City Heights Initiative
City Heights is a vibrant inner-city community in the Mid-City San Diego neighborhood. Approximately 72,000 people live in a 3 square mile area. A significant number of these residents are immigrants from Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Unemployment, crime and poverty are high in City Heights; home ownership and incomes are low; only about 40% of adults in the community are high school graduates.
In 1994 Sol Price decided to make a major commitment to the revitalization of City Heights. At the time City Heights had the highest crime rate in San Diego County, gang activity and drug dealing were rampant, housing was substandard and public services were lacking. Mr. Price formed an alliance with the City of San Diego and then City Manager Jack McGrory to transform City Heights. The City Heights Initiative was conceived as a holistic approach to the revitalization of an inner city community.
