Rancho Penasquitos Tutors

About Rancho Penasquitos

Along Interstate 15 just a few miles east of the Pacific coast, Rancho Peñasquitos is an upscale neighborhood considered one of the best places to live in San Diego by the real estate website Niche. Originally part of the Mexican land grant Rancho Santa Maria de Los Peñasquitos (St. Mary of the Little Cliffs), the area was given to Mexican Captain Francisco María Ruiz as the first private land grant in San Diego County. The commander of the San Diego Presidio at the time and quite active in San Diego politics, Ruiz was already nearly 70-years old when he acquired the rancho as his reward for his long service to Mexico. Ruiz built an adobe house, three of the walls still stand, on the western part of his land but spent most of his time at his home in Old Town San Diego. In 1837, Ruiz sold the rancho to his nephew Francisco María Alvarado who cared for his uncle until Ruiz’s death in 1839 at the age of 85. Alvarado was married to the daughter of famous California governor Pio Pico. Eventually, Rancho Peñasquitos was inherited by Alvarado’s daughter Tomasa, who married Captain George Alonzo Johnson, an entrepreneur who had brought the first steamships to the Colorado River. Johnson settled at Rancho Peñasquitos, building a large adobe house near an artesian well. Part of the house still stands and is on the National Registry of Historic Buildings. For many years, the land was used for cattle grazing with a series of different owners. By the 1960’s the area came under development with the building of residential housing, golf courses and shopping centers. Today, Rancho Peñasquitos, affectionately referred to as simply PQ, is an affluent community with a median household income exceeding $120,000 a year.

It’s certain that a Rancho Peñasquitos tutor will keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can take some time away from the books to enjoy the exciting attractions and activities in the San Diego area. With the moniker, “How the West was Fun,” the Fiesta de Los Peñasquitos in May draws over 15,000 people a year to the annual street fair. The fiesta features four unique zones including the family fun zone, adventure zone, community zone and carnival zone. Live entertainment, a rock climbing wall and over 150 vendors providing food, arts and crafts and home improvement demonstrations highlight the event. For kids, there are pony rides, face painting and a petting zoo.

For outdoor enthusiasts, Rancho Peñasquitos is surrounded by open space including Black Mountain Park. The 2,352-acre park centers around 1,500-foot Black Mountain. For hikers, the park offers a variety of easy to difficult trails winding through rolling hills, native grasslands, chaparral and coastal sage. The Miner’s Ridge Loop Trail is a moderate 2.7-mile hike with spectacular views of the countryside and potential sightings of colorful wildflowers and native wildlife. For a longer hike the trail connects with the James Irvine Trail to form a 12-mile loop.

For something a bit more exciting it’s just a short drive west from Rancho Peñasquitos to the place “Where the Turf meets the Surf” at Del Mar race track. For 80 years, Del Mar has hosted the finest in quality thoroughbred racing with some of the best equine athletes competing on the track’s one mile oval. In its heyday, the track was frequented by Hollywood luminaries like Bing Crosby, who was a partner in the track’s ownership for many years, Gary Cooper and Jimmy Durante.