The 92130 Zip Code, formerly known solely as Carmel Valley
The 92130 Zip Code, formerly known solely as Carmel Valley, now encompasses six communities: Carmel Country Highlands, Carmel Valley, Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity and Torrey Hills. One of the newer zip codes in the city of San Diego, the area lies east of Interstate-5 and Del Mar, just a short distance from the ocean. The easy access from I-5 and SR-56, combined with the family-friendly lifestyle, has made it a favorite residential location for people who love living on the coast but don’t want to pay Del Mar and La Jolla prices.
Development of the residential areas began in 1983, and there are now a variety of luxury homes, condominiums and apartments available. There are approximately 13,500 homes and condos, and the residents are executives and professionals who often work in nearby Sorrento Valley’s high-tech and bio-tech firms. Most of the jobs in the area are in research, medical and business centers. Due to the proximity of the University of California and Scripps Medical Centers, staff and students live here, attracting the activities of intellectuals: movies, plays, galleries, great restaurants, shops, and night life.
92130 has become a new legal power hub and center for business services. At least two dozen law firms are now clustered along High Bluff Drive and El Camino Real, making the 92130 zip code a premium locale that encompasses some of the priciest office space in San Diego County. Many of the new law offices represent satellite operations for large firms with hundreds of attorneys in offices nationwide and even overseas. The big law firms moving into the area are targeting San Diego’s lucrative corporate work, such as intellectual property, copyright and patent law, focused on protecting the proprietary science and technology that underlie San Diego’s proliferation of wireless, software, biotechnology and health science companies.
The schools in 92130 are a big draw for families. Out of the 416 public elementary schools in San Diego County, all of the elementary schools score near the top of the state’s Academic Performance Index. The API is a numeric index ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000 that reflects a school’s performance level, based on the results of statewide testing. Most of the residents attend Carmel Valley Middle School, ranked #1, and all four of the high schools are ranked in the top 10. Please note: all the communities are within the Del Mar and Solana Beach school districts, except Torrey Del Mar and Vicinity which is within the Poway School district.
This region is also home to two of the most prestigious private schools in San Diego County: Cathedral High School and the San Diego Jewish Academy.
Residents are active and take advantage of the area’s open space to bike, skate, walk and run. The Carmel Valley Community Park offers a sport facility that includes playing fields, a swimming pool and a gym. The nearby popular and massive Pacific Athletic Club offers its members aquatics, badminton, athletics, fitness, racquetball and squash, tennis, social events, spa, nutrition, child care and physical therapy.
Summer concerts are held in the park. The famous Torrey Pines Golf Course and the Torrey Pines State Reserve are close by. The Pacific Ocean is minutes away, so swimming, surfing and beach activities are plentiful. There is excellent neighborhood shopping, and commuter train service is available from the Sorrento Valley station a couple of miles to the south.
Many of the communities in 92130 include the levy of a special tax (Mello-Roos), which is usually added to the annual property tax bills over a 20-25 year period. When Prop. 13 passed in 1978, it limited the ability of local governments to use property taxes to construct public facilities and services. The Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982, authored by California congressmen Mello and Roos, enabled “Community Facilities Districts”s to be established by local governments as a means of obtaining crucial community funding for schools, public roads, storm sewers and water mains, police and fire stations, ambulance services, public libraries, parks, museums and cultural facilities.
The 92130 zip code has grown so large that it is now divided into specific communities. The following is a description of each community, as well as a list of each housing development within the community, including the builder, total number of units, bedrooms, the square footage range of the homes, the Mello Roos fees, average price and the Map Code on the Rand-McNally Thomas Guide so that you can locate the development on the map.