El Cajon really isn’t that bad like the nightmare old threads make it out to be (Los Angeles: apartments, house)

[Thomas Trigo]

I live in the LA area and i’m guilty of being one of those people who only make the drive to San Diego for the beaches, more specifically La Jolla, Ocean Beach, Downtown San Diego and thats pretty much it. Just the touristy places. Well yesterday was different and i took my parents out to Las Viejas Shopping Outlets and it was a very fun experience.

I’ll start by saying that the Cleveland National Park (entire mountain range east of San Diego) is very stunning. I grew up waking up to the San Gabriel Mountains everyday so i just assumed San Diego’s very the same as ours in LA but smaller, but i feel like an idiot now for ever assuming that. The foothills and enormous peaks east of El Cajon form like a “bowl effect”. I don’t know how to explain it but i guess it feels more “claustrophobic” with nature in every direction. I’m no mountain expert but i think what helps is something called “mountain providence” which is the difference between the ground level and the elevation the mountain starts at. Infact i remember driving on the 8 freeway and seeing 4,000 feet elevation on the road sign.

Second, Las Viejas outlets is very clean and family friendly. You’d never expect this “in the middle of nowhere”

El Cajon, i never got off the freeway to explore the city but WOW it’s enormous. It was this moment when as i finally thought to myself, “okay San Diego really is metropolitan”. You could clearly see the sprawl of El Cajon valley (is that what’s its called?) as you descend on the 8 Freeway around the 16 miles east of SD mark. The freeways were consistantly wide which make the area feel connected to the rest of SD. East County reminds me alot of LA’s Inland Empire with all the mountains and hills everywhere while still being attached to a larger metro area. I feel like theres alot out there to explore in El Cajon so i’ll definately make a return one day.

Moral of the story: Theres more to San Diego (and OC) than just west of the 5 Freeway. City Data post from 2008 made El Cajon come off as an anti social, awkward outcast area of SD that’s more isolated and ghetto. This is not true at all. Fun fact is that Downtown Los Angeles is just as inland as El Cajon to the beach (15 miles). I urge everywhere to at least once visit the marvelous Cleveland Mountains.

[malcorub16]

I think the El Cajon valley and the entire drive 8 East until you get to the desert is naturally beautiful and in my opinion much more interesting than driving up the IH-5 to LA/OC along the coast. El Cajon, Lakeside, Alpine, Pine Valley, Cleveland National Forest, the Desert Lookout Tower all the way to the bottom of the other side at Ocotillo Wells; it’s a beautiful drive all the way and is hugely underrated but in a way that’s good. I love coming over the valley on the 8 past La Mesa and seeing the mountains in the background, especially on a clear late afternoon when the sun is hitting those hills and mountains.

Most people’s problem with El Cajon is not so much the surrounding rural/semi-rural unincorporated area but the city itself’s grittiness. El Cajon is however making strides to improve, I read recently that Live Nation bought the El Cajon Center for Performing Arts and will turn it into a concert venue which will be a huge plus for the city’s downtown core. Do I think El Cajon city alone is worth the drive from LA to visit, not at all, but if you do it in conjunction with visiting a local casino (Sycuan/Barona/Viejas), the Cleveland National Forest, a trip up to Mt Helix then why not.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by Thomas Trigo

I live in the LA area and i’m guilty of being one of those people who only make the drive to San Diego for the beaches, more specifically La Jolla, Ocean Beach, Downtown San Diego and thats pretty much it. Just the touristy places. Well yesterday was different and i took my parents out to Las Viejas Shopping Outlets and it was a very fun experience.

I’ll start by saying that the Cleveland National Park (entire mountain range east of San Diego) is very stunning. I grew up waking up to the San Gabriel Mountains everyday so i just assumed San Diego’s very the same as ours in LA but smaller, but i feel like an idiot now for ever assuming that. The foothills and enormous peaks east of El Cajon form like a “bowl effect”. I don’t know how to explain it but i guess it feels more “claustrophobic” with nature in every direction. I’m no mountain expert but i think what helps is something called “mountain providence” which is the difference between the ground level and the elevation the mountain starts at. Infact i remember driving on the 8 freeway and seeing 4,000 feet elevation on the road sign.

Second, Las Viejas outlets is very clean and family friendly. You’d never expect this “in the middle of nowhere”

El Cajon, i never got off the freeway to explore the city but WOW it’s enormous. It was this moment when as i finally thought to myself, “okay San Diego really is metropolitan”. You could clearly see the sprawl of El Cajon valley (is that what’s its called?) as you descend on the 8 Freeway around the 16 miles east of SD mark. The freeways were consistantly wide which make the area feel connected to the rest of SD. East County reminds me alot of LA’s Inland Empire with all the mountains and hills everywhere while still being attached to a larger metro area. I feel like theres alot out there to explore in El Cajon so i’ll definately make a return one day.

