“How did City Heights get its name?” I can almost hear Abraham Klauber and Samuel Steiner pondering that very question in the 1880s. These American entrepreneurs purchased over 240 acres. It was unincorporated land northeast of Balboa Park. They hoped to profit from the area. Together, they named it City Heights.
Later, it was known as the Steiner, Klauber, Choate and Castle Addition. That was after the earlier developers of the property. City Heights was subdivided. On November 2, 1912, eligible area voters decided to become an incorporated city. It became known as East San Diego. Population boomed in the next few years. It grew from 400 in 1910 to 4,000 during the incorporation.
On December 31, 1923, the City of East San Diego voted to become part of San Diego. The vote was 1,344 to 1,109. It once again became a neighborhood known as City Heights. The East San Diego trustees did not immediately recognize the annexation in early 1924. Complete annexation occurred over the next few years. The City of San Diego took over.
During most of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the area was a commercial center. It catered to middle-class white residents. People of color were segregated in south and east San Diego. This segregation was through discriminatory housing practices.
In the late 1950s, Caltrans planned the I-15 freeway. It would cut directly through the area. This accelerated white flight and disinvestment in City Heights. The development of Fashion Valley, Mission Valley and the College Grove Shopping Center further impacted the area. They siphoned off middle-class customers. They used to frequent the University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard corridor.
Following the Vietnam War, many refugees from Southeast Asia arrived in the United States. Many Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai refugees settled in City Heights during the 1970s and 80s. This was due to the cheap rents resulting from disinvestment. From the 1980s to the 1990s, resettlement agencies directed many refugees from the Somali Civil War to City Heights.
By the 1990s, the area was described as one of the urban edges. The local media said it was where the inner city bleeds into the suburbs. It was widely portrayed as a crime hotspot.
In the mid-1990s, businessman and philanthropist Sol Price led a redevelopment plan. He created a multi-block urban village. A new San Diego Police substation was the cornerstone. By 2000, Price had spent $70 million on the redevelopment of City Heights.
Since the 1990s, the demographics of City Heights have been changing. More middle- and upper-class Hispanic and Asian residents have moved in. The number of Black residents has decreased sharply. Rents and property prices have increased.
Today, City Heights is known for its ethnic diversity. It is home to significant Vietnamese, Somali, Cambodian, and Laotian communities. City Heights is a melting pot of cultures. Its rich history and diverse population make it a unique and vibrant community.