Jamacha Lomita

At home in Jamacha Lomita, you’ll enjoy a suburban tempo while living right near the 94 freeway in southeastern San Diego, which puts you downtown in around 10 miles. Or, you can hop on the 54 and be at the Mexico border in approximately 20 miles. Destination shoppers can also drive just 6 miles north on the 125 to explore the 900,000-square-foot Grossmont Center — one of southeastern San Diego’s most sizable shopping malls since the 1960s. Plans are underway for a major repurposing of this 100-store center by 2025.

Within Jamacha Lomita, comparatively affordable classic California ranch-style homes can be found for less than if you lived in city center or on the coast. You’re also close to several community parks and a nearly mile-long walking trail that parallels Jamacha Road. This Encanto Expressway open space heads directly from the neighborhood’s sidewalks up a grassy slope and throughout the canyon rim and floor as part of an urban planning initiative to preserve existing canyons and hillsides. Undulating streetscapes offer a variety of gently sloping and flat yards.

Modest single-level homes mostly built in the '50s and '60s are prevalent, and you’ll notice that some are thoughtfully updated with decorative fencing and rock-wall gardens. Pricing for a midcentury ranch-style home averages between $500,000 and $650,000. Single-level homes that have been renovated into two stories can ask for closer to $800,000. You can also find some gorgeous Spanish-architecture homes with multiple-gable clay-tile roofs and arched windows built in the '90s for around $750,000. These newer homes feature front-yard palms and thick vegetation on backyard hills.

Elementary-aged public school students can begin their education journey at either Monterey Heights STEAM Academy, Freese Elementary or Audubon K-8 before moving on to the Keiller Leadership Academy or Bell Middle School. Ninth through 12th graders may attend Mount Miguel High School or Morse High School, which Niche gives an overall B+ grade. Parents can also opt to apply for admission to the nearby K-12 O’Farrell Charter School, which earns an A grade from Niche.

Multiple parks outfit the community with green space, offering lawns and playscapes for recreation and relaxation. At Skyline Hills Community Park, you can picnic and enjoy the surrounding mountain vista or stroll the paved pathways. Locals also love the park’s toddler-friendly, rubber-foundation playground with shade sails, pavilions and an interactive outdoor musical set. Youth athletes enjoy the park’s two baseball diamonds and basketball courts. Also, within the park, the Skyline Hills Recreation Center hosts Friday Teen Nights with crafts, games and inflatables, as well as a year-round calendar of programs and classes. At the Keiller Neighborhood Park, right behind the Keiller Leadership Academy middle school, residents relax under shady trees, or spend the afternoon at the sunny, sandy playground.

Essentials are always easy to reach here, from stopping to get the car shined up at Soapy Joe’s Car Wash, to shopping at the local Foodland, where you can stock up on produce and groceries, or check off your entertaining needs from tequila to fresh salsa. In this same retail center, California Mexican Restaurant serves a generous menu of burritos, tortas and tacos. And around the corner, La Sinaloense Bar and Grill specializes in fresh Mexican seafood entrees with a side helping of occasional live mariachi or banda music. Locals also love having Casa Fiesta Juice Bar here in the community, where you can indulge in authentic Mexican sweets, savor fresh juice drinks and shop an assortment of plants and unique gifts.

Midway between the coast and massive national forest reserves, accessible, central Jamacha Lomita is a convenient suburban location from which you can easily reach some of San Diego’s major features.

Written By

Lia Girard

Photography Contributed By

Joerg Boetel

Video By

Daric Clarke