COLLEGE GROVE

The College Area neighborhood centers around and is named for San Diego State University (SDSU). With a variety of different subdivisions, College Grove has something for everyone.

El Cerrito, or "Little Hill" in Spanish, may have originally been lemon and orange orchards, but today this neighborhood east of Kensington and south of Interstate 8 is a little gem of beautiful homes with views of city high-rises, canyons and the ocean. Rolando, one of San Diego’s best-kept secrets, is a quiet residential neighborhood offering well-kept homes, just minutes from the intense nightlife of SDSU. The OrangeWalk community, designed by the same company as downtown’s CityWalk, offers affordable townhome living. Alvarado Estates is the College area’s most upscale neighborhood. Now a gated community, it offers luxury ranch style homes on very large lots, most in the $1-$million range. Talmadge is one of San Diego’s oldest communities, named after a trio of sisters who were silent film stars. The community offers terrific cottage and craftsman style homes, and is known for its arts and the eight forged iron gates that mark the entrance to Talmadge.

In addition to its many varied neighborhoods, College Grove is undergoing redevelopment. The City of San Diego's 157-acre College Grove Redevelopment Project Area includes the former College Grove shopping center, Chollas Lake Park and Chollas Landfill. In 1998, the City's Redevelopment Agency entered into agreements with Vestar Development Co. and Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust to redevelop the shopping center with a Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Home Base in addition to the Mervyn's and Longs Drugs stores that are already current tenants. Originally called College Grove Shopping Center, the regional mall is now known as Marketplace at the Grove.