Neighborhood Spotlight: El Cajon

By Carla Azevedo-Taber, Progress Management

MARKETING YOUR PROPERTY: This column highlights areas around town to assist you in marketing your properties and attract residents.

El Cajon is located 17 miles east of San Diego along the 8 freeway. Its name is derived from the Spanish language and means “the box.” In its earlier years, the small area probably resembled a box, but it has now become much bigger dimensionally. For a short period, the El portion of the name was dropped, and the city was known as Cajon, but in 1905 it returned to formally being called El Cajon and has been since. The city was officially incorporated in 1912. It has remained small. The official city is only 14 square miles, but unofficially, it reaches the edge of Santee and Lakeside to the North, Alpine and Spring Valley to the East and South, and La Mesa and San Diego to the West. Over 36,000 households live within the area.

One of the major advantages of El Cajon is its location relative to the arterial highway systems. Being long the 8 freeway, with easy access to the 52, 54, 67, and 125 expressways, makes it easy to travel to work and school throughout San Diego County. The city has all the major and minor resources that a small metropolitan area requires to thrive and function. There is an abundance of shopping, several Wal-Marts, including a 2-story supercenter in the mall, two Targets, and many grocery stores, both national and local independent. The restaurant scene has changed over a bit in the last decade. As we welcomed refugees, the cultural and community vibe in El Cajon has grown to include several Mediterranean and middle eastern restaurants, bakeries, and storefronts.

The Incoming Renter Demographic El Cajon will continue to evolve as we now see a new demographic of renters entering the area. People looking for a more affordable option than Mission Valley, College Area, and La Mesa are looking in El Cajon and other parts of East County. With them comes a higher expectation for renovated interiors, integrated tech, and higher curb appeal. For those communities who can deliver, they can reap the benefits of higher rents. The average rent in El Cajon is $1634, a 4% increase from the year before. In general, El Cajon's rents have trended higher than the national average rent since November of 2017. 4

Ownership Consideration Even with an abundance of available rental housing, the majority of El Cajon residents are owner-occupied households. It's easy to see why. The average home price in El Cajon is lower than the average home price in San Diego county by over $100,000. 5 The area offers wide flexibility of topography, sloping hillside homes at the base of Mount Helix, Fletcher Hills, Granite Hills, extralarge lot estate homes along Rancho San Diego, and easyto-maintain, classic, walkable neighborhoods in central El Cajon. There is an option for nearly every preference.

Overall Community Regardless if renter or homeowner, everyone in El Cajon who loves the outdoors can enjoy its proximity to wellknown hiking locations like Mount Laguna, and its own El Capitan mountain, which rewards hikers with panoramic views of East County and Northern Mexico hill and mountain ranges. 6 The area also attracts people who ride off-road vehicles. There are many small Jeep and vehicle trails just outside the city limits to enjoy. If you’re into pets, you may consider agility as a sport to enjoy with your pup! El Cajon is home to one of the few agility clubs in Southern California known as the Agility Club of San Diego. 7 And, if you’re into concerts, the City of El Cajon offers Dinner and A Concert at the Prescott Promenade downtown every Friday from May-

September. (Due to the Pandemic, the series was canceled in 2020 but expected to start again in 2021) . Another concert venue is also on the Horizon. Live Nation, one of the leaders in concerts, has purchased the rights to open and operate The Magnolia Performing Arts Center set to reopen spring of 2021.

Whether you’re considering investing to provide others a home or purchasing to provide a home for yourself or your family, El Cajon is a wonderful option. It’s easy access to anywhere in San Diego makes it easy to travel around, but if you decide to stay in the area, there is plenty to do that brings value and enrichment to your life (or the lives of your renters).