Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Spring Valley – land of contrasts

Dictionary Hill, mobile homes, Deering Banjos, Mt. Helix trail, the new North Park, Noah Homes, horseback riding, Cali Comfort BBQ, whiskey distillers

Mike Curphy pours whiskey in his namesake distillery
Mike Curphy pours whiskey in his namesake distillery
  • Dictionary Hill in Spring Valley got its name from encyclopedia salesman

  • One of the oddest things about the Dictionary Hill area, also known as La Presa, is the way the streets were laid out on the original subdivision maps. Usually, roads on a mountain or hill will be drawn around the knobby terrain, and street maps will have those characteristic curves. Dictionary Hill's are laid out in a grid that makes the area look as flat as the San Joaquin Valley.
  • By Matthew Alice, Dec. 17, 1987
Danny Palm: "I was panic-stricken; I froze.... I felt pressure...in my face, heat in my face. I was hyperventilating."
  • Bullets for the Bully

  • Later this year, Danny Palm, a 60-year-old retired Navy commander and a man described by friends, neighbors, and family as a gentle, honorable man, will return home to his Dictionary Hill neighborhood in Spring Valley after eight and a half years in prison. His crime: killing the neighborhood bully on November 28, 1995.
  • By Ernie Grimm, May 20, 2004
  • Faith Cougar

  • I live in a mobile-home park in Spring Valley, so it’s a neighborhood inside a neighborhood. We are bounded by Jamacha Boulevard and the reservoir on the south side and a housing development on the north and east sides. After my house was sold, the divorce settled, and the lawyers paid off, I wanted a place to call my own. My older sister worried about the stigma: “You’re going to raise your daughters in a trailer park?”
  • By Lisa E. Overton, April 25, 2011
  • Long-Awaited Jamacha Boulevard Completion Angers Residents

  • What county officials describe as a "greatly improved" road construction project has some residents of a Spring Valley mobile home park angry and complaining. "They care more for the birds and skunks than about how the noise and air pollution affects hundreds of people," said park manager Frank DiCroce. He referred to a plywood noise wall at the east end of the project that the county erected to meet U.S. Fish and Wildlife permit requirements.
  • By Lisa E. Overton, July 27, 2012
  • Walk narrow, curving byways to the top of East County's Mount Helix

  • or a comprehensive five-mile walking tour (or running tour, if you have the stamina) of the mountain, try following the route arrowed on the map, beginning at Eucalyptus Park in Spring Valley. This, or one of its many possible variants, is a favorite early-morning run of mine. Car traffic on the narrow byways twisting across Mount Helix is generally sparse.
  • By Jerry Schad, Sept. 16, 2004
  • Spring Valley is the new North Park

  • About three months ago, the bar donned a large sign reading “The Bancroft” next to Fannie’s old marquee, which now entreats — perhaps tongue-in-cheek — “I assure you we are open.” And then a strange thing happened. They started booking awesome punk and hardcore bands, and, almost overnight, the place went from a shady Spring Valley shootout saloon to a destination dive for Uptown live-music lovers.
  • By Chad Deal, Aug. 21, 2013
Richard
  • Noah Homes, an upside to Down syndrome

  • They know each other from Lakeside Nursery, where they both work. There’s an opening in Richard’s house, and Tim fits the profile. He’s been invited to the dance, and next weekend, he’ll come for what’s called a respite weekend, where he’ll stay a couple of days to see if he’s a good fit for the opening, and to see if Noah Homes is a good fit for him.
  • By Elizabeth Salaam, April 2, 2014 .
  • Best Strip Mall For Bachelors

  • Intersection of Spring Street and Broadway, Spring Valley. Let's say you're a single male in the Chevy Chase, an unremarkable enough apartment complex, except for its location next to a strip mall apparently designed for the single young male. If you're feeling flush, start your day at IHOP: buttermilk pancakes $4.29 (short stack $3.29), plus $1.99 for bacon or pork sausage; $1.29 for a never-empty pot of coffee.
  • Dec. 30, 2000
  • Best horsing around

  • Sanford Bright Valley Farms. Located about 15 minutes west of downtown, several well-maintained grassy pastures are available for rides, most including corrals where you can prep and pamper your four-legged friends. Professional trainers have access to five track rings where horses can be put through show pony paces, including a 650-foot lighted ring with sand footing.
  • Dec. 27, 2001
  • America's Own Instrument

  • Bridges will discuss the history and construction of banjos on behalf of the Deering Banjo Company for Banjo Day at the Spring Valley Library. The banjo-making company, located in Spring Valley, was founded by Greg and Janet Deering in 1975.
  • By Barbarella Fokos, May 28, 2008
  • Taking up the challenge at Cali Comfort BBQ

  • Looking at it now, you may have to squint a little to envision the Spring Valley home that Bulgarian-farm-boy-cum-doctor Luben Walchef bought in 1972 and converted into a family restaurant about ten years later. The eatery went through a handful of owners before Luben’s grandson, Shawn Walchef, and friend Corey Robinson took over in 2008.
  • By Chad Deal, April 11, 2013
  • The water of life flows in Spring Valley

  • Curphy credits an innocuous run-in with law enforcement for scaring him straight. Several years back, a San Diego Police Department cruiser rear-ended his car. As all the police officers in the vicinity gathered at the scene to collectively needle their colleague for the accident, Curphy stood by, fearing the damaged trunk of his car might pop open, revealing bottles of his unsanctioned whiskey within.
  • By Ian Anderson, Nov. 20, 2018
  • Sponsored
    Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
Next Article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Mike Curphy pours whiskey in his namesake distillery
Mike Curphy pours whiskey in his namesake distillery
  • Dictionary Hill in Spring Valley got its name from encyclopedia salesman

