University City, San Diego, California

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University City as seen from UCSD
University City as seen from UCSD

University City is a community in the City of San Diego, California. It is located in the area of the city that is bounded by three freeways: Interstate 5, Interstate 805, and California State Highway 52. These freeways form a triangular border around the region, hence the area is often referred to as "the Golden Triangle". The University Towne Center shopping mall is located near the center of University City, while the campus of the University of California, San Diego, from whom the town derives its name, is to the west. The local high school is University City High School. A lot of residents refer to the area simply as part of La Jolla, the broad community to the west of the 5 Freeway, or as "East La Jolla,"[citation needed] and early on in development the area was officially connected.

There are two distinct parts of University City, divided by Rose Canyon (and the railroad tracks). South of Rose Canyon is the older part of University City, centered on Governor Drive. South UC is primarily single family homes, and local commercial centers (a local shopping center anchored by a Vons grocery store and Rite Aid pharmacy is at Governor and Genesee, and a local shopping center anchored by a Henry's Marketplace is at Governor and Regents). There are several elementary schools, parks, a middle school, and a library. At the east end of Governor Drive (near 805) is a commercially zoned area containing office parks with low-rise buildings. South UC was primarily developed in the 1960s and 70s.

North of Rose Canyon is the newer part of University City. It is primarily made up of condo complexes and apartment complexes, as well as a cluster of high rise office buildings, with mostly financial services as tenants. Besides containing three local shopping centers, there is also a regional shopping mall, UTC (originally University Towne Centre, but officially just the abbreviation). North UC also has some parks, an elementary school, and police and fire stations. The eastern mesas of North UC have more recently been developed for industrial use, and are home to several biotech companies. North UC was developed primarily in the 1980s and 90s, and growth and development continue to the present. In the past 5 years with San Diego's housing price boom, there has been a strong drive to convert apartments to condos.

There is also a demographic divide between North and South UC. Residents of South UC tend to be homeowners and there is a large population of retired persons, in part due to the presence of a retirement community east of Genesee. There is little racial diversity in South UC, with whites predominant. North UC tends to be younger - young professionals and college graduates as well as university students. Also, more of the population of North UC rent rather than own their homes. There are several university owned off-campus housing projects for graduate students. The racial makeup of North UC is a bit more diverse, with more Asians and Latinos as well as foreign nationals (often postgraduate researchers).

The topography of University City is mesas and canyons with most surviving open space being canyons, such as Rose Canyon and San Clemente Canyon, with their accompanying feeder canyons. The canyons provide opportunities for recreation, views, and wildlife habitat but are challenges to transportation connectivity and fire protection. The only roadway connecting North UC and South UC is the four-lane arterial Genesee Avenue.

Issues facing University City include transportation congestion, growth accommodation, and the growing division between the interests of the residents of South UC, and the businesses and residents of North UC.

University City's neighbors:

[edit] External links

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Neighborhoods of San Diego, California
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