Midway, San Diego

Last updated
Aerial image of Midway District, looking northwest. Dimmed areas include Old Town, Loma Portal, Liberty Station, Point Loma, and the San Diego River. Midway District boundaries.jpg
Aerial image of Midway District, looking northwest. Dimmed areas include Old Town, Loma Portal, Liberty Station, Point Loma, and the San Diego River.

The Midway area, also referred to as the North Bay area, is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is located at the northern (mainland) end of the Point Loma peninsula, northwest of Downtown San Diego and just west of Old Town. It is often considered to be part of Point Loma, although the city treats it as a separate Planning Area.

Contents

The boundaries of the Midway community plan are the San Diego River and Interstate 8 to the north, Interstate 5 to the east, Laurel Street to the south, and Lytton Street and the bluffs above Kenyon Street to the west. [1] In addition to the core Midway area, the community plan includes portions of the historic neighborhoods of Five Points and Middletown. The planning area encompasses approximately 800 acres (320 ha) of mostly flatland. The area is primarily commercial and industrial, plus a few small pockets of multi-family residential development. [1]

History

The San Diego River marks the northern boundary of the Midway area Sandiegoriver2.jpg
The San Diego River marks the northern boundary of the Midway area

Historically the area was part of the San Diego River delta, comprising the flat land between the hill of the San Diego Presidio and the hills of Point Loma. The San Diego River switched back and forth between emptying into Mission Bay (called False Bay by the early settlers) and emptying through the Midway area into the San Diego Bay. Sometime during the 1820s the river switched its course from False Bay to San Diego Bay. Because of fears that San Diego Bay might silt up, the river was confined to its present course north of Point Loma by a levee built by the city in 1877. [2] This exposed the flat, marshy areas of Midway for development.

Rosecrans Street, a main thoroughfare through Midway and Point Loma, follows the route of the historic La Playa Trail, the oldest European trail in the Western United States. It connected the settlements in Old Town and Mission San Diego with La Playa, the beach in Point Loma where ships loaded and unloaded cargo. [3] A plaque near the southeast corner of Rosecrans Street and Midway Drive recognizes the historic importance of the La Playa Trail. [4]

In 1850, approximately 687 acres (278 ha) of land in the area was conveyed to a group of ten would-be developers, who subdivided the land in hopes of developing it. The names of some of the original ten investors are remembered in the existing street name system along Pacific Highway, including Emory, Sutherland, Noell, Estudillo, Wright, Banini, Couts, and Witherby. [1] However, the area was still marshy, and little development occurred until the 1930s, when commercial, industrial, and residential development could be found in some areas. [5]

By the early 1900s, central Midway was known as Dutch Flats and still included a lot of standing water. Dutch Flats was also the name of what was originally a small dirt airstrip in the area used by the Ryan Aeronautical Company, located near what are now Midway and Barnett streets. The company built a factory, and established a flight school at the location. Dutch Flats Airport became famous when Ryan built a specially designed aircraft for Charles A. Lindbergh, who tested it at Dutch Flats and then used it to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1927. In 1929, pioneer aviatrix Ruth Alexander, a graduate of the Ryan Flying School, established a new world record for women in light aircraft on a flight from Dutch Flats. A post office now located on the site contains several historic plaques commemorating Dutch Flats and Lindbergh. [6]

In 1921, the Marine Advanced Expeditionary Base (now Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego) was built in the Midway area on Barnett Avenue, lending a boost to the area's economy and setting the stage for future military development. [7] The city of San Diego opened San Diego Municipal Airport/Lindbergh Field in 1928 on land located between the Midway area and San Diego Bay. [8] As a result, aircraft-related industries and businesses continued to be important for the Midway area up until the present day.

During the 1940s, the Midway area experienced a boom, with numerous war-related industrial sites and thousands of people arriving from all over the country to work at them. At first, they had no place to live except ramshackle camps and tent cities. The Federal government then built a large (approximately 4000 units) housing complex for defense workers, known as the Frontier Housing. [9] Areas along Pacific Highway became wartime factories, and later provided the hub of the city's aerospace industry. [1]

Throughout the 1950s, the neighborhood became a mecca for then-popular establishments such as a drive-in restaurant (Oscar's, owned by Robert Oscar Peterson who later founded the Jack in the Box chain [10] ), two drive-in theaters (the Midway and the Frontier [11] ), and a bowling alley (Frontier Lanes). The only remaining structure from that era is the Loma Theater on Rosecrans St., which opened in 1944 as a 1188-seat movie palace in the Arte Moderne style; it is now a bookstore with some of the Arte Moderne architectural features retained, including the neon sign. [12] From the 1960s to the present the area became less industrial and more commercial. It is now mainly known for large region-serving retail establishments and multi-lane traffic arteries.

