Mira Mesa, San Diego

NorthEastern portion of San Diego and neighborhood boundaries

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 The Mira Mesa High School Band, under Jeanne Christensen, was part of the band that played in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Opening Ceremonies.
Scripps Ranch High School Rivals to MMHS.

Middle Schools

Elementary Schools

Private Schools

Notable people from Mira Mesa

Adam Brody (The OC) went to Wangenheim Middle School in Mira Mesa.

External links