The Ever-Changing Boundaries of University Heights

One of the hottest ongoing debates in University Heights is our geographic boundaries. The boundaries of University Heights vary, depending on which map you consult.

Both the 1888 University Heights subdivision map and the North Park Community Plan delineate the 805 freeway as the eastern boundary and University Avenue as the southern boundary. Oddly enough, the Uptown Community Plan puts the southern boundary of University Heights at Washington and Normal Streets. And to confuse things further, the City Council District 3 map defines the eastern boundary of University Heights as Texas Street and the southern boundary as Lincoln Avenue.

And then there are homeowners who live east of Texas Street and south of University Avenue who swear they live in University Heights because their deed says so.

Our new subdivision map of University Heights, painstakingly created by volunteer Bill Ellig, shows that UH does indeed cover a wider area than all the current political maps, based upon parcel data from the San Diego County Tax Assessor. The map includes any parcel identified as part of a subdivision with “University Heights” in the name or as any part of a subdivision identified as "University Heights" in Appendix H, Uptown Subdivisions, of the 2007 Uptown Historic Architectural and Cultural Landscape Reconnaissance Survey.

Find your address in the search bar at the top left corner of the map. Pull down the legend from the icon at the top right to see the names of all 20 subdivisions, the map number on file with the County Recorder’s office, and the date the map was filed.

Based on this information, University Heights does indeed stretch east to the 805 freeway and even south to Upas Street! There are 20 subdivisions in University Heights, the earliest of which was filed with the City of San Diego on August 26, 1872 (Higgins Addition) and the latest on May 15, 1958 (University Heights Resubdivision No. 1).

As an unincorporated community of the City of San Diego, University Heights does not have legal boundaries, only political boundaries for the purpose of taxation, census enumeration, government representation, education, land use, police protection, etc.

Undoubtedly, the controversy over boundaries will continue but, ultimately, residents generally decide for themselves which community they identify most with.

If you have any corrections or additions to this map based on the deed to your property, please email uhhs@att.net.