Carmel Valley - 92130 and
Surrounding Neighborhoods
The 92130 Zip Code, formerly known solely as Carmel Valley, now encompasses seven communities: Carmel Valley, Carmel Country Highlands, Del Mar Mesa, Rancho Pacifica-Rancho Santa Fe, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity and Torrey Hills. One of the newer zip codes in the city of San Diego, the area lies east of Interstate-5 and Del Mar, just a short distance from the ocean. The easy access from I-5 and SR-56, combined with the family-friendly lifestyle, has made it a favorite residential location for people who love living on the coast but don't want to pay Del Mar and La Jolla prices.
Development of the residential areas began in 1983 and there are now a variety of luxury homes, condominiums and apartments available. There are approximately 13,500 homes and condos, and many of the residents are executives and professionals who often work in downtown, in one of the business parks along the El Camino Real / High Bluff Drive corridor or in one of nearby Sorrento Valley's high-tech and bio-tech firms. Most of the jobs in the area are in legal, research, medical and business centers. Due to the proximity of the University of California and Scripps Medical Centers, staff and students also live here, attracting the activities of local professionals and intellectuals: movies, plays, galleries, great restaurants, gourmet coffee houses, modern shops, and night life.
92130 has become a new legal power hub and center for business services. At least two dozen law firms are now clustered along High Bluff Drive and El Camino Real, making the 92130 zip code a premium locale that encompasses some of the priciest office space in San Diego County. Many of the new law offices represent satellite operations for large firms with hundreds of attorneys in offices nationwide and even overseas. The big law firms moving into the area are targeting San Diego's lucrative corporate work, such as intellectual property, copyright and patent law, focused on protecting the proprietary science and technology that underlie San Diego's proliferation of wireless, software, biotechnology and health science companies.
Residents are active and take advantage of the area's open space to bike, skate, walk and run. The Carmel Valley Community Park offers a sport facility that includes playing fields, a swimming pool and a gym. The Carmel Valley Branch Library is steps away on Townsgate Drive. The nearby popular and massive Pacific Athletic Club offers its members aquatics, badminton, athletics, fitness, racquetball and squash, tennis, social events, spa services, pilates, yoga, personal fitness training, nutrition, child care and physical therapy, and more.
The Community Park also hosts summer concerts every year. The famous Torrey Pines Golf Course and the Torrey Pines State Reserve are also close by. The Pacific Ocean at Del Mar Beach is minutes away, so swimming, surfing and beach activities are plentiful. There is excellent neighborhood shopping, and commuter train service is available from the Sorrento Valley station a couple of miles to the south.
Many of the communities in 92130 include the levy of a special tax (Mello-Roos), which is usually added to the annual property tax bills over a 20-25 year period. When Prop. 13 passed in 1978, it limited the ability of local governments to use property taxes to construct public facilities and services. The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982, authored by California legislators Mello and Roos, enabled "Community Facilities Districts" to be established by local governments as a means of obtaining crucial community funding for schools, public roads, storm sewers and water mains, police and fire stations, ambulance services, public libraries, parks, museums and cultural facilities.
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The 92130 zip code has grown so large that it is now divided into specific communities. The following is a description of each community.
Carmel Valley - Approximately 4600 attached homes and 4800 detached homes.
The earliest settlers were California Indians who left artifacts along the Carmel Creek bed. A Spanish soldier named the area Cordero, and early American settlers named other areas after themselves, such as McGonigle Canyon.
The Butterfield Stage and Pony Express used a route that is now known as El Camino Real, one of the main streets traversing Carmel Valley. In 1905, a group of Carmelite nuns built a monastery and dairy in the area, hence the name "Carmel." The area was agricultural and devoted to horse farms until the mid-1970s.
A master plan developed in 1975, advocating the development of a series of residential neighborhoods on the mesas, leaving the canyons as open space. The area was re-named "North City West" but the name didn't stick, and residents voted to change the name back to "Carmel Valley" in the early 1990's.
Schools
The schools in 92130 are a big draw for families. Out of the 416 public elementary schools in San Diego County, all of the elementary schools score near the top of the state's Academic Performance Index. The API is a numeric index ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000 that reflects a school's performance level, based on the results of statewide testing. In 2010, Sage Canyon Elementary scored 973 and Ocean Air Elementary scored 981, among the top 5 rankings in the entire county. Most of the residents attend Carmel Valley Middle School, ranked #1, and all four of the high schools are ranked in the top 10 countywide. All of the 92130 communities are within the Del Mar and Solana Beach school districts, except Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity, which is within the Poway School district, also a top-performing school district year after year.