The Frontier development housed 20,000 people and had three schools, a recreation center, and a library. It was unusual in the Point Loma area because of the diversity of its residents, which made existing homeowners uncomfortable; they lobbied the city to replace the development with something else. During the 1960s the entire housing project was demolished and replaced with the Sports Arena and large retail and commercial areas. [13]

The Mission Brewery building on Pacific Highway, built in 1912, is now on the National Register of Historic Places Mission Brewery Southeast Northeast Facades.jpg
The Mission Brewery building on Pacific Highway, built in 1912, is now on the National Register of Historic Places

During the 1990s the city proposed to build a “bay to bay” water link between San Diego Bay and Mission Bay, which would have run right through the Midway area. [14] However, the plan received little community support and was abandoned after a consultant's report deemed it not economically feasible. [15]

The area contains two sites that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Mission Brewery, a five-story brick building on Hancock Street dating from 1912, originally a brewery but now used for offices and retail; and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Historic District. Additional sites listed as historic by the San Diego Historical Resources Board include the site of a Hebrew cemetery (now a residential building) on Kenyon Street and Dutch Flats/Ryan Field. [16]

Geography

The area is entirely flat. It consists mostly of “fill” land built up over formerly marshy areas and river sediment deposits. Nothing remains of the former wetlands except Famosa Slough State Marine Conservation Area (a city-owned nature preserve which is technically located in Point Loma but is considered part of Midway by many people) and the San Diego River bed itself.

Most of the area is commercial or industrial in nature, but there are some residential areas, including the seniors-only Orchard Apartments (built on land owned by the city of San Diego), a Navy family housing complex between Rosecrans and Barnett, and some private apartment and condominium developments in the Pacific Highway corridor near the San Diego Trolley.

Economy

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) P1000734-crop.jpg
Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)

The area now consists primarily of medium-to-large strip malls with region-serving stores such as groceries, drugstores, and general and discount stores. There are a few remaining small industrial businesses such as boat repair yards and trucking firms. There are also many airport-related businesses such as long-term parking lots and car rental companies.

A major employer in the area is the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, known as “SPAWAR". SPAWAR is a major Navy Acquisition Command, as well as the parent organization to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center - Pacific, a research laboratory in Point Loma. In February 2019 the name of the facility was changed to Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. The Navy has indicated it would like to move its facilities elsewhere and lease the site out for redevelopment, possibly as a regional transportation center. [17]

Midway is also known for a concentration of adult establishments such as strip clubs, partly because city laws regulating such establishments make the area favorable for them, and partly because of the proximity of large military bases (MCRD and formerly the Naval Training Center San Diego) full of young recruits. Homeless people are exceptionally visible in the area, partly because of illegal but tolerated encampments along the San Diego River, and partially due to the presence of numerous establishments such as Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and the San Diego Veterans Village.

Midway was included in the North Bay Redevelopment Project area [18] until it and all other redevelopment agencies were dissolved by the state of California in 2012. [19]

Culture

Pechanga Arena, then-named San Diego Sports Arena in November 2007 San Diego Sports Arena.jpg
Pechanga Arena, then-named San Diego Sports Arena in November 2007

The Pechanga Arena is owned by the city and managed by a private company. It is the home of three sports franchises: the San Diego Gulls hockey team, the San Diego Sockers soccer team, and the San Diego Seals lacrosse team. [20] It also hosts concerts and touring shows such as ice shows and circuses. One of the largest swap meets on the West Coast takes place in the parking lot each week. [21] The SOMA concert venue is also located in Midway.

Education

There is one public elementary school in the area, Dewey Elementary, under the jurisdiction of the San Diego Unified School District, as well as a Catholic elementary-middle school, St. Charles Boromeo Academy. There is also an adult-education campus of the San Diego Community College District on Fordham St.

