Serra Mesa, San Diego

Serra Mesa, San Diego
Community of San Diego
Serra Mesa
Serra Mesa entrance at Aero Drive and Sandrock Drive
Serra Mesa, San Diego Location within Northwestern San Diego
Coordinates: 32.80280°N 117.13834°W / 32.80280; -117.13834
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
City	San Diego
Population
• Total	24,000

Serra Mesa is a community in San Diego, California., roughly between Interstate 805 and Interstate 15, north of Friars Road and south of Aero Drive. It is named for Junípero Serra, a Majorcan (Spain) Franciscan friar who founded the Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Adjacent communities include Kearny Mesa, Tierrasanta, Mission Valley, and Linda Vista.

The community has a

population about ly 24,000 people, with 8,374 housing units, most of them single family.

History

The area was originally part of the Mission Rancho Lands of San Diego granted to the Catholic Church by the King of Spain. When the Missions were secularized by Mexico in 1834, the land was deeded over to various men, including Don Santiago Argüello, who eventually divided and sold some 15,999 acres (65 km²) of land.

More modern development of the community began after the Korean War, when the Navy built its Cabrillo Heights housing project in the early 1950s.

The Serra Mesa Community Planning Area also includes the neighborhoods of the Lincoln (formerly Cabrillo) Navy Housing, Cabrillo Village, Cabrillo Heights, Mission Village, and Birdland, which is home to three hospitals (Sharp Memorial, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns, and Rady Children's), including two of the six designated trauma centers in San Diego County as well as the only women's hospital and the only hospital dedicated solely to pediatric care. Six acres of the Civita development (formerly Quarry Falls), and the western slope of Murphy Canyon fall within Zip Code 92123. The Escala development, along with Fenton Parkway (Costco) are part of Mission Valley (92108), but feed into the Taft Middle School service area.

Education

Schools in Serra Mesa include Will Angier Elementary School, Harry M. Wegeforth Elementary School, John Paul Jones Elementary School, Ellwood P. Cubberley Elementary School, Benito Juarez Elementary School, and William Howard Taft Middle School. Students in Serra Mesa usually then go on to attend Kearny High School. Fletcher Elementary School serves the Birdland community which proudly defends its own identity. Fletcher Elementary students move on to Montgomery Middle School in Linda Vista (San Diego 92111) and Kearny High School. All of these schools belong to the San Diego Unified School District. Residents of Juvenile Hall attend classes administered by the San Diego County Board of Education. The San Diego Unified School District maintains an Instructional Materials office in Birdland. St. Columba Catholic Church operates a parochial school (K-8). The San Diego Hebrew Day School (K-8) is located on Afton Road. The San Diego Community College District operates its North City Campus at 8401 Aero Drive.

Parks

Ruffin Canyon Open Space Preserve is 84 acres (340,000 m²) of native habitat, running north and south nearly the length of Serra Mesa. This canyon preserve is being restored by a local group called the Friends of Ruffin Canyon.

The Serra Mesa Community Center has a small community park which includes a ball field, two playgrounds for young children, an outdoor basketball court, and an indoor basketball court. The recreation center offers after-school and seasonal activities for children. This park is located near Wegeforth Elementary School and St. Columba Church. Murray Ridge Park is near the intersection of Murray Ridge Road and Mission Center Road, at the west end of Celestine Avenue. Cabrillo Park is between Angier Elementary School and Highway 805. It includes ball fields, large lawns, and a playground.

Government as of 2012

In the Federal Government of the United States, Serra Mesa is represented by two senators from California and one U.S. Representative from California's 52nd congressional district, which covers a socioeconomically diverse area including all or part of La Jolla, Lakeside, Poway, Downtown San Diego, El Cajon and other parts of San Diego County. As of 2012, the U.S. Representative for Serra Mesa is Duncan Hunter, a Republican, while the U.S. Senators from California are Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, both Democrats.

In the government of California, Serra Mesa is partially represented by California's 39th State Senate district, currently held by Christine Kehoe, a Democrat. The district is located entirely in San Diego County, stretching from downtown San Diego northward to Del Mar and eastward to Lemon Grove, including all Western and Northern districts of San Diego proper. Party registration leans heavily toward the Democratic Party, although no party has a majority. California redistricting in 2011 affected this district, but not in Serra Mesa.

Also in the state government of California, Serra Mesa is represented by California's 76th State Assembly district, currently held by Toni Atkins, a Democrat. The district also represents 15.05% of San Diego County and 34.61% of San Diego city, all told. Party registration leans heavily toward the Democratic Party, although no party has a majority.

In the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Serra Mesa is represented by Republican Ron Roberts, who is also Chairman. In the San Diego City Council, Serra Mesa is represented by Councilman Raul Campillo in District 7. Rich Grosch represents the neighborhood in District C of the San Diego Community College District, but it will switch to District B in the next election cycle, while Keven Beiser is the representative in District B of the San Diego Unified School District. John Witt represents Serra Mesa in the 1st District of the San Diego County Board of Education.

The San Diego Police Department Eastern Substation are also located in Serra Mesa. Juvenile Hall, Juvenile Court, and the San Diego County Probation Department are located in the Birdland neighborhood.

External links

• City of San Diego Map of Serra Mesa Community
• Serra Mesa Neighborhood Link
• State of Serra Mesa and Kearny Mesa, 2009, by Councilwoman Donna Frye
• Serra Mesa 92123 Facebook Page

Notable People from Serra Mesa

• Alan Trammell (Major League Baseball Player)
• Rick Harrison, attended Taft Middle School