For in-depth information on each school, go the school district's web site and click on the category titled "School Accountability Report Cards" or "SARC." Then you can select the school or school district of your choice and read about its specific curriculum, awards, etc.
92130 is also home to two of the most prestigious private schools in San Diego County: Cathedral High School and the San Diego Jewish Academy.
Carmel Valley Middle School: (www.sduhsd.net), scoring 967 out of 1000 on the API scores released in 2010, is the highest ranking middle school in San Diego County. In 2003 it was named a California Distinguished School. The school opened in 1999 and serves more than 1,300 students in a rapidly growing and dynamic community. More than 300 parent volunteers work at the school on a regular and part-time basis. Many programs and clubs support students' academic success; including Bobcat Connection, peer tutoring, student government, Saturday support, academic competitions, student senate, and peer mediation.
Public High Schools: High school students in all the areas but Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity have the choice of three top-ranked high schools, including two academies which require an application. They are all within the San Dieguito Union High School District.
The primary high school is Torrey Pines High School (www.sduhsd.net), and as of 2010, was one of the highest-ranking public high schools in all of San Diego County, according to the API scores. A three-time National Blue ribbon school and a California Distinguished School, Torrey Pines has students in journalism, science, the arts, and athletics who have received recognition in regional, state and national competitions. At Torrey Pines, 88% of graduates are admitted to colleges and universities.
Seniors in the class of 2006 received an average mean score of 1759 on the SAT. Torrey Pines scored 852 out of 1000 on the state's Academic Performance Index (API), ranking 10 out of 10. In 2010 the school scored an 871 on the API.
Students can apply for admittance to two other high schools, Canyon Crest Academy and San Dieguito High Academy.
Students choose to attend Canyon Crest Academy (www.sduhsd.net) for its smaller size, flexible schedule of four courses per semester and eight courses per year, rigorous curriculum, specialized arts and technology programs, and competitive athletics program. Canyon Crest Academy is one of the most technologically advanced high schools in the city. Students have access to a state-of the-art theater, a building for fine and performing arts, and one of the largest high school gyms in California. In 2010 Canyon Crest scored 892 on the API.
San Dieguito High School Academy (www.sduhsd.net) also offers a small school size, a challenging and relevant curriculum, adult-student connections, and a flexible schedule. Its speech and debate team and its academic team rank among the top teams in the state. There are programs that link curriculum with the community through partnerships and internships. SDA has received the California Distinguished School Award and scored 845 on the 2010 API.
Carmel Country Highlands - Approx. 700 homes
This master-planned community is comprised of 800 acres and approximately 700 homes. It overlooks open space, rolling hills and the lights of downtown San Diego. Many have ocean views. The first homes in this community were built in 1999; Carriage Run and Derby Hill were built as recently as 2007 and Bridle Ridge was completed by Pardee in 2010. The top-ranked elementary school in the county for the 2006-2007 school year, Sage Canyon, is located in this community.
Del Mar Mesa - Projected 688 homes
Del Mar Mesa consists of approximately 2,000 acres, located south of Carmel Valley and east of Torrey Hills with several luxury neighborhoods along Del Mar Mesa Road and the luxuty gated community of Meadows Del Mar. The maximum number of dwelling units in the Master Plan is 688, so this will remain a low-density community with abundant open space. It is the home of the endangered gnatcatcher bird, which is why SR-56 was re-routed to avoid this region. It is a semi-rural community of estate-size homes. There are still vestiges of the horse ranches that once occupied this mesa. Homes range from approximately 4800+ sq.ft. 10,000 sq.ft. Very exclusive enclaves such as Duck Pond Ranch are gated, and The Preserve is surrounded by open space with unobstructed 360' views.
