El Cajon

Bostonia offers a unique living experience where the conveniences of city life meet the comfort of a close-knit community. "There's a nice mix of houses in the area," says local broker Mike Aqrawi of eXp Realty. "Whether you're looking for a condo or a nice hillside home, you can find it in Bostonia. On top of that, the highways make it super convenient for commuters: it might feel like it's on the outskirts, but you can hop on I-8 and be downtown in 20 minutes — so long as there's no traffic, of course."<br><br>Housing in Bostonia covers a wide spectrum, appealing to a variety of lifestyle needs. The neighborhood offers a mix of well-established and newer residences, ranging from condos to mid-century bungalows to more modern two-story homes. Each home carries its own charm, from traditional Californian designs to more contemporary aesthetics. You can find a two-bed, two-bath condo in the neighborhood for just over $400,000, while single-family homes range from the low $600,000s for 1,000-square-foot ranch-style homes to around $900,000 for a 2,000-square-foot property. Throughout the neighborhood, you can expect to find winding streets lined with native trees and shrubs, and offering panoramic views of the surrounding hills.<br><br>Along Main Street, the commercial heart of Bostonia, you'll find an array of shops, restaurants, and services. Whether you're grabbing your morning coffee, looking for a quick lunch, or running errands, these local businesses add a layer of convenience to daily life. Locals have easy access to supermarkets and department stores like Food4Less and Target for everyday needs, as well as a variety of neighborhood shops selling everything from clothes to jewelry to comic books.<br><br>When Bostonia residents don't feel like cooking, they're surrounded by a smorgasbord of excellent dining options. Rose Donuts is always popular with the breakfast crowd, while highly-rated Pho Tam offers some of the best Vietnamese cuisine in El Cajon. And if you're in the mood for something a little heartier, Buckboard's BBQ & Brew has slow-cooked meat alongside southern sides like hushpuppies and mac and cheese, plus a selection of craft beers on tap to wash it all down.<br><br>Outdoor enthusiasts in Bostonia benefit from the neighborhood's location near natural attractions such as Lake Jennings and Flinn Springs County Park. Here, residents can escape from the urban rush, embarking on scenic hikes or enjoying picnics amidst picturesque landscapes. The neighborhood is also home to a number of well-equipped local greenspaces, including popular Magnolia Park, where you'll find athletic fields, a playground and a community garden.<br><br>Bostonia falls within the Cajon Valley Union School District and is home to several public and private schools. Many local students attend Bostonia Elementary, El Cajon Valley Middle School, and Granite Hills High School, whose well-known marching band is front and center every year in El Cajon's Mother Goose Parade, which the city has been putting on annually since 2023.<br><br>Whether you're attracted by the welcoming community, the convenience of local businesses, the proximity to outdoor attractions, or the educational opportunities, Bostonia presents an engaging blend of experiences. It's a neighborhood that captures the appeal of suburban living within the dynamic setting of San Diego County, making it a delightful place to call home.

Set among gently sloping hills that lead into the Dehesa Valley, Granite Hills offers sprawling homes with acreage and a tight-knit community feel, 20 miles from Downtown San Diego. “Granite Hills is the kind of place that families have loved for generations,” says Lyle Caddell, a local resident and Broker Owner of Compass, who’s sold homes in the area for nearly 30 years. “It feels more connected than some of the surrounding areas, and it’s not a place with lots of fancy nightlife. Here, we get together at the local Outback Steakhouse and meet at Kennedy Park for all kinds of league sports or Fourth of July fireworks.” Granite Hills scores a 3 out of 10 on the CAP Index, lower than the national average of 4, and is home to the Shadow Mountain Community Church. “It’s one of the biggest churches in San Diego County, with its own college,” says Rayna Mack, a Realtor with SDHOMES who has 19 years’ experience selling homes in the area. Along narrow, winding roads that climb Granite Hills’ soft slopes, single-family homes here feature