Tierrasanta - San Diego, CA Area Guide

Tierrasanta’s history goes back to the late 18th and 19th centuries. Before the U.S. government sold the area to the city of San Diego in 1961, it was home for the Marine Corps and the Navy. In 1971, the name Tierrasanta was officially born and by 2010, Tierrasanta’s population had grown to 30,443.

Tierrasanta’s military training background still contributes to the atmosphere today, with about one-fifth of the total housing in the area made up of the Murphy Canyon naval housing development, located in the southwest.

Visit easy-to-reach museums in areas surrounding Tierrasanta, including Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, San Diego Air & Space Museum, Gillespie Field Annex, and Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, all about a 15-minute drive away.

Art lovers can stop in at Brook Mesenbrinks Fine Art gallery hugging Tierrasanta's western boundary.

Don’t miss Tierrasanta’s annual Patriot’s Day in May, including a parade, dinner and fireworks.

Tierrasanta has its fair share of restaurants, providing a mix of food, environments and prices. In addition, its good location to surrounding neighborhoods and, of course, San Diego, provides easy access to plenty more options, meaning you can pick and choose, whether you’re looking for traditional American fare you know will satisfy expectations, to new experiences and exotic tastes.

Tierrasanta Mexican Food on Santo Road provides consistently good food and service, helping diners to feel at ease while enjoying a casual, authentically Mexican atmosphere. Try the fajitas or enchiladas rancheros. Afterwards, you may want to top off your meal with soft serve ice cream and signature shakes at the Dairy Queen Brazier next door.

If Chinese food gets your mouth watering, try Choice of Mandarin near Tierrasanta Boulevard, a favorite with locals due to its scrumptious food and friendly and helpful staff. Regulars will easily call the restaurant the best Chinese in San Diego. Don’t skip their appetizers – you won’t regret ordering the barbecued pork or the spring rolls.

When it comes time to letting your hair down, you may like a bit of karaoke or pool with your cocktail or beer. If so, JP’s Pub is your kind of place, and the affordable drinks, especially Saturday’s specials, are an added bonus.

You’ll also find discounted drinks during happy hour at Steins Pub, between Tuesdays and Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The family-friendly restaurant and pub provides customers with traditional pub fare and a range of wines and beers.

Tierrasanta may not be setting the trends when it comes to nightclubs, but the neighborhood is well-placed and in close proximity to different destinations, should your dancing feet start to itch. For example, to the south of Tierrasanta is Blue Agave, who's live musicians and DJs, spacious dance floor, drink specials and friendly atmosphere allow partygoers to dance the night away to salsa, merengue, reggaeton and more. Get there before 10 p.m. to avoid paying cover and to snag a table, and between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. if you’re hoping to score a free dance lesson from the experts.

Tierrasanta’s western boundary, Interstate 15, connects you to San Diego in the south (in a mere 15 minutes), as well as the eastern outskirts of Los Angeles and further north. Part of its northern boundary is State Route 52, which takes you to the coast in the west. South of Tierrasanta runs the San Diego River.

Bus route 25 of the Metropolitan Transit System serves the area, going from Tierrasanta to Fashion Valley Transit Center in San Diego, where you can access the light rail system and further bus routes. You can get around Tierrasanta by bus too, with the 25 stopping at numerous stops along the main roads. Call ahead for a cab or an Uber in this area and it will cost you around $20 or more from Tierrasanta to San Diego.

A residential area neighboring plenty of green space, Tierrasanta attracts joggers, walkers, cyclists and dog walkers. The Tierrasanta Cycling Club welcomes male and female cyclists to join their club. Cyclists access bike lanes in the neighborhood, but these are usually shared with the main road rather than being dedicated bike lanes.

Hikers, bikers, dog walkers and joggers enjoy Tierrasanta’s community trails and exploring Mission Trails Regional Park. A popular trail, the Shepherd Canyon Trail starts around Remora Street after exiting Interstate 15 at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

Joggers, walkers, cyclists and dog walkers will feel at home in Tierrasanta, home to a vast amount of wide open green space. Its next door neighbor is the 6,800 acre Mission Trails Regional Park, after all, and presents nature lovers with both a rugged and remote area, as well as a more developed recreational section.

