CARMEL VALLEY

Carmel Valley is a vibrant, young community that has matured into a place where people can live, work and play. Young families are attracted by high-end housing and award winning schools. Area amenities and easy access to much of San Diego County make the commercial center of Carmel Valley ideal for corporate offices, hotels, shopping and restaurants. Recreational options include many neighborhood parks, a Community Recreation Center, athletic clubs, golf and the nearby beaches at Torrey Pines and Del Mar. An early experimenter in smart growth, Carmel Valley includes open space areas and an extensive trail system. The earliest known inhabitants were the La Jolla and subsequent Ipai peoples, who left cultural artifacts along the banks of Carmel Creek. During the Rancho period, the area was known as Cordero, after a Spanish "leatherjacket" soldier. Following the California gold rush, miners drifted south and established homesteads here. McGonigle Canyon was named after an early settler. An old adobe Butterfield pony express and stagecoach stop sat next to a spring along old El Camino Real until the late 1970s. Later, the area was largely used for horse farms and agriculture, focusing on drought tolerant crops such as Lima Beans (which were grown on the property that later became The Meadows golf course.) Around 1905 the Carmelite Sisters of Mercy established a dairy farm and monastery in the area. The site, on the south side of Carmel Creek, was connected by a bridge to the St. William of York church, whose cemetery includes the graves of some of the nuns and priests. Among other things, the nuns raised pigs, and even now local animal-keeping provisions say, "except for swine." Carmel Mountain, the last undeveloped coastal mesa in Southern California, takes its name from these nuns. While the area has long been known to local residents as Carmel Valley, the master plan commissioned in 1974 adopted the name "North City West". This plan, inspired by Kevin Lynch, attempted to reduce sprawl by confining development to the mesa tops, leaving the canyons untouched. Planned development centered around an urban core surrounded by decreasing residential densities, where higher density residential areas were traded for increased community open space. Carmel Creek, now largely marked by SR-56 and the CVREP corridor, was intended to meander freely to the sea, allowing water to return to the ground and providing residents with natural open space and recreational opportunities. The first houses in the planned community were built in 1983 and the local Planning Board brought back the name "Carmel Valley" in the early 1990s. Local Carmel Valley government consists of the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board which advises the City on development and land use, and the Carmel Valley Recreation Council which provides community input on parks and recreation. City facilities include a Fire Station, Library and a Community Service Center. A Police Station is planned along El Camino Real. -Reprinted courtesy City of San Diego While Carmel Valley is often considered part of the "North County" including the communities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Escondido and Oceanside, it actually has more in common with its southern neighbors: Sorrento Valley and La Jolla. Not to be confused with its more famous Northern California namesake, the Carmel Valley in a wide valley immediately north of Carmel Mountain which overlooks the Valley between Carmel Creek and Carmel Country Roads. The "mountain" is actually a 403-acre mesa and has historically been viewed as public open space. The Carmel Mountain Conservancy is working to protect the remaining open space. The area, positioned roughly halfway up the San Diego County coastline, is convenient to almost everything. To the west lie the beaches at Del Mar (with its racetrack and fairgrounds) as well as the Torrey Pines Golf Course and nature reserve. To the immediate south lie Sorrento Valley and La Jolla's Golden Triangle, which are large employment centers complete with a shopping mall and many fine restaurants. A quick twenty-minute drive south brings you to the airport, downtown San Diego, Balboa Park, the Zoo, Mission Bay, Sea World and more. To the north, residents have access to more jobs, more shopping, and cultural spots such as the California Center for Performing Arts in Escondido and the Wild Animal Park. Students in the Carmel Valley are served by several different school districts, all which have received high marks for their test scores and percentage of students who go on to college. The Solana Beach School District covers the elementary schools in the northern part of the Valley including Solana Highlands and Carmel Creek. The Del Mar Union School District covers the elementary schools in the southern part of Carmel Valley. The district has schools in the hills just west of I-5 and a number of schools in Carmel Valley including Carmel Del Mar, Ashley Falls and Sage Canyon. A number of new elementary schools are planned in the near future. Carmel Valley Middle School and Torrey Pines High School are operated by the San Dieguito School District. The district consistently ranks among the best in the state. Torrey Pines High School graduates 98% of its students, with more than 90% continuing on to college. And district schools consistently rank in the top percentile in statewide testing. Torrey Pines High School is projected to have over 4,000 students in just a few years and a new high school is planned to alleviate the load. In addition to the public schools, a number of private schools are located in the area with more being planned. When it comes to higher education, there are numerous facilities in the area. Despite the area's rapid growth, the community has managed to maintain its small time charm. The events and entertainment in Carmel Valley are centered around the parks and the library. The library presents two different music series and hosts many activities for kids. The parks host the Summer Serenades concert series for eight weeks every summer, as well as the annual Chili Cook-off. The Recreation Center hosts many classes and activities for kids and adults, including swim lessons, dance, team sports, art, gymnastics and bridge. The community park contains playing fields, pools and water slides, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, kids play areas and more. For golfers, there are numerous courses to choose from. Carmel Valley has three shopping centers with more on the way. The existing centers are Del Mar Highlands Town Center, Piazza Carmel and Carmel Country Plaza. The shopping centers in the area host a number of activities of their own. Del Mar Highlands Town Center has its own summer concert series in August. All the centers have activities for Halloween and Easter. Additional shopping is available to the north in Encinitas and to the south at the University Towne Center. There are also numerous restaurants in the Valley with more being easily accessible via the freeway. http://www.cvsd.com/ http://www.sannet.gov/