Spring Valley is an unincorporated community governed by San Diego County, named for the natural spring the Kumeyaay called Meti. The census counted 30,998 people in 2020 — but neighboring La Presa and Casa de Oro use Spring Valley mailing addresses and most locals count them in.
The adobe ranch house on the 1863 Ensworth claim, later owned by the historian Hubert Howe Bancroft, is a National Historic Landmark. Sweetwater Reservoir lies to the south, and Steele Canyon High School — a charter school since 2007 — is here. State Routes 94, 125 and 54 all run through; there is no trolley stop.
Households here are larger than average and most homes are owner-occupied family houses. Unincorporated means county permits, so the permit history of any garage conversion or addition is worth checking before you buy.
Buying in Spring Valley: what people ask first.
Are La Presa and Casa de Oro part of Spring Valley?
For mail and in everyday speech, yes — they use Spring Valley addresses. For the census they are counted separately. All three are unincorporated and governed by San Diego County.
People looking at Spring Valley usually look at these too.
- City · East County La Mesa A walkable village downtown, the trolley and Lake Murray. Read the guide →
- Unincorporated · East County Rancho San Diego Hillside suburbs east of El Cajon, and where Edgard has sold. Read the guide →
- City · East County Lemon Grove A small city on the Orange Line, next door to Encanto. Read the guide →
San Diego County looks like one market from a distance and it is not. East of the 805 in Chula Vista the houses are newer, the streets were planned, and the questions are about HOA dues, Mello-Roos and which school the address feeds. Out in El Cajon and Rancho San Diego the lots are bigger, the views run down the canyons, and the questions are about the roof, the solar, the slope and what it costs to insure. Buying the right house means asking the right questions for that side of the county — and selling one means answering them before a buyer has to ask.
Your partner in real estate, in the language you are most comfortable in.
Edgard Espinosa, Premier Properties