Question for Sassberto about Western La Mesa (San Diego, Windsor: houses, schools)

[AFTERSHOCK]

I have long noticed that numbered streets from San Diego extend well into the La Mesa city limits. Was this area of EC Bl. and University Ave. all originally San Diego, and then annexed by La Mesa? And do you know what the original boundary of La Mesa was? I mean, what was it like in the old days; I am thinking that originally La Mesa was centered around the village and San Diego grew and grew and swallowed it up? Ever since I moved here in '92 although I knew 70th, 73rd etc. was considered La Mesa I never really thought of it as La Mesa, I always privately thought of it as San Diego, I never really got the La Mesa feeling until I got to the village and north into Grossmont, or south of the village along Spring Street. The University Ave. and EC Blvd area seemed like purely an extension of San Diego's college area.

[NYSD1995]

So originally there were three cities - in the early 20th century there was La Mesa and San Diego and East San Diego. East San Diego was centered around Fairmount and La Mesa, was the village area. Between the two was undeveloped. The areas around SDSU and west of downtown La Mesa were built out as various tracts in the postwar boom after WWII with names like La Mesa Farms, Rolando Knolls, etc.. . Eventually East San Diego and the western La Mesa tracts were annexed into their respective cities. The border is irregular around 70th street and many of the houses in that area have variances which allow them to send their kids to La Mesa schools as Rolando elementary is still highly-rated.

The difference visually is that the original Rolando Village tract had sidewalks and streetlamps put in long prior to the development of the area. Most of the San Diego portion of the area has sidewalks but large portions of La Mesa do not, so it looks a little ragged at the street. La Mesa has been putting them in though. There are some dirt alleys and several half-acre lots just east of 70th street, some with weird variances too, it is a cool, unknown kind of area. We walk and ride bikes through there to Windsor Hills which is just to the east of Helix High.

You can read an extensive history here:
History of Rolando Village | Rolando Village, San Diego, CA 92115

[AFTERSHOCK]

That's really interesting, thanks for the information!