spacious, manicured lots that — despite the neighborhood’s name — are flat. “Hills surround the neighborhood, but the lots themselves are leveled, so you can plant gardens, orchards and all kinds of stuff,” Mack says. Most properties are ranch-style homes from the 1950s to ‘80s and feature brightly colored exteriors with Craftsman elements like exposed wooden beams and stone accents or Prairie stylings like tall, narrow windows and overhanging eaves. Prices start at $715,000 for three-bedroom homes set on gently sloping half-acre lots to $2.4 million for four-bedroom homes featuring flat 2-acre lots with pools and garden spaces. A handful of Spanish Revival homes from the early 2000s can also be found here and feature red-tile roofs and tan stucco exteriors draped in ivy; prices range from $950,000 for four-bedroom homes with quarter-acre hillside lots to $2.8 million for five-bedroom homes set on lush 3-acre lots with views of Dehesa Valley to the east and San Diego to the west. “From some homes in Granite Hills, you can even get views out to the ocean,” Caddell says. Local kids can start at Madison Avenue Elementary, which earns a B-minus from Niche, and can continue to C-plus-rated Montgomery Middle. Granite Hills High receives an A-minus, and in 2022, the Eagles’ football team became Division 2A state champions in a close game that went into overtime. “The high school sports are a really, really big thing in Granite Hills,” Mack says. Associated with the Shadow Mountain Community Church, the Southern California Seminary has guided graduate students in theology studies for over 70 years. Between Montgomery Middle and Granite Hills High, the 10-acre Kennedy Park offers tree-shaded meadow spaces, baseball and soccer fields and tennis courts. “The park is a big hub,” says Caddell. “It has a rec center that’s been there since I can remember, and they’ve even added a skate park.” Skaters and BMX riders can take to Kennedy Skate Park’s pools and rails here, and at the Kennedy Recreation Center, kids can play table tennis in the game room or practice gymnastics in the gymnasium. In Granite Hills’ southeastern pocket, Singing Hills Memorial Park is a serene cemetery where visitors can pay respect to loved ones or take contemplative walks among tall grasses, hydrangea bushes and trees decorated with wind chimes. Down the street, the Singing Hills Golf Club offers two 18-hole courses surrounded by the Dehesa Valley’s rugged hillsides and towering trees. The Willow Glen Course here features narrow freeways that run along Sweetwater River, and the Oak Glen Course’s rolling greens and bunkers provide a challenge even for experienced golfers. Although Granite Hills is largely residential, local El Cajon eateries are close at hand. “Crafted Greens is the best place to go to in Granite Hills for amazing salads,” Caddell says. “They make the best ahi tuna salad, steak salad, you name it — it’s all so healthy. And if you’re looking for Italian, the hands-down favorite is Marechiaro’s in El Cajon, just north of Granite Hills. It’s family-owned, and it’s been here since the ‘50s. They craft everything in-house, from the meatballs to their Italian sausage.” Less than a mile west on Jamacha Road, a Walmart Neighborhood Market sits down the street from a Sprouts Farmers Market, and on East Main Street close by, the locally owned Kaelin’s Market offers Mexican grocery options. “You’ll also find fast food places like McDonald’s and Subway on Main, as well as an Albertson’s,” Mack says. “Granite Hills is centrally located and it’s right on the freeway, so it’s really easy to get places,” Mack says. Interstate 8 runs along the neighborhood’s northwestern edge, connecting commuters to Excel Hospital in El Cajon 5 miles west, Downtown San Diego 20 miles southwest and the San Diego International Airport 22 miles southwest. “The buses even go all the way out there,” Mack says. San Diego MTS buses make stops along Madison Avenue, and on the Granite Hills Drive and Green Field Drive thoroughfares, cyclists can take to bike lanes. Every year on the Fourth of July, the El Cajon Star-Spangled Extravaganza illuminates the night sky over Kennedy Park with red, white and blue fireworks. Hosted by the city, the Star-Spangled Extravaganza invites residents to enjoy family-friendly arts and crafts stations, games and live music. Once the clock strikes 9:00 p.m., folks sit on Kennedy Park’s lawn to watch the fireworks explode in beautiful flashes of light.

