Otay Town, Chula Vista, CA

Otay Town carries the name of Otay, the old community that a rail line once linked to National City and San Diego, and today it forms the southern end of Chula Vista's west side. The neighborhood runs from Orange Avenue down to Main Street and the Otay River valley, between Fourth Avenue and Interstate 805, and it joined the city in the 1985 annexation. Homes are a mix of small single-story houses, some older cottages and a handful of apartment complexes, laid out on blocks that end where the river bottom begins. The valley south of Otay Town is the outdoor draw. Otay Valley Regional Park runs about 11 miles from the bay toward Otay Lakes, with roughly 8 miles of trails for walking, biking and horseback riding, plus seven ponds that draw birders. On Rancho Drive, the Greg Cox Bike Park has a jump line, beginner trails and one of the largest modular pump tracks in California. Otay Park on Albany Avenue covers the closer-to-home needs. Main Street is the place to eat, and it is mostly casual. The Xolotacos truck, parked on Main Street, earns its reputation with birria tacos and a rich consomé. Taco shops and mariscos stands fill in the rest of the street. Smart and Final on Main Street handles groceries, and the South Chula Vista Library sits on Orange Avenue at the north edge. The nearest trolley stop, at Palomar Street, is a short drive northwest, and I-805 runs along the eastern edge. Main Street carries a lot of truck traffic and auto businesses, so the walk to dinner is more practical than scenic. Sit-down restaurants are scarce, and coffee shops are almost nonexistent. The payoff is the valley at the bottom of the street, where a few minutes on a bike gets you from a quiet residential block to ponds, open river bottom and a trail that runs nearly all the way to the bay.