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Renting an Apartment in Vista
What You Should Know
Vista is a city in northern San Diego County, California. As of the 2000
census, the city had a total population of 89,857. It was incorporated January
28, 1963. Together with Oceanside and Carlsbad, it makes up the Tri-City area.
The book 50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family listed Vista as the 7th best
place in the US for family life, based on its highly-rated school system,
weather, and business climate.
Geography
Vista is located at 33�11′37″N, 117�14′28″W (33.193549, -117.241140)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.4
km� (18.7 mi�), all land.
Vista houses both the courthouse and the jail for northern San Diego County.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 89,857 people, 28,877 households, and
20,791 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,857.3/km�
(4,810.0/mi�). There were 29,814 housing units at an average density of
616.2/km� (1,595.9/mi�). The racial makeup of the city was 64.27% White, 4.24%
African American, 1.00% Native American, 3.70% Asian, 0.68% Pacific Islander,
21.33% from other races, and 4.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 38.94% of the population.
There were 28,877 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.5% of all
households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average
family size was 3.48.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 11.4%
from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there
were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,594, and the median income
for a family was $45,649. Males had a median income of $32,936 versus $25,812
for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,027. About 10.0% of
families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including
19.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Current estimates
According to estimates by the San Diego Association of Governments, the median
household income of Vista in 2005 was $60,531 (not adjusted for inflation). When
adjusted for inflation (1999 dollars; comparable to Census data above), the
median household income was $49,153.
Education
Vista has eighteen elementary schools, six middle schools, and six high schools.
Note that Guajome Park Academy, which is a charter school but still funded in
part by the Vista Unified School District, is a joint middle school and high
school. Guajome Park Academy has a long standing partnership with its sister
school (Gymnasium Ulricianum Aurich) in Aurich, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Vista also has a branch of Biola University.
Recreation
Vista is home to two city-supported theaters: the Moonlight Amphitheatre and the
Avo Playhouse. The Moonlight Amphitheatre is an open-air theater that
specializes in musical productions, performing several during the course of the
summer, including one youth production per season. The Moonlight has a winter
season at the Avo Playhouse, which, when not holding the Moonlight Winter
Season, produces many different plays which are not run by a central Avo-based
production crew.
Vista houses one movie theater, a Krikorian Cinema which opened in fall 2003.
There is a lot of open land in Vista, especially in the north, and much of it is
dedicated city parks. The two most well-known within the city are Brengle
Terrace Park and Guajome County Park. Brengle Terrace Park houses the Moonlight
Amphitheatre, a baseball field, a senior center, a playground, and the city
community center, where the main offices of the city's day camps are held.
Guajome County Park has 557 acres (2.3 km�) of land and is usually considered by
the residents as being part of Vista, although it is actually located outside of
the city lines. It features campsites, horse trails, and the Rancho Guajome
Adobe, a National Historic Landmark.
Rancho Guajome Adobe and Rancho Buena Vista are two ranchos in and near Vista,
built in the mid-nineteenth century. Both serve tours to schoolchildren and to
ordinary patrons, detailing the history of the ranchos and talking about life
during the time they were built. Both landmarks are also available for special
occasions.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department also runs the Wave Waterpark, a small
but well-equipped waterpark near the downtown area open from mid-spring to early
fall. Vista also features the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, an open-air
museum featuring various pieces and demonstrations of agricultural equipment
from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Vista is also home of a Japanese-American Cultural Center and Buddhist Temple,
one of only two in California, and over 75 other churches and temples of various
denominations.