AVERAGE LIST PRICE: 4 BEDROOM $ 179,300 - 3 BEDROOM $ 1601,000

Located just east of La Mesa and Lemon Grove, these are large unincorporated neighborhoods that could easily be called towns but they lack a focal point that stand them out as separate entities.

Rancho San Diego, developed according to its own master plan, has a unifying concept. But the neighborhoods flow into one another and if it were not for Highway 94, they would blend into Casa de Oro and Mt. Helix. Family neighborhoods. Lot of interest in activities for boys and girls.

Two school districts divide the area. Cajon Valley District serves Rancho San Diego. La Mesa-Spring Valley serves Spring Valley. Older children move up to Grossmont Union High District. Valhalla, the high school serving Rancho San Diego. Mt. Miguel High serves Spring Valley and there is much community support for education. Cuyamaca (community) College, a spacious campus that sits on a crest, offers many classes and activities for local residents.

Mountain and hill country. Rural in some sections. Mostly suburban but you get the country feeling. Views from some homes. Sweetwater Reservoir. Plenty of open space. Housing prices and styles across the spectrum.

Spring Valley offers an even greater variety of housing choices. The area has been adding homes steadily since the 1950s. A neighborhood hard to sum up because it offers so many choices. Near La Mesa and Lemon Grove, the homes are older than many found farther out in the country but the country also has its older homes.