  • One of the oddest things about the Dictionary Hill area, also known as La Presa, is the way the streets were laid out on the original subdivision maps. Usually, roads on a mountain or hill will be drawn around the knobby terrain, and street maps will have those characteristic curves. Dictionary Hill's are laid out in a grid that makes the area look as flat as the San Joaquin Valley.
  • By Matthew Alice, Dec. 17, 1987
Danny Palm: "I was panic-stricken; I froze.... I felt pressure...in my face, heat in my face. I was hyperventilating."
  • Bullets for the Bully

  • Later this year, Danny Palm, a 60-year-old retired Navy commander and a man described by friends, neighbors, and family as a gentle, honorable man, will return home to his Dictionary Hill neighborhood in Spring Valley after eight and a half years in prison. His crime: killing the neighborhood bully on November 28, 1995.
  • By Ernie Grimm, May 20, 2004
  • Faith Cougar

  • I live in a mobile-home park in Spring Valley, so it’s a neighborhood inside a neighborhood. We are bounded by Jamacha Boulevard and the reservoir on the south side and a housing development on the north and east sides. After my house was sold, the divorce settled, and the lawyers paid off, I wanted a place to call my own. My older sister worried about the stigma: “You’re going to raise your daughters in a trailer park?”
  • By Lisa E. Overton, April 25, 2011
  • Long-Awaited Jamacha Boulevard Completion Angers Residents

  • What county officials describe as a "greatly improved" road construction project has some residents of a Spring Valley mobile home park angry and complaining. "They care more for the birds and skunks than about how the noise and air pollution affects hundreds of people," said park manager Frank DiCroce. He referred to a plywood noise wall at the east end of the project that the county erected to meet U.S. Fish and Wildlife permit requirements.
  • By Lisa E. Overton, July 27, 2012
  • Walk narrow, curving byways to the top of East County's Mount Helix

  • or a comprehensive five-mile walking tour (or running tour, if you have the stamina) of the mountain, try following the route arrowed on the map, beginning at Eucalyptus Park in Spring Valley. This, or one of its many possible variants, is a favorite early-morning run of mine. Car traffic on the narrow byways twisting across Mount Helix is generally sparse.
  • By Jerry Schad, Sept. 16, 2004
  • Spring Valley is the new North Park

  • About three months ago, the bar donned a large sign reading “The Bancroft” next to Fannie’s old marquee, which now entreats — perhaps tongue-in-cheek — “I assure you we are open.” And then a strange thing happened. They started booking awesome punk and hardcore bands, and, almost overnight, the place went from a shady Spring Valley shootout saloon to a destination dive for Uptown live-music lovers.
  • By Chad Deal, Aug. 21, 2013
Richard
  • Noah Homes, an upside to Down syndrome

  • They know each other from Lakeside Nursery, where they both work. There’s an opening in Richard’s house, and Tim fits the profile. He’s been invited to the dance, and next weekend, he’ll come for what’s called a respite weekend, where he’ll stay a couple of days to see if he’s a good fit for the opening, and to see if Noah Homes is a good fit for him.
  • By Elizabeth Salaam, April 2, 2014 .
  • Best Strip Mall For Bachelors

  • Intersection of Spring Street and Broadway, Spring Valley. Let's say you're a single male in the Chevy Chase, an unremarkable enough apartment complex, except for its location next to a strip mall apparently designed for the single young male. If you're feeling flush, start your day at IHOP: buttermilk pancakes $4.29 (short stack $3.29), plus $1.99 for bacon or pork sausage; $1.29 for a never-empty pot of coffee.
  • Dec. 30, 2000
  • Best horsing around

  • Sanford Bright Valley Farms. Located about 15 minutes west of downtown, several well-maintained grassy pastures are available for rides, most including corrals where you can prep and pamper your four-legged friends. Professional trainers have access to five track rings where horses can be put through show pony paces, including a 650-foot lighted ring with sand footing.
  • Dec. 27, 2001
  • America's Own Instrument

  • Bridges will discuss the history and construction of banjos on behalf of the Deering Banjo Company for Banjo Day at the Spring Valley Library. The banjo-making company, located in Spring Valley, was founded by Greg and Janet Deering in 1975.
  • By Barbarella Fokos, May 28, 2008
  • Taking up the challenge at Cali Comfort BBQ

  • Looking at it now, you may have to squint a little to envision the Spring Valley home that Bulgarian-farm-boy-cum-doctor Luben Walchef bought in 1972 and converted into a family restaurant about ten years later. The eatery went through a handful of owners before Luben’s grandson, Shawn Walchef, and friend Corey Robinson took over in 2008.
  • By Chad Deal, April 11, 2013
  • The water of life flows in Spring Valley

  • Curphy credits an innocuous run-in with law enforcement for scaring him straight. Several years back, a San Diego Police Department cruiser rear-ended his car. As all the police officers in the vicinity gathered at the scene to collectively needle their colleague for the accident, Curphy stood by, fearing the damaged trunk of his car might pop open, revealing bottles of his unsanctioned whiskey within.
  • By Ian Anderson, Nov. 20, 2018
  • Sponsored
    Sponsored
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Next Article

OSHA rules wall falls our fault

Who, U.S.?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.