11 Mission Valley 1970's Condo Complexes

Mission Valley is located several miles north of downtown San Diego. While Downtown San Diego started its current redevelopment 10-15 years ago, Mission Valley 92108 began its residential development in the 1970's.

Mission Valley had been a farming area for many years. In the mid-1960's Mission Valley as we know it today began with Mission Valley mall. As you can see from the above photo, Mission Valley mall appears to be in the middle of no where, and at the time that was the truth. Mission Valley mall began with the May Company anchoring the eastern end and Montgomery Ward anchoring the west end. Today Macys is at the easterly end of the mall and Target anchors the westerly end. In fact, Pei Wei and Corner Bakery sit on the Montgomery Ward Auto Center.

Due to Mission Valley mall, housing, hotels and auto dealerships began to be constructed in Mission Valley. Many large apartment complexes sprung up along Interstate 8 at the easterly and westerly ends of Mission Valley. In fact, for the most part, Mission Valley developed inwards. Newer developments such as Civita occupy an old rock quarry and Escala was cut out of the hillside. Early Mission Valley developments took the line of least resistance.

A number of these projects began life as apartment buildings and were converted to condos in the 1980's when it was profitable. If you would like to see what the 1970's looked like, just check out these Mission Valley condos ala 2013. They look like they did in the 1970's. They may be boring and old-fashioned looking, but their locations are in the heart of Mission Valley and owners have easy access to everything. We will compare the two newest Mission Valley developments, Escala (about 10 years old) and Civita (currently under construction) in future blogs.

The 1970's Again

Friars Pointe

Lots of wood, lots of stucco, trees and greenery. Dated to today's tastes but units offer good size for value.

Mission Greens

Before we all had to worry about water conservation, water themes were common in both condos and apartments. Lush grounds attracted tenants and owners who liked space. Today's density cannot support such open space at a reasonable homeowner association cost, so spacious grounds and lower homeowner association dues are more common in these 1970's projects.

Mission Heights

Another stucco and frame project built over parking. Same 1970's Mission Valley look with a great location.

Mission Plaza

Are you getting the feeling that "Mission" was a popular name in the 1970's? Because of the San Diego Mission located at the easterly end of the Mission Valley, architects and developers had mental blocks and could only come up with a name that contained "Mission" when a project was located within a mile of the San Diego Mission.

Mission Ridge

Same theme, same 1970's design. Good sized balconies, not so much wood in this complex, but plenty of stucco. It was easier to design box looking projects.

Mission Verde

When I started this research, even I had no clue how many of these projects had "Mission" in their name. It kind of boggles the mind. It could be made into a good trivia drinking game. Every time you can name a Mission Valley "Mission" project, bottoms up!

Mission Village

Amenities in the 1970's included a pool and usually a party style recreation room. Stucco, wood and balconies round out our 1970's look.

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Rancho Mission Villas

Rancho Mission  Villas began life as an apartment complex and underwent conversion to a condominium complex. Located at the easterly end of Mission Valley, Rancho Mission Villas are situated within walking distance to a trolley station and are a perfect location for San Diego State students along with first-time homebuyers.

Park Villas

Before you  begin to think someone got creative with the Park Villas name, you would need to know that Park Villas began life as the "Apple Apartments". The Apple Apartments were the Austin Powers of Mission Valley living. You could select up-to-date lime green carpet, mandarin orange carpet, lemon yellow carpet, or camel beige carpeting. The Apple apartments were the newest style of decor in the early 1970's. I know because I lived in a lime green apartment. Kind of scary as I look back, but at the time, it was fantastic. When the Apple Apartments were converted to condominiums, Park Villas sounded much better to owners.

The Bluffs

The Bluffs also began life as apartments in Mission Valley West and within walking distance from Fashion Valley mall, which was beginning its creation. The Bluffs originally sold their studio units for $39,000. Imagine what an investment that would be today. The Bluffs currently has the condominium portion and the apartment portion. Creativity was also used to name the Bluffs. They are located below the bluffs that ring the northerly portion of Mission Valley.

The Franciscan

Another "Mission" related name. Same 1970's style, but located in a great Mission Valley locale.

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92108 Mission Valley Condos

What if you don't want to live in Downtown San Diego? Why not try Mission Valley which is a few miles north of the Downtown San Diego core. Mission Valley runs from Interstate 5 on the west to Mission Gorge on the easterly boundary. Mission Valley is commonly known with the 92108 zip code, but the westerly edge of Mission Valley is the 92110 zip code.

