main road in Mira Mesa, and is an important link between Interstates 15 and 805. In the year 2000 this main artery was estimated by The City to carry over 80,000 vehicles/day. During the normal work week it has arguably the worst traffic in the county due to the excessive amount of commuters traveling in and out of the high density employment area of Sorrento Valley, and from cut-through traffic between Interstates 15 and 805/5 corridors. There is usually such a high traffic volume, that the majority of residential roads running in all directions from Mira Mesa Blvd. become backed up for many hours a day. In an effort to try and control the current and expected future traffic problems, by 1997 the city had installed additional traffic controls, such as turn prohibitions at various intersections, and speed humps on certain streets, to stop the already overwhelming cut-through traffic. This reduced the amount of traffic from other neighborhoods, such as Scripps Ranch and Rancho Penasquitos traveling through Mira Mesa residential neighborhoods.

According to the City of San Diego Council Minutes - Sept. 9, 1997, faith in alleviating the Mira Mesa Blvd. traffic problem was put in the completion of east-west running State Route 56 to the north of Mira Mesa Blvd. The minutes state, "(SR-56) is expected to substantially reduce the non-neighborhood cut-through traffic demand on (Mira Mesa residential streets)." SR-56 construction started in 1999 and was scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2004. This was delayed, and with the opening of SR-56 north of Mira Mesa complete in early 2006, there has been a noticeable drop in residential traffic, especially on Calle Cristobal.

• Camino Ruiz is a north-south four lane thoroughfare that runs the whole length of the Mira Mesa area, and links Miramar Road to Mira Mesa Boulevard, to Calle Cristobal. It is a main thoroughfare for military personnel traveling to and from MCAS Miramar and the surrounding area.
• Black Mountain Road is a north-south thoroughfare that connects San Diego to Mira Mesa, and continues to Rancho Penasquitos, and Del Mar.
• Calle Cristobal runs east to west, along the northern perimeter of Mira Mesa, through the Los Penasquitos Canyon. It is mainly used by residents to get to the subdivisions of Sorrento Valley, and by commuter cut-through traffic via Interstates 805 or 5.
• Sorrento Valley Road becomes Calle Cristobal between Sorrento Valley and Mira Mesa.

[edit] Community events

Street Fair

• The Mira Mesa Street Fair is held the first Saturday in October just west of Mira Mesa Community Park.

Fourth of July

• On the Fourth of July, a spectacular parade runs through Mira Mesa on Mira Mesa Boulevard, then turns on Camino Ruiz. In the evening a fireworks display is set off from Mira Mesa High School.

Halloween

• Every Halloween an event is held at the Mira Mesa Rec Center, there are various activities including a costume contest.
• Mira Mesa is also home to the Monster Manor, a "haunted house" located in the Target parking lot.

The Annual Philippine Festival

• This event celebrates the anniversary of Philippine Independence from Spain. The festivities include a fun day with music, cultural shows, dance performances, talent competition, exhibits, food, guest speakers and rides for kids. It takes place every summer at the Mira Mesa Community Park and is hosted by the Emilio Aguinaldo Foundation.

Other

• Each Saturday, the Mira Mesa Scripps Ranch Sentinel is published with community news and events.

• The Epicentre teen center is a music venue by night. Often there are a couple concerts each week.

• There is talk on the Mira Mesa Forums of a community Christmas tree. The idea may be put into action in December of 2006

• There are also volunteer projects around Mira Mesa such as recycling and clean-ups. More information can be found at the Mira Mesa website which is linked at the bottom of this page.

[edit] Schools in Mira Mesa

[edit] Junior Colleges

• Miramar College

[edit] Senior High Schools

• Mira Mesa High School The Mira Mesa High School Band was part of the band that played in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.
• Scripps Ranch High School

[edit] Middle Schools

• Wangenheim Middle School
• Challenger Middle School

[edit] Elementary Schools

• Ericson Elementary School
• Hage Elementary School
• Hickman Elementary School
• Mason Elementary School
• Sandburg Elementary School
• Walker Elementary School

[edit] Private Schools

• Good Shepherd Catholic School
• Christ the Cornerstone Academy
• Rainbow Kids Integral Preschool

[edit] Notable people from Mira Mesa

• Adam Brody (The OC) went to Wangenheim Middle School in Mira Mesa.

• Dat Phan (Comedian, winner of Last Comic Standing) had a home in Mira Mesa until his recent move to San Francisco.

[edit] External links

• Mira Mesa Town Council
• Mira Mesa Girls Softball - 12 & under State Champions 1999, 2005
• Mira Mesa Google Local Map
• The Mira Mesa branch public library
• Mira Mesa Transit Center
• Mira Mesa community profile, planning and demographics from the City of San Diego