Meadows Del Mar - The Meadows Del Mar is a gate guarded community of 134 homesites by Davidson developers surrounding the Tom Fazio designed Grand Del Mar Golf Course & Resort. This exclusive community combines the estate and coastal lifestyle that is highly sought after on the coast located just minutes from the beach, shopping, fine dining, freeway access and the county's best schools. Palatial Spanish, Mediterranean, Italian, and French-styled homes make up the community. Enclaves of custom homesites perched over canyons and fairways offer ocean and hillside views. The Meadows Del Mar is also home to The Grand Del Mar, a 249-room Manchester resort on 380 acres having the look of an old-world Mediterranean estate, there is Addison Restaurant, a 21,000 sq. ft. spa, luxury villas, and a Grand Ballroom.
Rancho Pacifica-Rancho Santa Fe is a gate guarded community of 148 elegant custom homes located in 92130 on the edge of Rancho Santa Fe, just moments from Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe and Interstate 5.
Almost half of the 400 rolling acres have been dedicated to permanent open space. Mature graceful pepper, pine, sycamore, oak and palm trees provide beauty and shade throughout the community. The terraced homesites allow for sweeping views of the nearby Pacific Ocean, Fairbanks Country Club, Del Mar Polo Fields and Gonzales Canyon. Enjoy the sun rising over the mountains and setting over the ocean in the quiet confines of Rancho Pacifica.
Elementary students are a part of the Solana Beach School District and middle and high school students attend schools in the San Dieguito Union High School Districts.
Pacific Highlands Ranch - Approx. 1400 homes now / 5,182 projected
Developed primarily by Pardee, Pacific Highlands Ranch encompasses 2,652 acres. The first homes were built in 2004 and the projected completion date of the community is 2014. The maximum number of dwelling units will be 5,182 and the current number of homes is approximately 1,400.
State Route (SR) 56, connecting I-15 with I-5, traverses this community. Due to a city restriction on building, only 1,900 building permits will be issued by the city until the north and southbound connectors between SR 56 and I-5 are built. It is estimated that the connecting ramps will be in the environmental phase until the end of 2008; construction is expected to begin in 2010 and end in 2012.
Conservation of the Multiple Habitat Preservation Area is the foundation for Pacific Highlands Ranch, preserving valuable open space and encouraging wildlife movement. The preservation area constitutes 1,275 acres (48%) of the community. Alternatives to the automobile will include transit services and numerous bicycle and pedestrian linkages.
The Town Center is the most important element for creating a strong sense of community.
Consisting of 205 acres, the Town Center includes a 50-acre senior high school (Canyon Crest Academy) and will ultimately include a 20-acre junior high school, a 13-acre community park, and a 300,000 sq. ft. employment center and a fire station. Residents enjoy the private recreation center with heated swimming pool, children?s pool/water park, gym, and clubhouse.
The focal point of the Town Center is the 33-acre village, which will be the residential, commercial, and civic core of Pacific Highlands Ranch. It will include 150,000 sq. ft. of retail space, 150,000 sq. ft. of office space, a transit center and a civic use area, as well as 500 of the dwelling units.
Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity - 441 Detached Homes
Although located in 92130, Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity is part of a larger development called Torrey Highlands in the 92129 zip code. Residents attend the Poway School District.
The most exclusive community in Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity is Fairbanks Highlands, a gated and beautifully landscaped community known for being safe and neighborly. Collins Ranch, located adjacent to Fairbanks Highlands along Carmel Valley Road, is also gated.
Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity is located on Carmel Valley Road equidistant between Interstate 5 and Interstate 15. It is sandwiched between three developments: Torrey Highlands (92129) to the east; Pacific Highlands Ranch to the west; and the master-planned community of Santaluz (92127) to the north. SR-56 borders this area to the south.
Torrey Del Mar is located adjacent to a small shopping center on Carmel Valley Road. Torrey Del Mar also has a neighborhood park with a large green play area, concrete tables, and a lighted, covered jungle gym facility on a sandy playground.
Torrey Hills - 1750 Attached and Detached Homes
Torrey Hills is bordered on the north by SR-56 and Carmel Valley; on the northeast by Carmel Valley; on the south and southeast by the Los Penasquitos Canyon and Mira Mesa; and on the west by Interstate 5.
Originally known as Sorrento Hills, the Torrey Hills residents are fiercely protective of their community. Residents succeeded at fighting fast food restaurants and a gas station being located within the community. The first homes were built in 1995 and the total number of single-family attached and detached homes is approximately 1,758.
The community group helps to regulate the use of the commercial and office space, located primarily on the west end. At the heart of the community is a neighborhood park, YMCA, and a very active recreational program for families and individuals.