Set among low-lying mountains in East County, “Fletcher Hills is a wonderful family neighborhood right on the border between La Mesa and El Cajon,” says Scott DeMoss, Broker Owner of SD Real Estate who raised his son in Fletcher Hills. “And because it’s set on hills, it has great views to the east and west. I remember sitting at my son’s lacrosse practices in the fall and thinking the sunsets here are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.” Developed by California Senator Ed Fletcher in the 1930s and ‘40s, Fletcher Hills is made up of sprawling suburban streets lined with midcentury ranch-style houses, public parks and schools. “It’s still got that midcentury, ‘Happy Days’ vibe now,” DeMoss says. Fletcher Hills continues to attract homebuyers from San Diego and beyond with its family-oriented greenspaces, highly rated schools and more affordable homes. “I like to encourage people who are outpriced in San Diego that they can get a 7,000 square-foot home for less here in Fletcher Hills,” DeMoss says. Well-paved, curvy streets climb the hills for which the neighborhood is named and are lined with broad sidewalks, single-family homes and mature oak, cypress and palm trees. “There are two-story homes here and there, but Fletcher Hills is largely midcentury ranch-style houses with larger floorplans than you’d find by the coast,” DeMoss says. Exteriors range from earth-tone stuccos with red-tile roofs to brightly colored farm-styles with cottage-style mullions; all homes feature manicured lawns, either with grass and shade-providing trees or brown river rocks, cacti and other desert plantings. Prices start at $585,000 for two-bedroom ranch-style homes and go up to $1.5 million for four-bedroom properties with in-ground pools. A handful of two-story homes from the 1980s and ‘90s is scattered around Fletcher Hills, and they come in Spanish Revival and Craftsman styles; these range from $1 million to $1.2 million and come with four- and five-bedroom layouts. There are also a few pockets of two-story townhouses. Those in the Patridge Village community are Spanish-Revival and have a shared pool, while those in Valley View feature modern architecture and an in-ground jacuzzi. Prices start at $550,000 for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit and go up to $675,000 for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit. Fletcher Hills Elementary earns a B-plus from Niche and is the kind of place where teachers stay for 20-plus years. Students in grades 7 and 8 can continue to the B-plus-rated Parkway Academy, which offers specialized health science courses. Opened in 1920, the A-rated Grossmont High is the oldest high school in East County, and its Performing Arts Department is a California Exemplary Arts Distinguished School that’s fostered talents like guitar legend Frank Zappa. The Grossmont High School Museum here celebrates the school’s long history and features the original oak desks, writing stands and uniforms from when the school was founded. Associated with the nondenominational Foothills Christian Church, B-rated Foothills Christian High offers a private, faith-based alternative and has a coffee house where students can study. “La Mesita Park has got lots of trails and facilities that make it a great family park,” DeMoss says. Among its 13 acres, kids can scooter along tree-shaded paths, and at the skatepark, rollerbladers can practice tricks off the ramps. Locals here also duel in friendly pickleball matches, and the pinging sound of a metal bat hitting a home run often rings out from the night-lit baseball fields next door. The 53-acre Harry Griffen Park is the largest in La Mesa and has a mix of dirt and paved trails that wind around its gated dog park. According to Klemens Ruoss, Broker Associate with Berkshire Hathaway HomeService, “Residents can go for evening walks on the trails here. It’s a really peaceful community, and because it’s further east, it’s warmer than on the coast. Near the coast, if it’s 70, it’s 85 here.” The central Hillside Park has dirt and gravel trails that wind through its 19-acre site to nearby subdivisions. There are also scatterings of pocket parks with playsets and picnic spaces like Bill Beck Park and Briercrest Park, the latter of which is known for its whimsical animal sculptures. Opened in 1962, “Beef ‘n Bun is the go-to place for burgers and milkshakes, and it’s got a retro, midcentury vibe similar to the rest of Fletcher Hills,” DeMoss says. Family owned and run, the burger joint is also home to two beloved pets, Dawg the pufferfish and Ernie the eel. The mellow Finca Casa Blanca is known for its signature Super Nachos, which are topped with a secret sauce, and Anthony’s Fish Grotto offers fish tacos and outdoor seating by a pond with a fountain. Folks can grab their groceries at the local Smart and Final Extra! and Albertson’s. The Grossmont Mall is also just across the 125, and La Mesa Village is only 3 or 4 miles away. “Shopping might be limited in Fletcher Hills, but it’s super convenient to nearby areas,” DeMoss says. Interstate 8 runs along Fletcher Hills’ southeastern edge and leads to Downtown San Diego 15 miles away. “Plus, it’s right on the 125, so you have easy access points within the neighborhood,” Ruoss says. Fletcher Hills is also convenient to Downtown El Cajon 3 miles east and La Mesa Village 4 miles west. Though the neighborhood is largely car-dependent, most roads have sidewalks, and a few like Fletcher Parkway and West Main Street have bike lanes and separated multi-use paths. Folks can use the MTS Green Line trolley, which takes around 50 minutes to reach Downtown San Diego; MTS buses also make stops along Fletcher Parkway. The Fletcher Parkway Medical Center sits right in the neighborhood, and the San Diego International Airport is 17 miles away. On every second and last Wednesday, parents can bring their young children to the Fletcher Hills Branch Library for Family Storytime, and on every first Friday, adults can enjoy the library’s Book Club meetings. At the Fletcher Hills Recreation Center and Pool, children can enjoy free dinner, games and swimming during Kid’s Night Out in May.