Chula Vista is located in the southern region of San Diego County. Its name, translated from Spanish, means “beautiful view”. It is a growing city, known for its diverse population and casual family oriented atmosphere. Located near the U.S and Mexico border, Chula Vista is currently the 2nd largest city in San Diego, and the 14th largest city in the state of California. With a population of over 200,000, Chula Vista has many of the amenities of major U.S. cities, while still retaining a small town aura of friendliness. Temperature is a mild temperate sunny 70 to 75 degree year round. Median income is slightly above average at $70,000/year, and in the eastern newer parts of Chula Vista, median income is even higher. Chula Vista covers a large part of southern San Diego. Starting from the Chula Vista marina on the western coastline, it extends all the way east towards the mountains of Jamul. Bordering cities include National City and Bonita on the north, and Otay Mesa, parts of Imperial Beach and San Ysidro on the south. Chula Vista is located approximately 7 miles (15 minutes) from both downtown San Diego and the international US-Mexico border. Chula Vista is located approximately 15 minutes to the nearest beach of Imperial Beach or 20 minutes to the more popular Mission Beach. Some Chula Vista attractions include three golf courses, two harbor marinas, major shopping centers, a community college, miles of pedestrian, biking and equestrian trails, award winning parks, the Chula Vista Nature Center, Knott’s Soak City Water Park, and is home to the ARCO Olympic Training Center, the nation's first warm-weather, year-round permanent Olympic center. Olympic athletes live and train here year round and the center is open to the public for tours.
The city of Chula Vista is generally divided between “west Chula Vista” and “east Chula Vista”. The North and South bound freeway 805 is considered the non-official dividing line. West Chula Vista is considered “older” Chula Vista, with homes mostly built in the 1950’s – 1970’s. This is where Chula Vista started back in the early 1900’s. There are a few historic Victorian homes here as well. Homes are generally older with larger lot sizes. Zip codes of west Chula Vista include 91910 and 91911. Prices generally range between $150,000 to $500,000. There are a few estate homes that will sell up to $1,000,000. If you’re interested in west Chula Vista homes, please call Roger Ma, your Chula Vista real estate expert, at 619-254-0466 or email rogermahomes@gmail.com.
East Chula Vista, which includes neighborhoods east of the 805 Freeway, is considered “newer” Chula Vista. Homes were built here starting from the 1980’s, with the majority of homes built in the early 2000’s. Starting around the year 2000, east Chula Vista enjoyed an explosive real estate boom, with major housing developments and master planned communities growing at record breaking pace. At one point, Chula Vista was considered one of the fastest growing cities in the entire country! Popular neighborhoods or master planned communities of east Chula Vista include Eastlake (which includes Eastlake Trails, Eastlake Greens, Eastlake Shores, Eastlake Hills, Eastlake Woods, Eastlake Vistas, Eastlake Summit), Otay Ranch, San Miguel Ranch, Rolling Hills, Sunbow, Rancho Del Rey, Tierra Nova, Lomas Verdes, and Winding Walk. Zip codes of east Chula Vista include 91913, 91914, and 91915. Many of these communities are still constructing brand new homes. Prices range between $200,000 for a condo to $4,000,000 for a custom mansion in the exclusive gated Eastlake Woods at the Gates.
Schools in east Chula Vista are considered some of the best in the San Diego County. Schools here have consistently scored in the top percentile in the national API score index. Schools are generally equipped with more modern amenities, due to the overall “newness” of the east Chula Vista community. The socio-economic demographics of east Chula Vista, combined with strong family and community support, provide students a challenging and rewarding learning experience.
Many new community parks have recently been built, most offering various recreational classes for kids and adults. Lots of businesses and shopping centers have also arrived to accommodate the growing east Chula Vista population. A new massive outdoor shopping mall called the Otay Ranch Mall, has many shops and restaurants that appeal to every age. Most of the major national stores are located in east Chula Vista including Borders, Trader Joe’s, Target, Super Wal-Mart (one of the only two Super Wal-Marts in San Diego County), Home Depot, Lowe’s, Islands Restaurant, Macaroni Grill, Chili’s, AMC Theatre, and many more.
Some of the best real estate opportunities can be found right here in Chula Vista. Prices generally have fallen approximately half in value from the peak in 2006. A recent report has indicated that Chula Vista, especially the zip code 91913, has one of the highest number of home sales in the state of California, as of July 23, 2009. If you’re interested in east Chula Vista homes, please call Roger Ma, your Chula Vista real estate specialist, at 619-254-0466 or email rogermahomes@gmail.com.
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