University City, San Diego, California

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[edit] Summary

University City is a community in the city of San Diego, California, United States. This region is often called the Golden Triangle as it is bounded by three freeways; Interstate 5 to the west, Interstate 805 to the northeast, and State Route 52 to the south. 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 I-5, or as "East La Jolla,"[citation needed] and early on in development the area was officially connected. Because these communities are all part of the city of San Diego, there are no official borders between them.

the natural border that divides north and south UC.
the natural border that divides north and south UC.

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, historically referred to as University Square, centered on Governor Drive. [1][2] [3]. It is a mostly residential neighborhood along Governor Drive with many single family homes. A local strip mall at Governor and Genesee is anchored by a Vons grocery store and a Rite Aid pharmacy. Another strip mall anchored by Henry's Marketplace is to the west at Governor and Regents. There are several elementary schools, parks, a middle school, and a library. Just southwest of the Governor Drive exit from I-805 is a commercially zoned area containing office parks with low-rise buildings. Intuit's consumer tax group was one of the tenants until August 2007, when they relocated to a new campus in the Torrey Highlands area of San Diego[4]. South UC was developed primarily in the 1960s and 70s.

Six churches along Governor Drive, Clairemont Drive and San Diego California Temple on Charmant Drive.
Six churches along Governor Drive, Clairemont Drive and San Diego California Temple on Charmant Drive.

The newer part of University City north of the Rose Canyon is usually referred to UTC (originally University Towne Centre). UTC and University City are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the entire Golden Triangle area. UTC is primarily condo and apartment complexes with a cluster of hotels and high rise office buildings with mostly financial services as tenants. Besides containing three local shopping centers, there is also a large regional shopping mall anchored by Sears and Macy's. UTC also has some parks, an elementary school, and police and fire stations. The eastern mesas of UTC have recently been developed for industrial use, and are home to several biotech companies. The northern tip hosts the Center for Communications Research, a branch of the federally funded Institute for Defense Analyses that performs classified research for the National Security Agency. [5] North UC was developed primarily in the 1980s and 90s, and rapid growth and development continue. Housing prices have increased in the mid 2000s along with the rest of San Diego, and there has been a strong drive to convert apartments to condos.

There is also a demographic divide between UTC (North) and South UC. Residents of South UC tend to be homeowners with a large population of retired persons, partly due to a retirement community east and south of Genesee. There is little racial diversity in South UC, with whites predominant. UTC tends to be younger - young professionals, college graduates and 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. UTC is more racially diverse, with Asians and Latinos as well as foreign nationals (often postgraduate researchers).

The topography of University City is mesas and canyons such as Rose Canyon and San Clemente Canyon and their feeder canyons that provide most of the remaining open space. They provide wildlife habitats, views and opportunities for recreation but they aggravate wildfire risks and transportation problems. The only connection between UTC and South UC is the four-lane Genesee Avenue. An extension of Regents Road through Rose Canyon has long been proposed to alleviate congestion on Genesee but is strongly opposed by some local residents.

University City also faces problems accommodating growth and the division between the interests of its two halves.

A serious case of arson, alleged to be eco-terrorism, occurred on 1 August 2003. It destroyed a housing complex under construction at the east side of UTC. [6]

[edit] Neighbors

University City's Neighbors Include:

[edit] Education

Southern University Square hosts three schools and community branch library:

[edit] Recreation

  • Several golf courses in the San Diego area can be recognized as children-friendly. The first course is the University City Golf Course. It's located off Interstate 805, at the Governor Drive exit (6301 Gullstrand Street, San Diego, CA 92122). It features 9 holes, and its par is 27. Most holes are about 100 yards long or less, except one "monster" hole, the 6th, which measures 140 yards. The greens are slow and grainy, so they are not comparable to other fancier courses, but they are still fun. The 9th green is located far away from the clubhouse, so to get back you can either walk off the course onto the street and back, or you can walk the course backwards, being watchful for errant shots from other players, until you are back to the first tee.
  • Standley Recreation Center is 21.75 acre site acquired in 1974 and dedicated in 1978. It is located at 3585 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Insight Guide San Diego (Insight Pocket Guides) by John Wilcock (2004)
  2. ^ Outdoors San Diego: Hiking, Biking & Camping by Tom Leech and Jack Farnan (2004)
  3. ^ Metropolitan San Diego: How Geography And Lifestyle Shape A New Urban Environment (Metropolitan Portraits) by Larry R. Ford (2004)
  4. ^ Intuit Locations
  5. ^ CCR La Jolla Home Page
  6. ^ SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro - Feds arrest environment radical over S.D. speech
  7. ^ University of San Diego: Off the Record (College Prowler) (College Prowler: University of San Diego Off the Record) by James Leanoard (2005)
  8. ^ University of San Diego 2007 (College Prowler) by College Prowler (2006)

[edit] Community Map

University City is commonly referred to as the Golden Triangle, from the shape formed by its highway boundaries. It can be clearly seen in the image below.

[edit] External links

  • University City Community Association [1]
  • University City High School [2]


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