La Mesa has evolved from a sleepy farming community incorporated in 1912 to a sleepy bedroom community 60,000 population near the City of San Diego. Bounded on all sides by major and minor freeways – it is possible to be in downtown San Diego, Mission Valley, the recreational Mecca of Mission Bay, Mexico, or San Diego’s alpine mountain communities in 10-45 minutes.
La Mesa is over 9 square miles of homes, condos, town homes and apartments interspersed with malls, and recreational lakes. The five-block La Mesa Village is the heart of the town with an active business community that promotes family fun activities year-around in the village. Thursday nights are cruise nights during summer months with hundreds of classic cars and motorcycles lining the streets. A popular Antique Fair brings vendors and collectors from all over to buy, sell and obtain appraisals. A farmers market is held every weekend, and the Village Christmas Festival is an annual event attended by 1,000’s.
A locomotive museum open on weekends offers a collection of railroad memorabilia, and restored railroad cars. Trips to scenic Campo often depart the station pulled by the antique locomotives. San Diego’s famous Red Line trolley system connects La Mesa Village with Mission Valley malls, Qualcomm stadium, downtown San Diego, the East County and the Mexican border.
Located to the east of the City of San Diego, La Mesa consists of rolling hills offering views of Mission Valley and coastal communities. El Capitan Reservoir is known for catfish, crappie fishing and water skiing. Lake Murray is a wonderful urban park with a 171-acre lake with over 3 miles of shoreline beautifully landscaped with hard surface trails for bicycling, rollerblading and skateboarding. Here one can picnic, swim, boat, fish for trout, catfish, black crappie and large mouth bass. It’s an oasis of nature in the city.
Golfers will appreciate the Sun Valley Golf Course where they can play 18 holes for just under $20 bucks. Local schools score above the state average on student achievement tests and the cities recreational programs include swimming, softball and other sport and exercise programs for youth, families and seniors. La Mesa is called the ‘Jewel of the Hills’ for good reason - for though its located in the center of a fast growing region - it still retains many of the good qualities of life from earlier times.
Condo buyers will find properties more affordable in La Mesa than many San Diego beachside communities - yet the beaches, Mission Bay Park, Mission Valley, and San Diego Bay are just a short ride down the hill.
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