Carmel Valley

  Carmel Valley lies east of I-5 and Del Mar on the northern edge of the City of San Diego.  The earliest settlers were California Indians who left artifacts and mutates along the Carmel Creek bed.  A Spanish soldier named the area Cordero; early American settlers named other areas such as McGonigle Canyon after themselves.

The Butterfield stage and pony express system ran along what is now El Camino Real.  In 1905, a group of Carmelite nuns built a monastery and dairy in the area changing its name again.  The area was agricultural and devoted to horse farms until the mid-1970s. 

A master plan developed in 1974 wanted to change the name of the area to "North City West"  and advocated developing a series of residential neighborhoods on the mesas, leaving the canyons as open space.  The name change didn't stick and the local residents changed it back to Carmel Valley in the early 1990s.  

Development of the residential areas began in 1983, and there are now a variety of luxury homes, condominiums and apartments available.  Residents are executives and professionals who often work in nearby Sorrento Mesa or Sorrento Valley's high-tech and bio-tech firms. There is also a developing business park in the area.

Residents are active and take advantage of the area's open space to bike, skate, walk and run.  The Carmel Valley Community Park offers a sports facility that includes playing fields, a swimming pool and a gym. Summer concerts are held in the park, and homes are close to the beaches in La Jolla and Del Mar; the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course and the Torrey Pines State Reserve. 

SR-56,has opened up access to the inland corridor and relieve congestion on surface streets