Census-designated place · San Diego County

Spring Valley
A local perspective.

Discover the places, stories, and people connected to Spring Valley.

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Spring Valley aerial, 2022-04-25 — Spring Valley area, 2022-04-25. Boundary not outlined. · Source image date: 2022-04-25 USDA NAIP / USGS The National Map · Public domain (USDA NAIP) · Natural-color export; resized.

Get to know Spring Valley.

Spring Valley is a census-designated place, San Diego County, California.

CountySan Diego County

Land area19.0 km²

Map locationExplore the area ↗

Spring Valley: local names and two chapters of ranch history

A community with several local names

The County’s Spring Valley overview describes an unincorporated planning area east of San Diego and Lemon Grove. It includes Bancroft, Brookside, La Presa, Dictionary Hill and Sweetwater Village as well as Spring Valley. Its approximately eleven square miles describe the combined planning area. This directory’s Census-designated place is a separate statistical geography, so area-wide planning information and Census figures need to be read at their respective scales.

The stone house and its restoration

The County’s Bancroft Rock House history traces Hubert Howe Bancroft’s purchase of the Porter ranch in 1885 and the small stone structure built between 1885 and 1888. It served as a guest house, with stones drawn from earlier fences. The County records a restoration completed in 2010 through a partnership involving local historical and community organizations. It is a distinct landmark within the larger story of the ranch and its changing owners.

History sustained by volunteers

The Spring Valley Historical Society operates the Bancroft Ranch House museum on Memory Lane. Its account describes an all-volunteer organization supported through memberships, contributions, fundraising and grants. The Ranch House museum and the County’s Rock House history offer related perspectives on the area’s past. For visitor arrangements and current updates, consult the Society directly; the historical accounts are useful background rather than a substitute for its latest notices.

Editorial review: 2026-11-10

Community details

USGS topographic map: Jamul Mountains Source ↗
USGS geographic name ID: 1661495 Source ↗
Population: 30,998 (2020 Census geography) Source ↗
Housing units: 10,225 (2020 Census geography) Source ↗
Median owner-occupied home value (survey estimate): $714,700 ± $40,219 (2020–2024 ACS 5-year) Source ↗
Median monthly gross rent (survey estimate): $2,166 ± $90 (2020–2024 ACS 5-year) Source ↗
Households (survey estimate): 9,878 ± 476 (2020–2024 ACS 5-year) Source ↗
Owner-occupied households (survey estimate): 6,352 ± 520 (2020–2024 ACS 5-year) Source ↗
Renter-occupied households (survey estimate): 3,526 ± 412 (2020–2024 ACS 5-year) Source ↗
Land area (2020 Census): 19.015 km² (7.342 sq mi) (2020 Census geography) Source ↗
Water area (2020 Census): 0.089 km² (0.034 sq mi) (2020 Census geography) Source ↗
Population per land area (2020 Census): 1,630.2 people/km² (4,222.1 people/sq mi) (2020 Census geography) Source ↗

American Community Survey estimates cover 2020–2024 and show the 90% margin of error when available. Gross rent includes rent and applicable tenant-paid utilities. Census and survey figures describe the geography used for that release; housing estimates are historical survey figures rather than current asking prices.

Area figures use the 2020 Census boundary. Population density is calculated from the 2020 Census population divided by its land area, excluding water.