Renowned in San Diego as one of the region’s top parks, Mission Trails Regional Park is home to Lake Murray, over 54 miles of trails and a Visitor and Interpretive Center. Without paying any fee, visitors can indulge in a variety of nature-friendly activities, including weekend camping, fishing, running, cycling, dog walking and family picnics.

Tierrasanta’s Community Park and Recreation Center is a great destination for the family, with a playground, swimming pool, large fields, tennis courts and a center with a wide range of activities to offer, such as exercise classes and music lessons. Sports played here include soccer, basketball and softball. Here, dogs, too, can be at one with nature.

The recreation center is also home to Tierrasanta’s annual concert in the park series, providing families and friends with music outdoors for no cost.

Tierrasanta offers an array of homes that capture the essence of San Diego living. For those considering a one-bedroom apartment, you might pay around $2,625 dollars per month. Alternatively, if a house aligns better with your style, the average house for rent costs around $4,250 dollars per month range. For those envisioning a more permanent stay, the average house price typically hovers around $980,000.

You can find the majority of Tierrasanta’s shops at the town center, where you can find Rite Aid and Albertsons along with banks, gas, coffee shops, take-outs, restaurants, hair dressers and salons.

Due to the limited selection in Tierrasanta for a choice of big brands and designer labels, along with smaller boutiques, you’ll need to visit surrounding areas. You are in luck, however; as such shops are found within very short distances and require as little as a five-minute drive in some cases. Drive in any direction for a maximum of 15 minutes, and you will pass an overwhelming abundance and variety of shops.

Going west towards Clairemont via Kearny Mesa, for example, you’ve got many options to shell out cash or plastic, with shops selling anything from jewelry and gifts to wedding dresses and surfboards. Around here, you’ll find different shopping malls, many a car and bicycle retailer and some quirky independent shops. You’ll also be able to stop in at your bigger chains, such as Walmart, at Independence Square Shopping Center, and T.J. Maxx, at Clairemont Town Square.

Also at Clairemont Town Square, you’ll find Designs by Janessa, whose lovingly handmade jewelry, specializes in silver fingerprint/thumbprint jewelry and personalized charms. First, choose from pendants, rings, charms, dog tags, cuff links, tie tacks and more. Second, get something printed, whether it’s your finger, hand, foot, nose or pet’s paw. Do it as an inked fingerprint, inkless fingerprint or digital fingerprint. The shop can also add a handwritten note, signature or drawing to your keepsake, ensuring ultimate sentiment.

Comic enthusiasts are in luck – Comickaze, Southern California Comics and Yesteryear Comics are all in close proximity to Tierrasanta, with Yesteryear just next door, across the Escondido Freeway.

For further choice and designer labels, best head south towards the city of San Diego, stopping off at Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Ted Baker, Lacoste and the many other big names at Westfield Mission Valley, Fashion Valley and the surroundings. This area, bound by the Mission Valley Freeway and the San Diego River, is about a 10 minute drive from Tierrasanta. If you’re shopping for groceries in and around Tierrasanta, you can choose from Fortuna Foods, Vons, Edens Apple, Albertsons and Murphy Canyon Mini-Mart, to name a few.

You’ll find a market on Santo Road, just south of State Route 52. Now known as Primo Foods, locals may refer to it as Farmers Outlet or Every Day Market. You’ll find a wide and colourful range of organic, fresh fruit and vegetables here at an affordable price, as well as a large selection of Persian and Middle Eastern food, craft beer, bread and lesser known items, such as goats milk ice-cream and rainbow carrots. If you’re planning on returning, don’t be afraid to ask a friendly staff member if they could stock up on one of your personal favorites on the off-chance the shop isn’t supplying it already. If you’d like to be first in line to pick up a freshly placed fruit or vegetable straight after delivery to the shop, time your visit late on Saturday.