Location Details

As the property manager, I am happy to share all that I know about this location, having lived here for over 20 years. If you have any questions not covered in this section, please feel free to ask.

Neighborhood

The best feature of this neighborhood is the people who live in it—this area has a curiously high concentration of wonderful, friendly neighbors.

• This is a quiet neighborhood of a few cul-de-sacs, so there is no through traffic. In fact, past this location there is only one short street with 18 homes, so few cars ever drive by at all.
• The neighbors are mostly seniors, with just a few homes with students, so parties are rare. Unlike many areas around SDSU, the people in this neighborhood are vigilant and don’t let parties get out of hand.
• This area is down in a canyon, so it is especially quiet and there is almost no noise from wind or surrounding areas.
• Since there is a hill on one side of the property, there is only one neighbor close by, and they are some of the nicest folks you’ll ever meet. In fact, most of the neighbors here know each other, look out for each other, and are very friendly.

This is the best area of a great neighborhood, and I’m constantly grateful for living here.

• When bad things are happening in the world, it’s usually not so bad in the US.
• When bad things are happening in the US, it’s usually not so bad in California.
• When bad things are happening in California, it’s usually not so bad in San Diego.
• Of the relatively few problems San Diego does have, practically none of them occur here in this neighborhood.
• One of the largest problems in San Diego is high housing costs, but that’s a direct result of having so few other problems that everyone wants to live here.

Transportation

Freeway Access

Map: Freeways

This location is about as close as you can get to freeways without having any freeway noise. It is near the nexus where most major San Diego freeways converge:

• I-8 and I-15 are just two miles away.
• I-805 is the very next exit from there.
• I-163 is only two miles past that.

Plus, during typical travel from this location, most of the time traffic is going in the other direction.

Public Transit

Map: Public Transit

With easy access to all three major San Diego public transit systems within walking distance, many people live in this area without cars.

• San Diego MTS Bus Stop
  Montezuma and 54th (0.3 mi.)
• San Diego MTS Rapid Stop and
  San Diego MTS Trolley (Green Line)
  5260 Campanile Dr. (1.1 mi.)

Top-Rated Schools

Map: Schools

This is an incredible area for education with top-rated schools at every level, and many people live here specifically to get access to them. These include:

• College Park Preschool
  5075 Campanile Dr. (less than a mile away)
• Hardy Elementary School
  5420 Montezuma Rd. (just two blocks away)
• Lewis Middle School
  5170 Greenbrier Ave. (less than 2 miles away)
• Patrick Henry High School
  6702 Wandermere Dr. (less than 3 miles away)

Furthermore, if you need tutoring or childcare services, there are so many college students nearby actively looking for extra work that you can often find graduate students in fields like education or child development who will offer great rates in exchange for convenient work close to home.

SDSU

If you study or work at SDSU, this location is difficult to beat, as this is one of the closest locations around—just 2-3 blocks away from the campus (near Parking Structure 7).

Plus, the SDSU campus is beautiful, and is a great place for anyone to walk, jog, or ride a bike.

Even if you are not a full-time student, the location is convenient if you need continuing education credits for your job. Or, if you want, you can even take classes at SDSU without enrolling. (More info: SDSU Open University)

Grocery Stores

Map: Grocery Stores

Trader Joe’s is so close that you can use it like an extended pantry, but there are several other grocery stores very close by as well.

• Trader Joe’s
  5140 College Ave. (1.0 mi.)
• Grocery Outlet
  4360 54th Street (1.2 mi.)
• Von’s
  6155 El Cajon Blvd. (1.7 mi.)
• Ralph’s
  6670 Montezuma Road (1.9 mi.)
• Food 4 Less
  5975 University Ave (2.5 mi.)

Restaurants

Map: Restaurants

There are hundreds of restaurants within a few miles of this location.

There are over 20 fast-food and fast-casual restaurants near the corner of Montezuma and College (about a mile away), with several more coming soon.

• McDonald’s (coming back soon)
• Epic Wings
• Lolita’s Mexican Food
• Everbowl
• Poki One ‘n’ Half
• Which Wich
• Eureka!
• Señor Pancho’s Fresh Mexican Grill
• Trujillo’s Taco Shop
• Jack in the Box
• 55 Thai Kitchen
• African Cuisine
• Domino’s Pizza
• Panda Express
• Rubio’s
• Oggi’s Pizza Express
• Shake Smart
• The Habit Burger Grill
• Chipotle Mexican Grill
• Plant Power Fast Food
• Subway
• The Garden

Plus, there are dozens more down Mission Gorge and hundreds on El Cajon Blvd.

