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Tierrasanta, Spanish for "sainted land," is an inner suburb within the city of San Diego, California.
Tierrasanta was originally part of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá mission ranch, which was active during the late 1700's and 1800's. The U.S. military purchased the land in 1941 as Camp Elliot, a Marine Corps training facility. In 1961 the area that is now Tierrasanta and a portion of neighboring Mission Trails Regional Park was declared surplus and sold. In 1962 the Elliott Community Plan was issued to serve as a roadmap for development going forward. Tierrasanta was founded in 1971. The current Tierrasanta community plan was issued in 1982, and included both the currently developed area and much of what is now Mission Trails Regional Park. By 1982 approximately one-half of the private residential area had been developed, with the area called Tierrasanta Norte, in the northeastern part of town, being one of the locations still to be developed. Tierrasanta has been fully built out since the early 1990's, and by the year 2000 had reached a population of 30,187 (Zip code 92124). It was one of the first master planned communities in San Diego, and the southern-most of a series of planned San Diego residential communities started in the same time frame along the I-15 corridor.
Numerous green belts with walking paths run through the canyons. Tierrasanta is a thriving area of up-scale single family homes, condominiums, apartments, three shopping centers, a San Diego branch library, and a research park. Also located in the community are several excellent elementary and junior high schools, as well as Junipero Serra High School, which was named
118 of the top high schools in America by Newsweek Magazine in May 2006.
Tierrasanta is situated like an island, not directly bordered by any community. It is bounded on the north by freeway 52 and the sprawling southern fields of MCAS Miramar, on the east by 5800 acre Mission Trails Regional Park, which has many hiking and mountain biking trails, on the west by Interstate 15, and on the south by steep canyons overlooking the San Diego River and Mission Valley. Community activities focus on the Tierrasanta Recreation Center, which includes lighted ball fields, a large swimming pool, tennis courts, a gymnasium, and meeting rooms.
The elected Tierrasanta Community Council has responsibility for community planning and for advising the City of San Diego and other State and Federal government agencies.
Tierrasanta is locally known as the "Island in the Hills" because of its clear boundaries surrounded by open public land. Its also commonly referred to as "T-Town" and "The T" by the younger locals.
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