San Diego’s Local Legends and Landmarks

It’s always a bit of fun when you discover someone famous who grew up in your neighborhood. Or when you learn about a historical moment that occurred in your (figurative) backyard.

From the famous to the infamous, our neighborhoods of Clairemont, Bay Park, Kearny Mesa, Linda Vista, and Serra Mesa each have unique stories to tell. People, places, and moments in time create the lore of our past and present.

Clairemont’s Place in History

Clairemont has several “claims to fame,” including being one of the nation’s first planned communities. Named after its developer’s wife, Claire, Clairemont became the blueprint for teaching suburban developers how to build modern neighborhoods after its success in the 1950s.

Clairemont once again hit the radar with the book-turned-movie, titled “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Cameron Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in 1979 to do research for his book. A 1981 article in The San Diego Reader said many students knew Crowe was not an actual student.

The 1982 movie, which launched Sean Penn’s career for his role as stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli, became a cult classic that is still wildly popular today.

Clairemont’s Notable Residents

• Gary Puckett, lead singer of the band Union Gap, lived in Clairemont from the 1960s through the 1990s. His manager was part-owner of the Clairemont Bowl, and the band used to perform there.
• Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, spent part of his childhood in Clairemont and has an honorary street named after him.
• Melanie Barcenas, who signed with the San Diego Wave in 2023, was the youngest player to sign with the National Women’s Soccer League at the age of 15.
• Todd Gloria, San Diego’s current mayor, attended Hawthorne Elementary and Madison High.
• Mike Martz, who was a National Football League head coach for the St. Louis Rams, is a Madison High School alum and also coached and played at Mesa College.
• Frank Zappa lived in Clairemont for a brief period, according to an accident report that lists his address as 4823 Iroquois Avenue in 1955.
• Ken Henderson was a star baseball, football, and basketball player at Clairemont High School who eventually went on to play major league baseball for the Giants, Pirates, and the White Sox, to name a few.
• Kris Houghton, now more famously known as Kris Jenner, grew up in Clairemont and is a 1973 Clairemont High School alum.
• Kendra Wilkinson, a former Playboy Playmate who starred on “Girls Next Door” with Hugh Hefner, was a soccer player at Clairemont High School.
• Comedian and actress Mo Gaffney was a 1976 graduate of Clairemont High School. She starred in “Absolutely Fabulous” and “The Kathy & Mo Show,” and had many guest appearances in shows like “Mad About You,” “That ’70s Show,” and “The Conners.”
• Kevin Mitchell, a two-time Major League Baseball All-Star who played for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, among others, briefly attended Clairemont High School, where he played water polo and football, but not baseball.
• Jennifer Batten, who was Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist and also toured with Jeff Beck, is a Clairemont native.
• Bob Taylor, founder of Taylor Guitars, grew up in Clairemont.
• Vic Fuentes, lead singer of the band Pierce the Veil, wrote the song “Fast Times at Clairemont High.”

• Andy Rathbone, author of the “For Dummies” book series, is from Clairemont and became friends with Cameron Crowe during his time undercover at Clairemont High School.
• Mike Machurek was a National Football League quarterback for the Detroit Lions and is an alum of Madison High School.
• Motocross legend Marty Smith was a longtime Clairemont resident.
• CBS News Correspondent, Major Garrett, grew up in the mountain streets of Clairemont and wrote for the now-defunct Clairemont Times newspaper.

An Infamous Moment for Clairemont

One of the more infamous moments in the neighborhood’s history includes the 1995 tank rampage, where Clairemont native and Army veteran Shawn Nelson stole a military tank and drove it through Clairemont and Kearny Mesa. The story made international headlines. Wilson was eventually shot by police.

Bay Park

Bay Park, the jewel of Clairemont, was originally established in the 1800s. The most notable resident to pass through this neighborhood is arguably Jim Morrison. Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, lived in Bay Park in the mid-1950s and attended Longfellow Elementary School.

Other notable Bay Park residents include Rex Pickett, who wrote the book “Sideways,” which later became the Academy Award-winning movie with the same name. Stephen Pearcy, lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band Ratt, also grew up in Bay Park. Raquel Welch moved to the area as a child and attended Bay Park Elementary School.

Kearny Mesa

The Kearny Mesa neighborhood was originally built as a military training base in 1917, and eventually evolved into a sprawl of business complexes, peppered with housing.

The training base, Camp Kearny, was short-lived, but it set the groundwork for this area’s strong ties to the defense and aerospace industries. General Dynamics established a massive complex in Kearny Mesa, first opening in 1955. The Kearny Mesa plant built the Tomahawk missiles used during the Persian Gulf War.

From Fast Food to Asian Culinary Delights

The fast-food chain Jack in the Box launched in San Diego in 1951, with its official world headquarters on the eastern end of Balboa Avenue, in Kearny Mesa. It downsized in 2019, selling the property to the San Diego Unified School District.

The Asian food scene inched into Kearny Mesa, establishing roots with Zion Market on Convoy Street, San Diego’s first Korean grocery store, which opened in 1979. Chinese grocery store Woo Chee Chong opened the same year on Convoy Street. Now, there are more famous Asian restaurants and groceries than one can arguably count, primarily in the Convoy District of Kearny Mesa.

Hidden in plain sight among the sushi and ramen restaurants is O’Brien’s Pub, which was named the best beer bar in America by USA Today.

Scene and Unseen

Studio Diner, a 1940s-style diner on Ruffin Road, has also been the set for multiple television shows, most famously, “Veronica Mars.”

Notable Kearny Mesa Resident

• Marty Moates, founder of the No Fear clothing brand, became the first American to win the 500cc United States Grand Prix in Carlsbad, was a Kearny Mesa native.

Linda Vista

Few people realize that Linda Vista was once one of the largest federal housing projects in the United States. Built in less than 300 days in 1941, it provided homes for 3,000 families working in San Diego’s booming defense industry.

Linda Vista Had One of the Nation’s First Outdoor Shopping Malls

Not only was Linda Vista the site of one of the first outdoor malls, but its dedication was held by none other than First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She unveiled the Linda Vista Shopping Center in 1943.

Kearny High Cameo

Kearny High School, which straddles Linda Vista and Kearny Mesa, has served as the backdrop for at least one movie: the 2000 cheerleading film “Bring It On,” which was partially filmed there.

Notable Linda Vista Residents:

• Cleavon Little, an actor made famous in the cult classic movie, “Blazing Saddles,” was from Linda Vista.
• Richard Alf, co-founder of San Diego Comic-Con, which turned into a global movement, is a Kearny High alum.

Serra Mesa

Serra Mesa is another of the area’s neighborhoods built for military families that eventually transitioned into a primarily civilian neighborhood. Serra Mesa is made up mostly of standard mid-century tract homes, with one notable exception.

A typical Serra Mesa home was transformed into a castle several years ago, igniting a spark in this bedroom community. What’s the story behind it? Why did they build a castle? There are several rumors, but the owners have remained fairly mum, so for now, the rumors will remain.

Notable Serra Mesa Residents

• Major League Baseball player Alan Trammell graduated from Kearny High School but grew up in Serra Mesa.
• Rick Harrison of “Pawn Stars” fame lived in Serra Mesa and attended Taft Middle School.

Local Serra Mesa Lore

One street in Serra Mesa, Haveteur Way, is rumored to have been the result of a dispute between one of the neighborhood’s developers and his wife on what to name a street. The developer ceded to his wife, saying, “Have it your way.