Vista, California
Encyclopedia
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California
. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate. The population was 93,834 at the 2010 census.
Vista has more than 25 educational institutions for youth, and a business park home to over 800 companies. Vista was listed as the seventh-best place in the United States for family life, based on factors such as jobs and business opportunities, education, climate, and cost-of-living in a 2008 review.
, the city has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²), all land.
Vista houses both the courthouse and the jail for northern San Diego County.
was 5,023.7 people per square mile (1,939.6/km²). The racial makeup of Vista was 59,551 (63.5%) White, 3,137 (3.3%) African American, 1,103 (1.2%) Native American, 3,979 (4.2%) Asian, 677 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 20,423 (21.8%) from other races
, and 4,964 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45,380 persons (48.4%).
The Census reported that 91,789 people (97.8% of the population) lived in households, 661 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,384 (1.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 29,317 households, out of which 12,139 (41.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,024 (51.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
living together, 4,030 (13.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,065 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,143 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
, and 236 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,784 households (19.7%) were made up of individuals and 1,963 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 21,119 families
(72.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.55.
The population was spread out with 25,074 people (26.7%) under the age of 18, 11,738 people (12.5%) aged 18 to 24, 27,659 people (29.5%) aged 25 to 44, 20,690 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,673 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.1 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
There were 30,986 housing units at an average density of 1,658.9 per square mile (640.5/km²), of which 15,194 (51.8%) were owner-occupied, and 14,123 (48.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 44,897 people (47.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,892 people (50.0%) lived in rental housing units.
, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 38.9% of the population.
There were 28,877 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.48. The FBI crime index for 2005 was 32.9 for every 1000 residents.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,594, and the median income for a family was $45,649. Males had a median income of $32,936 versus $25,812 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,027. About 10.0% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
, the median household income
of Vista in 2005 was $60,531 (not adjusted for inflation
). When adjusted for inflation
(1999 dollars; comparable to Census
data above), the median household income was $49,153.
Vista is located in the 38th Senate
District, represented by Republican
Mark Wyland
, and in the 74th Assembly
District, represented by Republican Martin Garrick
. Federally, Vista is located in California's 49th congressional district
, which has a Cook PVI
of R +10 and is represented by Republican Darrell Issa
.
Vista, a charter city
, is governed by a mayor, Judy Ritter, and a city council, consisting of John J. Aguilera, Dave Cowles, Steve Gronke and Frank Lopez.
serves Vista. Vista has eighteen elementary schools
, six middle school
s, and seven high school
s, including Rancho Buena Vista High School
, Vista High School and Mission Vista High School. Guajome Park Academy
is a charter school with joint middle and high schools that receives part of its funding from the Vista Unified School District. Alta Vista Continuation High School is another option for teens who cannot attend regular school.
Vista was mentioned in The Los Angeles Times when a group of social conservatives associated with the "Christian right" were elected to the Vista Unified School District's school board and tried to implement creationism
into the curriculum in the early 1990s.
Biola University
and Kaplan College
have a branch campus in Vista.
Vista houses one movie theater, a Krikorian Cinema which opened in fall 2003.
Two of the best-known parks in the city are Brengle Terrace Park and Guajome County Park. Brengle Terrace Park houses the Moonlight Amphitheatre, Alta Vista Gardens
(a city-owned botanical garden
), a baseball field, a senior center, a playground, and the city community center, where the main offices of the city's day camps are held. Guajome County Park has 557 acres (2.3 km²) of land, which is shared between Vista and nearby Oceanside. It features campsites, horse
trails, and the Rancho Guajome Adobe
, a National Historic Landmark
.
The Rancho Guajome Adobe and Rancho Buena Vista Adobe, are two historic rancho buildings in Vista, built in the mid-nineteenth century, both available for touring and special occasions.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department runs the Wave Waterpark, a small but well-equipped waterpark near the downtown area open from mid-spring to early fall, and the brand new Vista Community Sports Park. Another attraction is the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum
, an open-air museum demonstrating agricultural equipment from the 19th and early 20th centuries. A Boomers family fun park is also located in Vista.
Vista is home of a Japanese-American Cultural Center and Buddhist Temple, one of only two in California, and over 75 other churches and temples of various denominations.
and a repeater TV station KHAX-LP ch. 49 which is a translator for KBNT ch. 17 in San Diego.
, Miss California USA
2009, was raised in Vista, and graduated from Vista High School in 2005.
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate. The population was 93,834 at the 2010 census.
Vista has more than 25 educational institutions for youth, and a business park home to over 800 companies. Vista was listed as the seventh-best place in the United States for family life, based on factors such as jobs and business opportunities, education, climate, and cost-of-living in a 2008 review.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.4 km²), all land.
Vista houses both the courthouse and the jail for northern San Diego County.