Infrastructure

The community is located next to the intersection of Interstate 5 and Interstate 8. It is dominated by multi-lane roads which serve as the main ingress and egress for the entire Point Loma peninsula. Rosecrans Street, Midway Drive, Sports Arena Boulevard (formerly known as Frontier Drive), West Point Loma Boulevard and Pacific Highway are the main streets. Traffic is extremely heavy and congestion is common. Two intersections in the Midway area (Midway/Rosecrans and Sports Arena/Rosecrans) are among the worst intersections in the city for accidents, according to the city of San Diego. [22]

Government

The area is part of the Second Council District in the City of San Diego, currently represented by Jennifer Campbell. The Midway Community Planning Group advises the city on planning, land use, and other issues.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego</span> City in Southern California, United States

San Diego is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is also the eighth most populous city in the United States and the seat of San Diego County, the fifth most populous county in the United States, with 3,338,330 estimated residents as of 2019. The city is known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches and parks, long association with the U.S. armed forces, and recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center. San Diego is the second largest city in the state of California after Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego International Airport</span> International airport in San Diego, California, United States

San Diego International Airport, formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport three miles (4.8 km) northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. The airport covers 663 acres (268 ha) of land. There are more than 60 nonstop markets in the US and abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 209</span> Former highway in California

State Route 209 (SR 209) was a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting Cabrillo National Monument with the interchange of Interstate 5 (I-5) and I-8 in San Diego, passing through the neighborhoods of Point Loma. The majority of the route was along Rosecrans Street; it also included Cañon Street and Catalina Boulevard leading to the tip of Point Loma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Rose</span>

Louis Rose was a pioneer developer of San Diego, California. The neighborhood of Roseville in Point Loma is named for him, as are Rose Creek and Rose Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabrillo National Monument</span> United States historic place

Cabrillo National Monument is at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California, United States. It commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This event marked the first time a European expedition had set foot on what later became the West Coast of the United States. The site was designated as California Historical Landmark #56 in 1932. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Hills, San Diego</span> Community in San Diego, California

Mission Hills is an upscale affluent neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States. It is located on hills just south of the San Diego River valley and north of downtown San Diego, overlooking Old Town, Downtown San Diego, and San Diego Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown San Diego</span> City center of San Diego, California, United States

Downtown San Diego is the city center of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. In 2010, the Centre City area had a population of more than 28,000. Downtown San Diego serves as the cultural and financial center and central business district of San Diego, with more than 4,000 businesses and nine districts. The downtown area is the home of the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Opera as well as multiple theaters and several museums. The San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, are also located downtown. Downtown San Diego houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of San Diego</span> Overview of the culture of San Diego

The culture of San Diego, California is influenced heavily by American and Mexican cultures due to its position as a border town, its large Hispanic population, and its history as part of Spanish America and Mexico. San Diego's longtime association with the U.S. military also contributes to its culture. Present-day culture includes many historical and tourist attractions, a thriving musical and theatrical scene, numerous notable special events, a varied cuisine, and a reputation as one of America's premier centers of craft brewing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Loma, San Diego</span> Community within San Diego in California

Point Loma is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town, and the north by the San Diego River. Together with the Silver Strand / Coronado peninsula, the Point Loma peninsula defines San Diego Bay and separates it from the Pacific Ocean. The term "Point Loma" is used to describe both the neighborhood and the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Point Loma</span> US Navy installation in San Diego, California, United States

Naval Base Point Loma (NBPL) is located in Point Loma, a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It was established on 1 October 1998 when Navy facilities in the Point Loma area of San Diego were consolidated under Commander, Navy Region Southwest. Naval Base Point Loma consists of seven facilities: Submarine Base, Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, Fleet Combat Training Center Pacific, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR), Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific, the Fleet Intelligence Command Pacific and Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar. These close-knit commands form a diverse and highly technical hub of naval activity. The on-base population is around 22,000 Navy and civilian personnel.

Liberty Station is a mixed-use development in San Diego, California, on the site of the former Naval Training Center San Diego. It is located in the Point Loma community of San Diego. It has a waterfront location, on a boat channel off of San Diego Bay, just west of the San Diego Airport and a few miles north of Downtown San Diego. The 361-acre (1.46 km2) project includes several distinct districts: a retail and commercial district, a promenade focused on nonprofit activities, an educational district, a residential district, a hotel district, an office district, and a park/open space area along the boat channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town, San Diego</span> Community in San Diego, California

Old Town is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It contains 230 acres (93 ha) and is bounded by Interstate 8 on the north, Interstate 5 on the west, Mission Hills on the east and Bankers Hill on the south. It is the oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the first European settlement in present-day California. It contains Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and Presidio Park, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Guijarros</span> Historic site in San Diego, California

Fort Guijarros was a Spanish fort in what is now San Diego, California, USA. Its name means "Fort Cobblestones" in English. It was built in 1797 on Ballast Point as the first defensive fortifications for San Diego Bay. It was involved in the Battle of San Diego, a naval battle between the fort and an American trading vessel. The site is registered as California Historical Landmark #69.

