University Heights, San Diego, CA

University Heights never got its university. Land boom developers in the 1880s planned a college on this mesa in San Diego, the boom went bust in 1888, and the name stayed. The State Normal School that grew into San Diego State did start here, and today the neighborhood sits on the rim above Mission Valley between Hillcrest and North Park, with an arched sign and a red trolley hanging over Park Boulevard at Madison Avenue. Housing covers a lot of ground for a small area. Small cottages share blocks with older apartment buildings and newer condos, and some larger homes sit along the canyon edge with views over the valley. Shirley Ann Place, between Madison and Monroe, is a city historic district of 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival bungalows. Park Boulevard between Meade and Adams Avenues works as a three-block restaurant row. Muzita Abyssinian Bistro, Bahn Thai, El Zarape and Parkhouse Eatery sit within a few doors of each other, and Park & Rec mixes cocktails. Kairoa Brewing pours beers made with New Zealand hops on a rooftop that looks straight at the sign. Lestat's on Park keeps its coffee bar open around the clock, and Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean's Ice Cream share an address for dessert. Over on Adams Avenue, Soichi runs a small omakase counter that holds a Michelin star. Trolley Barn Park on Adams Avenue is the shared backyard, built on the site of the old streetcar barn after neighbors fought to save the land. It has a playground and picnic lawns, and free concerts fill it on summer Friday evenings. For bigger outings, Balboa Park and the zoo lie just south, an easy bike ride away. Daily needs stay close. Sprouts and the University Heights Branch Library sit side by side on Park Boulevard, and the restored Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard holds several bars and a diner. Hillcrest's bigger stores are a short ride west, and Mission Valley's malls sit just below the mesa. Space is the limit. Homes sit close together, a good share of homes are apartments, and Trolley Barn Park is the only real park, so on concert nights it gets crowded. Look for the small ostrich signs scattered around the neighborhood, though, and you start to see how proudly University Heights holds on to its odd early history.