2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Vista had a population of 93,834. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,023.7 people per square mile (1,939.6/km²). The racial makeup of Vista was 59,551 (63.5%) White, 3,137 (3.3%) African American, 1,103 (1.2%) Native American, 3,979 (4.2%) Asian, 677 (0.7%) Pacific Islander, 20,423 (21.8%) from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4,964 (5.3%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45,380 persons (48.4%).
The Census reported that 91,789 people (97.8% of the population) lived in households, 661 (0.7%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,384 (1.5%) were institutionalized.
There were 29,317 households, out of which 12,139 (41.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 15,024 (51.2%) were opposite-sex married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4,030 (13.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,065 (7.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,143 (7.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships
POSSLQ
POSSLQ is an abbreviation for "Persons of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters," a term coined in the late 1970s by the United States Census Bureau as part of an effort to more accurately gauge the prevalence of cohabitation in American households....
, and 236 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,784 households (19.7%) were made up of individuals and 1,963 (6.7%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13. There were 21,119 families
Family (U.S. Census)
A family or family household is defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes as "a householder and one or more other people related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. They do not include same-sex married couples even if the marriage was performed in a state...
(72.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.55.
The population was spread out with 25,074 people (26.7%) under the age of 18, 11,738 people (12.5%) aged 18 to 24, 27,659 people (29.5%) aged 25 to 44, 20,690 people (22.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 8,673 people (9.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.1 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.
There were 30,986 housing units at an average density of 1,658.9 per square mile (640.5/km²), of which 15,194 (51.8%) were owner-occupied, and 14,123 (48.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. 44,897 people (47.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 46,892 people (50.0%) lived in rental housing units.
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 89,857 people, 28,877 households, and 20,791 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,810.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,857.3/km²). There were 29,814 housing units at an average density of 1,595.9 per square mile (616.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.3% White, 4.2% African American, 1.0% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, 21.3% from other racesRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 38.9% of the population.
There were 28,877 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.48. The FBI crime index for 2005 was 32.9 for every 1000 residents.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,594, and the median income for a family was $45,649. Males had a median income of $32,936 versus $25,812 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,027. About 10.0% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Current estimates
According to estimates by the San Diego Association of GovernmentsSan Diego Association of Governments
The San Diego Association of Governments is an association of local San Diego County governments. It is the metropolitan planning organization for the County, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and a County Supervisors, and also has capital planning and fare setting powers...
, the median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
of Vista in 2005 was $60,531 (not adjusted for inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
). When adjusted for inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
(1999 dollars; comparable to Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
data above), the median household income was $49,153.
Politics
In the state legislatureCalifornia State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
Vista is located in the 38th Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
District, represented by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Mark Wyland
Mark Wyland
Mark Bryan Wyland is a U.S. Republican politician from the state of California, who represents the 38th District in the California State Senate.-Biography:...
, and in the 74th Assembly
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
District, represented by Republican Martin Garrick
Martin Garrick
Martin W. Garrick represents the 74th district in the California State Assembly. He was elected to the Assembly in November 2006. Garrick served in the Reagan Administration and is a small business owner.-Background:...
. Federally, Vista is located in California's 49th congressional district
California's 49th congressional district
California's 49th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that currently covers much of northern San Diego County and southwestern Riverside County.The district is currently represented by Republican Darrell E...
, which has a Cook PVI
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of R +10 and is represented by Republican Darrell Issa
Darrell Issa
Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products...
.
Vista, a charter city
Charter city
A charter city is a city in which the governing system is defined by the city's own charter document rather than by state, provincial, regional or national laws. In locations where city charters are allowed by law, a city can adopt or modify its organizing charter by decision of its administration...
, is governed by a mayor, Judy Ritter, and a city council, consisting of John J. Aguilera, Dave Cowles, Steve Gronke and Frank Lopez.
Top Employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vista Unified School District Vista Unified School District Vista Unified School District is a public school district headquartered in Vista, California, United States. It serves sections of northern San Diego County.... |
1,500 |
| 2 | San Diego Superior Court Superior Courts of California The Superior Courts of California are the superior courts in the U.S. state of California with general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a government agency... |
602 |
| 3 | Watkins Manufacturing Company Watkins Manufacturing Company Watkins Manufacturing Corporation, located in Vista, California, is a manufacturer of portable hot tubs. The company was originally founded in 1977 by Jeff and Jon Watkins... |
500 |
| 4 | DJO Global | 419 |
| 5 | Zodiac Pool Care Zodiac Marine & Pool Zodiac Marine & Pool is a French company known for its boats and swimming pools; however they are best known for their widely used small inflatable boats.In 1998, the company acquired the Llanelli-based competitor Avon Inflatables... |
358 |
| 6 | Dimension One Spas | 355 |
| 7 | U.S. Foodservice | 334 |
| 8 | Datron | 329 |
| 9 | City of Vista | 317 |
| 10 | Walmart | 300 |
Education
The Vista Unified School DistrictVista Unified School District
Vista Unified School District is a public school district headquartered in Vista, California, United States. It serves sections of northern San Diego County....
serves Vista. Vista has eighteen elementary schools
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, six middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, and seven high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, including Rancho Buena Vista High School
Rancho Buena Vista High School
Rancho Buena Vista High School or "RBV" is a California Distinguished School and International Baccalaureate Organization World School, located in Vista, California. -History:...
