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About Mira Mesa
Mira Mesa is a large suburb that is part of the city of San Diego,
California.
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.
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.
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 have been opened in Mira
Mesa.
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.
Main throughfares
* 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, but with the complete opening of SR-56 in early 2006,
there was a noticeable drop in residential traffic.
* Camino Ruiz is a north-south four lane throughfare that runs the whole length
of the Mira Mesa area, and links Miramar Road to Mira Mesa Boulevard, to Calle
Cristobal.
* Black Mountain Road is a north-south throughfare 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.
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.
Other
* Each Saturday, the Mira Mesa Scripps Ranch Sentinel is published with
community news and events.
* 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.
Schools in Mira Mesa
Junior Colleges
* Miramar College
Senior High Schools
* Mira Mesa High School
* Scripps Ranch High School
Middle Schools
* Wangenheim Middle School
* Challenger Middle School
Elementary Schools
* Ericson Elementary School
* Hage Elementary School
* Hickman Elementary School
* Mason Elementary School
* Sandburg Elementary School
* Walker Elementary School
Private Schools
* Good Shepherd Catholic School
* Christ the Cornerstone Catholic School
* Rainbow Kids Integral School
Notable people from Mira Mesa
* Adam Brody (The OC) went to Wangenheim Middle School in Mira Mesa.