As you can see, the main focus of Mission Valley is the San Diego river. Mission Valley Center is built along the river as as several other commercial and residential properties. Mission Valley has come a long way from the small farming community it once was. Mission Valley has developed with shopping centers, car dealerships, office buildings, hotels and condominium projects. Single-family homes are a rarity in Mission Valley. In fact, you have to do a lot of searching to find a home in the center of Mission Valley. If you drive Interstate 8, look south as you drive east of Texas/Qualcomm Way. You will see a home east of the 805 bridge sandwiched between two office buildings. It an oddity in the valley.

If you would like to search for Mission Valley condos, visit our Mission Valley search page for the most up to date results.

92101 Downtown San Diego : 92101 Downtown San Diego Condo Sales October 2013

92101 Downtown San Diego : 92101 Downtown San Diego Condo Sales October 2013: Review 92101 Downtown San Diego sales for the month of October 2013 and search the MLS for available Downtown San Diego condos by check...

92101 Downtown San Diego Condo Sales October 2013

Review 92101 Downtown San Diego sales for the month of October 2013 and search the MLS for available Downtown San Diego condos by checking our 92101 condo search link.

92101 Jimbos in Horton Plaza

Jimbos in Horton Plaza has finally opened and it is a delightful store with food bars, beautiful produce, a large variety of beverages and a great little cafe to eat what you purchase. We visited Jimbos today to order a burrito at the burrito bar. It is fun to order what you want and watch them prepare it while you watch. If you like sushi, the sushi bar is centrally located and offers a wide variety of sushi choices.

Initially it seems a little odd to have a full-service grocery store located in the middle of the mall, but Horton Plaza has been on the cutting edge from the very beginning. Jimbos offers free parking and easy access so you can carry your groceries to the car. Since so many people who live in downtown San Diego like to walk, there is a high probability a number of customers will walk to and from the store.

Amenities such as healthy food shopping attract both Downtown San Diego renters and Downtown San Diego condo owners.

We specialize in downtown San Diego real estate. We can help you rent or purchase. Check out our Downtown San Diego rental link to search for downtown San Diego rentals. Call, email or text us for additional information. For downtown San Diego property management visit us at LBG Property Management.

Search for San Diego real estate and find your home or condo by visiting our San Diego property search link.


Search for San Diego real estate and find your home or condo by visiting our San Diego property search link.

92101 Little Italy's Aerial Suites

Little Italy is one of the unique Downtown San Diego neighborhoods. Once the hub of the San Diego fishing fleet, Little Italy has now become an urban hub for those who want to live in this established neighborhood.

Little Italy's festivals along with Little Italy's Farmers Market create a happy cheerful living environment. One of the newest projects located at the southerly end of Little Italy is the Aerial Suites project located at Kettner and Beech. Aerial Suites is a mixed used project containing both retail and apartment housing. Rising 269 feet into the air, Aerial Suites is a 22-story building containing 224 apartments and 279 underground parking spaces. 

Aerial Suites

Anchoring Aerial Suites will be an 8700 square foot Hanson's Market which originally began in San Clemente. Because of Hansons' emphasis on healthy food choices, their will be a mezzanie area housing a deli and raw juices bar. Hanson's Market has focused on the health conscious consumer, and as such, will offer a large array of organic and natural products. For those that love komucha, Hanson's will offer a kombucha bar on tap. If you are not a komucha lover, this won't matter, but if you are a kombucha lover you will be in seventh heaven.

Bottomline is Hanson's Market should be a perfect match for the Little Italy resident. The Saturday Farmers market is always crowded and the fresh produce and juicing stands always seem to have a line.

Aerial Suites also offers corner a 5000 square foot restaurant space for lease at the corner of Beech and Kettner.

We specialize in downtown San Diego real estate. We can help you rent or purchase. Check out our Downtown San Diego rental link to search for downtown San Diego rentals. Call, email or text us for additional information. For downtown San Diego property management visit us at LBG Property Management.

Search for San Diego real estate and find your home or condo by visiting our San Diego property search link.

92101 Condos For Rent

What if you want to rent a downtown San Diego condo but don't want to live in an apartment building? Why not look for a downtown San Diego condo in one of the downtown districts you love. Rental rates range from $1350 for a studio in Element to $10,000 for a penthouse unit in Parkloft. Both buildings are located in downtown San Diego. It's just a question of how much you want to spend for rent. 

We specialize in downtown San Diego real estate. We can help you rent or purchase. Check out our Downtown San Diego rental link to search for downtown San Diego rentals. Call, email or text us for additional information. 

For downtown San Diego property management visit us at LBG Property Management.

Search for San Diego real estate and find your home or condo by visiting our San Diego property search link.