| San Ysidro | |
|---|---|
| — Community of San Diego — | |
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San Ysidro
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | County of San Diego |
| City | City of San Diego |
San Ysidro (Spanish pronunciation: [san iˈsiðɾo]) is a community in the southern section of San Diego. It is located in the southernmost part of San Diego County, immediately north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley to the west. Major thoroughfares include Beyer Boulevard and San Ysidro Boulevard.
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San Ysidro is named for San Ysidro Labrador (Saint Isidore), patron saint of farmers. A chapel of Mission San Diego de Alcalá was established in the area about 1818.[1]
The Little Landers was a community founded in 1908 with the motto, "A little land and a living surely is better than desperate struggle and wealth possibly." Each member of the community held a plot of land no bigger than they could cultivate themselves, averaging 2 acres (8,100 m2) each, in order to foster a non-hierarchical social structure.[2] Every person had an equal voice in the affairs of the community whose business affairs was conducted by a board of directors voted in by the community. All agricultural buying and selling was pooled on a cooperative basis. Members agreed to forfeit their land should they leave the community.
The community levied a commission on the sale of land which funded public improvements such as a library, park, irrigation systems, and a clubhouse. They maintained a retail market in San Diego where harvested produce was sold. In addition to growing vegetables, the community raised and marketed ducks, rabbits, and goats.[3][4]
The Little Landers is known as one the nation's first communes.[5] It was started by William Ellsworth Smythe in 1908, and lasted until a major flood wiped out its farms in 1916.[6][7]
San Ysidro, along with the rest of South San Diego, was annexed by the city of San Diego in 1957; an attempt by residents in 1973 to reverse the decision was unsuccessful.[8]
On July 18, 1984, James Oliver Huberty, a 41-year old former welder from Canton, Ohio, committed a mass murder of 21 people inside of a McDonald's restaurant in the community. The McDonald's site was razed in 1985. The site is now home to a Southwestern College satellite campus.[9]
San Ysidro is home to the world's busiest land border crossing,[10] where U.S. Interstate 5 crosses into Mexico at Tijuana. In the 2005 U.S. fiscal year, more than 17 million vehicles and 50 million people entered the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The great majority of these are workers (both of Mexican and U.S. nationality) commuting from Tijuana to jobs in the greater San Diego area and throughout southern California. There is also reverse traffic, both of workers traveling to maquiladoras in Mexico and those purchasing services or seeking entertainment in Tijuana. Crossing times are often slow at San Ysidro, particularly for those entering the United States in cars. For this reason many cross on foot, the line for which is frequently much faster than the vehicle line. Some foot travelers own a car in each country, and keep them in one of the large parking lots located near the border post, or use the respective public transportation systems of both cities (both systems have a bus station built solely to serve the border crossing point, and the San Diego Trolley runs from downtown San Diego to the border crossing).
Trucks are generally instructed to use the border crossing in Otay Mesa instead of the San Ysidro one.
A proposed expansion of the San Ysidro port of entry is taking place in three parts and is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2014. The $577 million project will expand and veer Interstate 5 to the west. Slated to be built are a new northbound inspection facility, including primary vehicle inspection booths, a secondary inspection area, an administration space, and a pedestrian-processing facility. A new southbound inspection facility is also planned.[11][12][13]
The San Diego Police Department provides police services to the community. The area is serviced by the southern division headquarters at 1120 27th Street and a small substation at 663 E. San Ysidro Blvd.[14]
The San Diego Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services to the community. The area is serviced by fire station 29 at 179 W. San Ysidro Blvd.[15]
The area is served by the San Ysidro School District (kindergarten through the eighth grade) and Sweetwater Union High School District, which operates San Ysidro High School. San Ysidro Adult Education Center, operated by the high school district, is also in San Ysidro.
The San Diego Public Library operates the San Ysidro Branch Library.[16] Parks in San Ysidro include Howard Lane Park, Vista Terrace Park, and San Ysidro Community Park. Churches include Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church.
The San Ysidro Post Office opened on April 13, 1910 and closed on January 5, 1974.[17]