Welcome to Carmel Valley
Located in North County Coastal San Diego came to be in February of 1975
Originally called North City West by the City Council the name was later changed to Carmel Valley in the early part of the 1990's. Carmel Valley was designed as a master planned community and become a model for other master planned communities in San Diego to follow. Like any good master planned community parks and recreation areas were set aside as well as many walking, running and biking trails.
While the development of Carmel Valley was going strong Torrey Hills jut south of Carmel Valley was forming as another master planned community sharing the same zip code 92130 as Carmel Valley. In 1988 voters approved the formation of Torrey Hills after a total of 1,806 acres of Los Peñasquitos Canyon was dedicated to the city as open space preserve in exchange for the urban development of the total 178 acres of Torrey Hills.
Some of the features of this area are it's award winning schools, parks, community, proximity to the beach, about a 5 minute drive to Torrey Pines State Park and Beach or Del Mar Beach. Since Route 56 opened which includes the Route 56 local bypass off of the 5 the commute in and out of Carmel Valley is a breeze. Carmel Valley's reputation is one of families with high parent participation in their children's schools and activities.
The City of San Diego has been called a "City of Villages," and Carmel Valley is one of those villages.
Carmel Valley is a master planned community that began with the institutional name "North City West." When originally proposed, the residents of Del Mar were concerned about the impact of this new development.
The Carmel Valley name comes from the community's location-in a wide valley immediately to the north of Carmel Mountain, which is a minor feature at the intersection of I-5 and SR-56.
Originally only occupying a small area, Carmel Valley has grown by leaps and bounds. With the development of Torrey Hills and other adjacent areas (which I will include in "Carmel Valley," even though they are not part of the original planning area), the community now fills the entire 92130 zip code.
Carmel Valley is often grouped into the area known as "North County," where North County consists of areas like Carlsbad, Encinitas, Escondido, Oceanside, Poway, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista. In reality, due to its ties with the City of San Diego, Carmel Valley has more in common with its southern neighbors: Sorrento Valley and La Jolla.
The community of Carmel Valley has a bit of an identity problem. We are Carmel Valley, at the foot of Carmel Mountain. However, there is a community of Carmel Mountain (or Carmel Mountain Ranch) on the I-15 corridor, near Rancho Penasquitos. And there's another Carmel Valley in California, adjacent to the City of Carmel (on the Monterey Peninsula, in northern California), which adds to the confusion. If you have a sharp eye, you'll occasionally see pictures of the northern California community where the author meant otherwise.
The area, positioned roughly half-way up the San Diego County coastline, is convenient to almost everything. Located adjacent to the beaches at Del Mar.
Carmel Valley News: email the editor: [email protected]
Union Tribune: 760-476-8207
Union Tribune FYI: 760-476-8221
Union-Tribune North Coast Community, fax 760-476-8295
The Coast News - 760-436-9737
Del Mar Times: email the editor. [email protected]
North County Times: email the editor. [email protected]
Houses of Worship
Congregation Beth Am
5050 Del Mar Heights Road / San Diego, CA 92130 / (858) 481-8454
Grace Point Church (formerly Canyon Hills)
13340 Hayford Way / San Diego, CA 92130 / 858-481-0424
Church Of Jesus Christ Of LDS
12701 Torrey Bluff Drive / San Diego, CA 92130-4304/ 858-259-0443
St. Therese of Carmel
4343 Del Mar Trails Road, San Diego, CA 92130
858-481-3232, Fax: 858-481-3289
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
334 14th St. / Del Mar, CA 92014 / 858-755-1616
Horizon Christian Fellowship North County
6365 El Apajo Road / PO Box 9070 / Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
858-756-5599
Calvary Lutheran Church
424 Via de La Valle / Po Box 890 / Solana Beach, CA. 92075
Meets at 9:30 am on Sundays at the Torrey Pines High School auditorium.
Coast Christian Fellowship 858.663.6484, email
[email protected]Currently meeting at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, 11025 Vista Sorrento
Parkway (Torrey Hills), Sundays at 10 AM.
Faith Community Church By-The-Sea
Meet in the Del Mar Hilton Ballroom
1508 Windsor Road, Cardiff-by-the-Sea / 858-350-4950
Living Water Lutheran Church
Meets at the office building
12265 El Camino Real / San Diego, CA 92130 / 858-792-7691
Christian City ChurchMeets at the CV Middle School
3800 Mykonos Lane / 760-804-8524, email
[email protected]
643-9790. Registration in December.
Del Mar Little League: Ages 6 to 12. Registration in December. Solana Beach Little League Ages 6 to 12. Registration in December.
Carmel Valley Youth Baseball: A league for 4 and 5 year olds.
Del Mar/Carmel Valley Sharks Soccer League 858-794-8404. Recreational and Competitive. Ages 5 to 18. Registration in April.
Carmel Valley Manchester Soccer: Also offers competitive play.
Pop Warner Football Registration in March/April.
Youth Basketball: The Rec Center and the Boys & Girls Club have youth basketball leagues running most of the year.
San Diego Youth Rugby: Rugby in Carmel Valley.
Entertainment
Movies, Dining, Library Concerts
The events and entertainment in Carmel Valley are centered around the parks and the library. The Carmel Valley Library presents two different music series, and many activities for kids (storytimes, arts & crafts, book clubs and more.) The Recreation Center hosts many classes and activities for kids and adults, including swim lessons, dance, team sports, art, gymnastics and bridge. There used to be summer concerts in the parks, but they are gone now. You might find some in the local shopping centers in July and August. See the Calendar for more on events.
Of course, there are a number of restaurants in Carmel Valley and a single movie theater, with more being easily accessible via the freeway.
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.
While there is not a great deal of arts and entertainment in Carmel Valley, there is a lot within the region. Balboa Park houses museums, a theater and a Science Center. There are many theaters and concert halls in downtown San Diego. Escondido has its Center for the Arts. Chula Vista has the Coors Amphitheater. Of course, we have attractions and amusement parks in abundance: The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, Legoland, Knotts Water Park (Soak City), Sea World, The Flower Fields, and (a bit further away) Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knotts Berry Farm. The Del Mar Fairgrounds hosts a number of equestrian events, the Thoroughbred Races in August, and the Del Mar Fair in June. The North County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau have a wealth of information on the area. 858-481-4266 / fax 858-481-0344.
Solana Beach School District
309 North Rios Avenue / Solana Beach CA 92075-1298
858-794-7100 / 858-794-7105 fax
Elementary Schools
Carmel Creek
4210 Carmel Center Rd. / San Diego, CA 92130
858-794-4400 / Fax: 858-794-4450
Solana Highlands
3520 Long Run Dr. / San Diego, CA 92130 858-794-4300 / Fax: 858-794-4350
Solana Pacific
3901 Townsgate / San Diego, CA 92130 858-794-4500 / Fax: 858-794-4550
San Dieguito Union High School District
710 Encinitas Blvd. / Encinitas, CA 92024-3357
760-753-6491 / 760-943-1542 fax
Junior High Schools
Carmel Valley Middle School
3800 Mykonos Lane / San Diego, CA 92130
858-481-8221
Earl Warren Junior High
155 Stevens Street / Solana Beach, CA 92075
858-755-1558
High Schools
Torrey Pines High School
3710 Del Mar Heights Road / San Diego, CA 92130
858-755-0125
Canyon Crest High School
5951 Village Center Loop Road / San Diego, CA 92130
858-350-0253