La Playa is a bayfront neighborhood in the Point Loma community of San Diego, California. It is bordered by the San Diego Bay on the east, Naval Base Point Loma on the south, the Wooded Area neighborhood to the west and Point Loma Village/Roseville-Fleetridge to the north. It lies across a channel from Shelter Island.

Loma Portal is a neighborhood in the community of Point Loma in San Diego, California. It is a hilly area northwest of Rosecrans Street and northeast of Nimitz Boulevard, overlooking San Diego Bay.

Roseville-Fleetridge is a neighborhood in Point Loma, San Diego, California. It is bounded by San Diego Bay and Rosecrans Street on the east, Cañon Street on the south, Catalina Boulevard on the west and Chatsworth and Nimitz Boulevards on the north. Neighboring communities are Point Loma Heights and Loma Portal to the north, Point Loma Village and Liberty Station to the east, La Playa and the Wooded Area to the south, and Sunset Cliffs to the west. It is actually two separate neighborhoods, Roseville and Fleetridge, which the city lumps together for policing purposes.

Palm City is a neighborhood in the southern section of San Diego. Its neighbors are Otay Mesa West to the south and east, Egger Highlands and Nestor to the west, and Chula Vista to the north. It also serves as a gateway to the beach cities of Imperial Beach, and Coronado, by way of the Silver Strand isthmus, due to it being where California State Route 75 meets Interstate 5. Major thoroughfares include Coronado Avenue, Hollister Street, Beyer Boulevard, and Palm Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Playa Trail</span>

The La Playa Trail was a historic bayside trail in San Diego, connecting the settled inland areas to the commercial anchorage at Old La Playa on San Diego Bay. The La Playa Trail has been recognized as the oldest commercial trail in the Western United States. The trail was used during the Pre-Hispanic, Spanish, Mexican and American periods of San Diego history. Much of the length of the original trail corresponds to the current Rosecrans Street in the San Diego neighborhood of Point Loma. There are eight registered National Historic Districts and 70 identified historic sites along the trail, according to the La Playa Trail Association, which was formed in 2005 to recognize the historic nature of the trail and to honor the many different peoples who traveled along it.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of San Diego, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Flats Airport</span> Former airport in San Diego, California, U.S.

Dutch Flats Airport is a former airport in the Midway area, a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is located at the northern (mainland) end of the Point Loma peninsula, northwest of Downtown San Diego and just west of Old Town. Other names include: Ryan Airport, Mahoney Airport, and Speer Airport.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 City of San Diego Community Profile
  2. ↑ Smythe, William E., “History of San Diego, 1542-1908”, Part Seven, Chapter II
  3. ↑ Historic La Playa Trail Association website
  4. ↑ Hall, Matthew T. (November 24, 2010). "Marking time on the La Playa Trail". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  5. ↑ Journal of San Diego History, Vol. 23, No. 4, Fall 1977
  6. ↑ Free Internet Archive
  7. ↑ Starr, Raymond G. (Fall 2000). "Book Review: The history of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego". Journal of San Diego History. 46 (4).
  8. ↑ CharlesLindbergh.com
  9. ↑ Journal of San Diego History, Vol. 29, Nos. 1-2, Spring 1993
  10. ↑ NNDB.com
  11. ↑ San Diego Reader, Aug. 1, 2008
  12. ↑ cinematreasures.org
  13. ↑ Lewis, Scott (January 4, 2022). "You May Never Look at the Sports Arena the Same Again". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  14. ↑ City of San Diego Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ San Diego Metro, Feb. 2002 Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ San Diego Historical Resources Board
  17. ↑ Van Grove, Jennifer (July 10, 2019). "Navy will consider 'Grand Central Station' in redevelopment of Point Loma base". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  18. ↑ North Bay Redevelopment Agency Archived 2009-11-06 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "City Council Passes Policies For Redevelopment ‘Successor Agency’", KPBS, February 13, 2012
  20. ↑ "Welcome to the Official Website for Pechanga Arena San Diego". Pechanga Arena. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  21. ↑ Kobey’s Swap Meet
  22. ↑ Los Angeles Times

Coordinates: 32°44′28.94″N117°12′54.7″W / 32.7413722°N 117.215194°W / 32.7413722; -117.215194

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.