College Area, San Diego, CA

Trolley riders in the College Area of San Diego step off underground, at a station beneath the SDSU Transit Center bus plaza, and take an elevator or the stairs up into the middle of campus. San Diego State dominates this stretch of Montezuma Mesa above Interstate 8, and it gave the neighborhood its name. Kensington and Talmadge lie to the west and La Mesa to the east. College Area homes come from more than one era. Some pockets were laid out in the 1930s and others filled in after World War II, and smaller enclaves carry their own names, such as Dennstedt Point, Saranac-Mohawk and the Catoctin area. Right next to campus the university has added its own housing, including the South Campus Plaza complex with shops on the ground floor along College Avenue. Canyons shape the outdoors. Canyon Crest Drive curves down through one of them between 55th Street and College Avenue, and the Aztec Bowl drops through the center of campus toward Alvarado Creek. Montezuma Park on Catoctin Drive is the main neighborhood park, and the Aztec Recreation Center on campus sells day and monthly passes for its pools, climbing walls and courts. Brush in those canyons is a real concern, and on Halloween 2024 a fire in one of the gorges off Montezuma damaged six houses. For food, D.Z. Akin's on Alvarado Road has been piling up pastrami sandwiches and ladling matzo ball soup since 1980. Near campus, the College Avenue plaza has a Trader Joe's for groceries and a string of quick lunch spots, and Scrimshaw Coffee sits just south on El Cajon Boulevard. Getting around is easier than in most of the city. The Green Line runs to Mission Valley and downtown, the UC San Diego Health East trolley stop serves the eastern end, and Rapid 215 heads downtown along El Cajon Boulevard. Viejas Arena and the campus amphitheater bring concerts and games within walking distance. The university sets the rhythm. Semester starts, arena shows and big games bring crowds and traffic to College Avenue and Montezuma Road. The same campus puts a trolley station, a concert venue and a recreation center within reach of most of the College Area.