Whether you’re new to San Diego or you’ve lived here for years, one of the best and most affordable communities off the 56 is Rancho Peñasquitos.
A suburb north of the city of San Diego, Rancho Peñasquitos got its start in the 1800s. Los Peñasquitos means “little cliffs” in Spanish and is also the name of the large open space park that sits at the southern edge of the Rancho Peñasquitos community. Originally a way station on the wagon road between Old Town San Diego and Warner’s Ranch (near current Warner Springs), the land where Rancho Peñasquitos sits today was operated as a ranch until it was purchased by a real estate developer in the 1960s. After that, the rest was history! Residential properties sprung up on the 14,000-acre parcel and people began to move to the new Rancho Peñasquitos community.
People love living in Rancho Peñasquitos because it is a very family-oriented neighborhood. It ranks #9 on Niche’s 2022 list of the Best Neighborhoods to Raise a Family in San Diego. The top-rated schools and abundance of parks and walking trails attract families with children of all ages.