Mira Mesa
Mira Mesa is a bedroom community of approximately 65,000 residents, centrally located within San Diego County, about 20 miles from downtown San Diego. North of the community in the I-15 corridor is Rancho Penasquitos, and Miramar Marine Air Station is to the south. There is good access on Highway 56 to employment hubs such as Sorrento Valley’s high tech center and Mission Valley, as well as work centers in North San Diego County.
San Diego State University and UC San Diego at La Jolla are also within easy reach, offering still more employment opportunities. The U.S. International University makes its home in neighboring Scripps Ranch, which is nestled across the freeway to the east. Mira Mesa is served by the San Diego Unified School District and has a large college, Miramar Community College. UC San Diego is a renowned medical center.
A melting pot community with a large military and Asian population, MiraMesa boasts many restaurants, an ice hockey rink, a large bowling alley, movie theaters, a library, and a swim complex at Miramar College. Sports activities abound, including soccer and baseball leagues and gymnastics and swimming clubs. There are hiking and biking trails at Miramar Reservoir, where residents can also fish and boat on the lake. Although comprised mostly of flat terrain, the community is bounded by arroyos and has a deep arroyo on the north side, much of which is parkland. There are many community parks.
Mira Mesa has many dense housing tracts built primarily for young first-time buyers, and newer, higher-end homes are perched above the Penasquitos preserve in Sorrento Mesa to the west. Some homes even offer views to the ocean, several miles to the west. There are a variety of strip mall shopping centers which also house small businesses, and department store shopping can be found at University Town Center in La Jolla, Mission Valley or Fashion Valley. Annual events include the Blue Angel Air Show at Miramar Air Station.