Some others close by worth noting:

• D.Z. Akin’s
  6930 Alvarado Road (less than 3 mi. away)
  (619) 265-0218
  A San Diego icon that started out with one space in a strip mall, then expanded five times to take over the entire building. This New York-style deli has something for everyone with around 400 items on the menu (they have over 100 types of sandwiches alone), a ridiculously extensive selection of breakfast served all day, a full dinner and dessert menu, plus a full in-house bakery. In over 25 years of going here, I’ve never had anything I didn’t love.
• Antica Trattoria
  5654 Lake Murray Blvd. in the Lake Murray Village Shopping Center
  (619) 463-9919
  Speaking of strip malls, don’t let the location of this one fool you. This Italian restaurant has great ambience and the food is on par with the best restaurants in Little Italy, but with a much more convenient location—just one exit east from College Ave on I-8 to Lake Murray Blvd., then turn right to head north—it’s just past the Vons.
• Ponce’s
  4050 Adams Ave.
  (619) 282-4413
  Great traditional Mexican food close to home. Closed Sundays.

Not close by but worth the drive:

• Funky Fries & Burgers
  101 W Washington Ave
  El Cajon, CA 92020 (plus two other locations)
  (619) 328-2929
  If you like burgers, it is impossible to overhype this restaurant. Just try it.
• Regents Pizzeria
  4150 Regents Park Row #100
  La Jolla, CA 92037
  (858) 550-0406
  The only place I’ve ever seen that can make excellent New York and Chicago pizza.
• Royal India Miramar
  8990 Miramar Rd #200
  San Diego, CA 92126
  (858) 457-9999
  Excellent recipes, very high quality ingredients (just look at the rice), and perfectly cooked vegetables, but nothing compares to the taste that comes from their spices, which they dry and grind themselves.
• Tacos El Gordo
  689 H St
  Chula Vista, CA 91910
  (619) 207-0144
  Open very late and serves some of the best Tijuana-style tacos and mulas around. Avoid peak hours, as the line can be almost an hour long.

Hospitals

Map: Hospitals

Two major hospitals are within a few miles:

• Alvarado Hospital Medical Center
  6655 Alvarado Rd. (2.1 mi.)
• Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center
  4647 Zion Ave. (3.2 mi.)

Veterinarians

Several veterinarians are nearby; below are some of the closest.

For routine veterinary care:

• College Animal Hospital
  5653 El Cajon Blvd.
  (619) 286-1980
• Banfield Pet Hospital
  4585 College Ave.
  (619) 286-0963

For 24-hour emergency veterinary care:

• VCA Emergency Animal Hospital
  2317 Hotel Circle S.
  (619) 299-2400
• Pet Emergency & Specialty Center
  5232 Jackson Dr. #105
  (619) 462-4800

Shopping

Mission Valley is just a few exits west on I-8. There you’ll find several shopping centers and two large malls, Fashion Valley and Westfield Mission Valley. Practically every major retail store is only a few minutes away.

There are also two Costco locations just a couple of miles away:

• Costco Mission Valley
  2345 Fenton Pkwy
  San Diego, CA 92108
• Costco La Mesa
  8125 Fletcher Pkwy
  La Mesa, CA 91942

Note: While they are both about the same distance away, the Mission Valley location is used as a national test market, so it often has new and interesting products you may not find at other locations.

Gyms

There are many gyms close by, but here are just a few worth noting:

• ARC
  If you are a student or faculty member (or are sponsored by one), then you can’t beat the Aztec Recreation Center (ARC) at SDSU, which has one of the largest gyms in the world and Olympic-level facilities for just about every sport in existence.
• Xplicit Fitness
  6628 Mission Gorge Rd. (3 mi.)
  (619) 281-0800
  Founded by a Golden Glove champion, Xplicit integrates boxing into an intense 40-minute workout that’s fun and feels like you have your own personal trainer. (Yelp: 5 stars when last checked.)
• CrossFit 858
  5841 Mission Gorge Rd. (2.2 mi.)
  (858) 566-4500
  If you’re into CrossFit, this is highest rated CrossFit gym in the area, according to Yelp. (5 stars when last checked).

Local Rental Scams

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Excessive application fees

Taking fees for hundreds of applications

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Properties that don’t exist