, Vista High School and Mission Vista High School. Guajome Park Academy
Guajome Park Academy
Guajome Park Academy , commonly referred to as Guajome or GPA, is a middle school and high school in Vista, California. It is a charter school and was founded in 1994. It offers the IB Middle Years Programme for students grades six through ten, and the IB Diploma Programme for eleventh- and...
is a charter school with joint middle and high schools that receives part of its funding from the Vista Unified School District. Alta Vista Continuation High School is another option for teens who cannot attend regular school.
Vista was mentioned in The Los Angeles Times when a group of social conservatives associated with the "Christian right" were elected to the Vista Unified School District's school board and tried to implement creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
into the curriculum in the early 1990s.
Biola University
Biola University
Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located near Los Angeles. Biola's main campus is in La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.-...
and Kaplan College
Kaplan College
Kaplan College is a system of for-profit colleges in the United States and is a subsidiary of Kaplan Inc. and Kaplan Higher Education. Kaplan College offers career training for the healthcare industry....
have a branch campus in Vista.
Recreation
Vista is home to two city-supported theaters: the recently updated Moonlight Amphitheatre and the Avo Playhouse. The Moonlight Amphitheatre is an open-air theater that specializes in musical productions, performing several during the course of the summer, and a winter season at the Avo Playhouse.Vista houses one movie theater, a Krikorian Cinema which opened in fall 2003.
Two of the best-known parks in the city are Brengle Terrace Park and Guajome County Park. Brengle Terrace Park houses the Moonlight Amphitheatre, Alta Vista Gardens
Alta Vista Gardens
Alta Vista Botanical gardens is located in San Diego County, CA, in the City of Vista at 1270 Vale Terrace Drive. Its mission is to ‘Bring Together People, Nature and Art'. It serves as a cultural botanical park/garden which is currently in development . The purpose of the project is to provide an...
(a city-owned botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
), a baseball field, a senior center, a playground, and the city community center, where the main offices of the city's day camps are held. Guajome County Park has 557 acres (2.3 km²) of land, which is shared between Vista and nearby Oceanside. It features campsites, horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
trails, and the Rancho Guajome Adobe
Rancho Guajome Adobe
Rancho Guajome Adobe, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as Guajome Ranch House, is an adobe house in Vista, California...
, a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
The Rancho Guajome Adobe and Rancho Buena Vista Adobe, are two historic rancho buildings in Vista, built in the mid-nineteenth century, both available for touring and special occasions.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department runs the Wave Waterpark, a small but well-equipped waterpark near the downtown area open from mid-spring to early fall, and the brand new Vista Community Sports Park. Another attraction is the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum
Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum
The Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum is a living-history museum founded in 1969 located on of county-owned land on the outskirts of Vista, California. The Museum is a non-profit 501c organization. It is located at 2040 N Santa Fe Ave. in Vista...
, an open-air museum demonstrating agricultural equipment from the 19th and early 20th centuries. A Boomers family fun park is also located in Vista.
Vista is home of a Japanese-American Cultural Center and Buddhist Temple, one of only two in California, and over 75 other churches and temples of various denominations.
Media
Vista has one radio station, AM 1000 KCEOKCEO
AM 1000 KCEO, Vista, California. Their typical signal strength is 2500 watts directional day, 250 watts directional at night. Transmitter is located near State Route 76, north of the city of license of Vista and is east of Oceanside. Studios are located in Carlsbad, California. This station is part...
and a repeater TV station KHAX-LP ch. 49 which is a translator for KBNT ch. 17 in San Diego.
Notable Residents
Carrie PrejeanCarrie Prejean
Caroline Michelle "Carrie" Prejean Boller is an American model, author, former Miss California USA 2009 and Miss USA 2009 first runner-up. Prejean received national attention in 2009 when she told a pageant judge that marriage should be between a man and a woman; pageant judge and gossip blogger...
, Miss California USA
Miss California USA
Miss California USA is a pageant that selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss USA pageant.The current titleholder is Katie Blair. She succeeded Alyssa Campanella on June 25, 2011 after Campanella was crowned Miss USA 2011....
2009, was raised in Vista, and graduated from Vista High School in 2005.