Welcome to Mira Mesa! Located in the northern part of San Diego County, Mira Mesa is one of the larger suburban cities with a population of over 80,000. It sits just 18 miles north of San Diego and is bordered on the east by Interstate-15; Interstate-805 on the west; Los Penasquitos Canyon to the north; and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to the south.
Originally, during World War II, the land around Mira Mesa was used by the United States Army as a test area. The United States Navy used some of the surrounding land as a landing strip and called it Hourglass Field. Years later, when the Naval Air Station opened, Mira Mesa became a residential community to support the personnel stationed at the NAS Miramar. Since then, its rapid growth has expanded to make room for new residents moving to the area to work for the University of California San Diego, Marine Corp Air Station Miramar, Qualcomm, and other biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Hourglass Field was graded and now accommodates San Diego Miramar College and the Hourglass Field Community Park.
Community Feel
As one of the major suburbs of San Diego, Mira Mesa is large enough to have a metropolitan feel yet small enough to have a strong, community feel. Annual events such as the Mira Mesa Street Fair, Fourth of July parade, Halloween events and more are huge draws for most of the residents of Mira Mesa.
In addition to the annual community events, there are a number of activities for children such as the Mira Mesa Girls Softball League and the Chargers Youth Football League which teaches the fundamentals of football and teamwork to children between 5 and 15 years old. The Epicentre is a complex where teens can safely hang out with each other and hear bands and music.
Centrally located, Mira Mesa is just minutes from the stunning southern California beaches as well as the Del Mar area including the Fairgrounds and Thoroughbred Race Track. Another quality to this wonderful area is that San Diego's world-famous attractions like Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, Coronado Island, Mission Bay, and the Mexican border are no more than a 30-minute drive.
The Resident Mira Mesans
Mira Mesa is a well-liked area for young families and includes excellent schools and a lot of employment opportunities. The people of Mira Mesa are a very diverse crowd from many nationalities. The 80,000+ population is fairly young, more professional and upwardly mobile with a median age of only 32 and has a median household income of about $63K per year. Most of the residents are employed in the technology sector as well as the military and University of California – San Diego.
Living in Mira Mesa
Mira Mesa has a very affordable real estate market with mostly medium to larger homes, condominiums and townhomes spread throughout the area. Single family homes start in the low-$200s and climb to just over $600K while condominiums and townhomes are priced from well under $100K to almost $300K.
The most affluent neighborhoods in Mira Mesa are Mesa Ridge, Mira Mesa North and Canyon Country West where homes are priced between the high-$400s and low-$600s. Mid-priced homes in the low to upper-$300s are found in Mira Mesa Verde and Larwin Mesa View. For those starting out with their first homes, beautiful condominium communities like Quail Creek, Villas at Capricorn and Quest feature homes priced between the low $90s and low-$200s.
Settling Down in Mira Mesa
Mira Mesa is an ideal area for those wanting to be close to San Diego yet far enough away from the eighth largest city in the country. It also has a sound economy which continues to develop. If you are looking for a nice neighborhood with larger, affordable homes, then Mira Mesa is where you want to be. Adding the focus that Mira Mesa places on the community with the nice variety of homes makes this a top pick for families.