Moral of the story: Theres more to San Diego (and OC) than just west of the 5 Freeway. City Data post from 2008 made El Cajon come off as an anti social, awkward outcast area of SD that’s more isolated and ghetto. This is not true at all. Fun fact is that Downtown Los Angeles is just as inland as El Cajon to the beach (15 miles). I urge everywhere to at least once visit the marvelous Cleveland Mountains.

Wait, you "never got off the freeway to explore the city" but since you drove through it on the freeway you know it better than the locals? Ha ha. I like El Cajon just fine when I'm driving through it to get to the Laguna or Cuyamaca mountains in the Cleveland National Forest or Cuyamaca State Park (no national park out there, no Cleveland Mountains), too, but maybe don't opine on things you admittedly haven't any experience with

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Thomas Trigo

The foothills and enormous peaks east of El Cajon form like a “bowl effect”. I don’t know how to explain it but i guess it feels more “claustrophobic” with nature in every direction.

No doubt that's why they named the valley "El Cajon" which translates to "the big box."

But most of those mountains and foothills you saw were not actually in the city of El Cajon, but in unincorporated areas that have an "El Cajon" post office address.

Next time, as Malcorub suggests, keep going on the 8 to Ocotillo. There's some stunning scenery as you drop out of the mountains and down into the desert. That's the other "sea level" of San Diego County.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

Most people’s problem with El Cajon is not so much the surrounding rural/semi-rural unincorporated area but the city itself’s grittiness. El Cajon is however making strides to improve, I read recently that Live Nation bought the El Cajon Center for Performing Arts and will turn it into a concert venue which will be a huge plus for the city’s downtown core.

I agree. The central downtown area of the city of El Cajon, which is all most non-locals ever see, has been on the cusp of "gentrifying" for as long as I've lived in San Diego County (30+ years). I don't know that it ever really will get to that point.

It does, however, have some great middle-eastern food.

But a lot of people (including locals) don't realize that "El Cajon" applies to more than just downtown El Cajon . There are some really nice areas within the city limits and in the unincorporated areas surrounding it that have an "El Cajon" post office address but are nothing like the downtown core.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

Next time, as Malcorub suggests, keep going on the 8 to Ocotillo.

I got Ocotillo Wells confused with Ocotillo. My mistake

Originally Posted by RosieSD

But a lot of people (including locals) don't realize that "El Cajon" applies to more than just downtown El Cajon . There are some really nice areas within the city limits and in the unincorporated areas surrounding it that have an "El Cajon" post office address but are nothing like the downtown core.

Yes, apart from what you have in the city of EC, wealthier places like Blossom Valley and Granite Hills all have El Cajon addresses as to some rural hill top areas like Crest.

[NYSD1995]

0/10

[GSR13]

Originally Posted by Jenkay

Wait, you "never got off the freeway to explore the city" but since you drove through it on the freeway you know it better than the locals? Ha ha. I like El Cajon just fine when I'm driving through it to get to the Laguna or Cuyamaca mountains in the Cleveland National Forest or Cuyamaca State Park (no national park out there, no Cleveland Mountains), too, but maybe don't opine on things you admittedly haven't any experience with

And a BRAND NEW poster too, no less. The scenery around EC is nice but the valley flats are nearly as bad as La Presa.

[GSR13]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

0/10

BRANDON/10.

Fixed it for ya

[TacoSoup]

I got to admit many areas of El Cajon are much nicer than I could’ve imagined. Growing up in Poway and living the last 20+ years one block from the ocean, most of my knowledge was that of hearsay and what I saw while on the 8, which in all honesty was once a year or so going to a casino.

While house hunting the last six months I’ve explored every nook and cranny of the county, many areas I’ve havent been to, or maybe once twenty years ago. I was amazed at how many nice neighborhoods and areas were out there I’d never give a second thought to. Trust me I was the guy that said anything one mile from the beach is east county. I’ve changed my tune, maybe that’s come with age and settling down.

Yes there is a lot of apartments and many streets that have something left to be desired but what I saw for the most part was lots of working / middle class neighborhoods. Its a huge area nowhere near as bad as I’ve made it out to be, like I’m sure lots of natives and long time locals do out of ignorance, and for this I apologize.

Is it a place you’d go to while on vacation no, but then again when do you ever go to suburbia unless you live there.