La Mesa
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La Mesa, California City Information and Real Estate
The Jewel of the Hills
With one walk through La Mesa Village with its quaint antique shops and vibrant restaurants… or one hike up to the top of Mt Helix with its sweeping 360 degree views from the beaches to the mountains… or one afternoon spent picnicking at one of the city’s many parks, it’s easy to see why La Mesa real estate is known as the Jewel of the Hills.
La Mesa History & Heritage
From its pastoral beginnings as a sheep-herding station in 1869, La Mesa sprung to life just 20 years later, with the addition of a railroad line which linked this semi-arid east county town with the big city — downtown San Diego. You can still see the railway timetable at the restored La Mesa Depot—note that it only took 32 minutes to get from La Mesa to San Diego, and that was with 2 stops along the way. By 1911, 18 passenger trains – plus more freight trains — went through La Mesa daily. With the infrastructure getting in place, the population of La Mesa zoomed from just a few farmers and families to over 150 that made real estate in the area a hot market, as shops and homes sprung up to accommodate this new connection. Small citrus ranches and fruit-packing houses helped jumpstart a thriving economy that still holds strong today.
Dotted with rolling, grassy hillsides, La Mesa had water available from natural underground springs, but not enough to support the 10-15 acre orange and lemon groves of the day. A wooden flume line was also completed in 1889, and brought much-needed water down from the Cuyamaca Mountains, 36 miles to the east. However, a severe drought in the early part of the 20th century caused many of La Mesa’s citrus groves to wither, so once again, the city reinvented itself, as farmers began to sell their land to developers from San Diego. By 1905, paved streets, sewer lines and subdivision maps were commonplace. By the time the city of La Mesa was incorporated in 1912, the population had risen to over 700.
Over the next decade, larger shops, schools, a newspaper office and a new theatre were built, along with larger roads to accommodate automobiles. People from all over the U.S. came to enjoy the year round pleasant weather, panoramic vistas and popular architecture. Shops were built in Mediterranean style and many homes in Craftsman style; you can still see these fine La Mesa homes, especially on Date Avenue downtown, where scenic rows of Canary Island date palms were first planted in 1906. In the eastern hills of city, La Mesa’s Spanish-style homes were built starting in 1910 amidst the Fuerte avocado groves. The views from this Grossmont/Mt Helix neighborhood are still in high demand today.
Even through the Depression years, La Mesa’s population continued to grow and in 1934 was estimated to be 4166 and by the end of World War II, that figure had risen to nearly 7000, including many new military families. The number of quality schools has always been an attractant to La Mesa, from the first one room school house built in 1895, to the highly rated La Mesa Spring Valley School District, now with 22 schools from grades K-8 elementary schools there are today. Since 1922, Grossmont High School has educated students not only from La Mesa but from the surrounding cities as well. Be sure to stop by the school’s new Museum, which just opened in the fall of 2008. Now, there are 2 large high schools in La Mesa, and a total of 11 in the Grossmont Union High School District. La Mesa is a community that people pick because of the high involvement of parents in the outstanding elementary-age programs, and the high test scores in grades K-12. Plus, there are 3 colleges and universities within 2 miles of the city.
By the 1950s, La Mesa businesses were flourishing, and included a Piggly Wiggly, department store, dime store, grocery store, several family owned stores and cafes, furniture stores, banks, car dealerships, a lumber yard, plus essential services like Grossmont Hospital, the library, post office, city hall, police station and fire station, which just celebrated its 100 year anniversary. The hub of the city was still in downtown La Mesa, but in 1961, Grossmont Center Mall opened—the 3rd shopping mall built in San Diego County.
La Mesa Today
Today’s visitors to La Mesa have wonderful choices: the open air, festively decorated Grossmont Mall, or the charming, revitalized downtown Village with its boutiques, restaurants, antique stores, shops and year-round festivals and special events. Here’s just a sampling of what’s happening in the La Mesa Village: Thursday nights throughout the summer you can enjoy the classic car show; every June you can cheer along with the annual Flag Day Parade; every fall you can visit the famous Oktoberfest, a popular event since 1974; and during Christmas, La Mesa Village transforms into an old-fashioned magical fair, complete with strolling carolers, horse drawn carriages and chestnuts roasting. Throughout the year you can enjoy Friday Farmer’s Market filled with fresh fruits, flowers and foods.
Atop Mt Helix, you can visit the Nature Theater crowned with a 35-foot high foot cross, and enjoy breathtaking views all over the county. Every spring, there’s an Easter sunrise service there, and every Christmas , carolers make the trek to the top to sing. Recently, new events have been scheduled, including the very popular wine tasting. Over the years, theatre groups have used this historic landmark for their well-attended drama productions. Interestingly enough, since 1911, hundreds of one-reelers, movies and TV shows have been filmed in La Mesa. Grossmont Studios operated until about 1929; move making returned to La Mesa in 1988 when Columbia Pictures used La Mesa Blvd was used to shoot the opening scenes of Little Nikita.
La Mesa Community
The City of La Mesa is also home to several community and civic groups and churches. You can find whatever you’re looking for, from AYSO soccer leagues to La Mesa National Little League, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the La Mesa Woman’s Club, Toastmasters, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs, various business networking groups, the Foothills Art Association, the Lamplighters theater group, Christian Community Theater and Christian Youth Theater, Peter Pan Jr Theater, plus Adult Ed, the La Mesa Senior Center and the La Mesa Recreation Club and the John A Davis Family YMCA. There are 14 parks—no wonder La Mesa is also named Tree City, USA. You can also golf, swim, play tennis, soccer, baseball, go skating, and enjoy boating and fishing at Lake Murray–there’s never a shortage of fun things to do in La Mesa.
Local Attractions
And no matter where you’re going, it’s easy to get there, either by foot, by car, or via the famous red trolley, which will even take you as far as downtown San Diego and Seaport Village, Petco Park for the baseball games, Qualcomm Stadium for the football games, Fashion Valley for even more great shopping, San Diego State University for Aztec and Cox Arena events, or you can take the trolley all the way down to the Mexican Border.
But there’s so much to do and enjoy right here in La Mesa! There are annual historic home tours and garden tours. Or you can take a self guided tour through famous La Mesa Village, enjoy the shops and historic homes, and stop at the La Mesa Depot on the corner of La Mesa Blvd and Nebo Street. If you’ve got children, they won’t be able to resist climbing aboard the old iron train there. Walk up Nebo , Date , Acacia and Lemon Avenues and enjoy the timeless architecture. There are 14 landmarked structures and sites; be sure to visit the McKinney House on University Avenue, now the headquarters for the La Mesa Historical Society and see timeless photos.
Not only is La Mesa real estate filled with history, but this is a city with a constant eye on the future as well. Atop of Mt Helix, on the north face, is the famous circle house. With 8500 square foot of living area, this circular, rotating home was smartly designed to have only a 3000 square foot land footprint. It is fully automated and operated by voice control, and is incredibly efficient, using only the resources required by a much smaller home.
From the earliest La Mesa houses of the late 19th century, to Spanish adobes, cottage rock houses, and view homes nestled in the hills, to creative modern designs, La Mesa homes are the among the finest to be found. Add in a community rich with events, opportunities, superior education and friendly neighborhoods… no wonder so many people always put a La Mesa home first on the list.
La Mesa is a city rich with history, living in and enjoying the present, and smartly addressing the future. Visit us soon!
