Rancho Bernardo is part of the City of San Diego, but its location and distinctive ambiance set it apart almost like a city in its own right. Located about a half hour from Lindbergh Field Airport, residents have easy access to downtown and other parts of the county. RB, as it is often called, is planned community made up of individual neighborhoods and shopping areas.
The area was originally home to Indian bands who left behind their pictographs and the hollows they used to grind corn and acorns. The trail they followed to the ocean coast is still visible. Next came the conquistadors looking for riches and the padres who tended cattle and grapes in the valleys and hills. The original land grant was made by the King of Spain in 1789 as "La Canada de San Bernardo" for 17,763 acres of land. The name probably derives from the St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the priest who led the Second Crusade.
Rancho Bernardo is the northernmost community in the City of San Diego located on the inland corridor bisected by I-15. RB, as it is known to its residents, is a master planned residential community that began building in 1962. There are approximately 45,000 residents in the area which spans 7,000 acres and has about 17,000 homes.
The business park comprises 685 acres and is home to a number of well-known corporate offices--Sony Electronics, SAIC, Siemens, BAE, Hewlett-Packard, Cymer and many more. Some 50,000 workers are employed in this park of low slung, well-landscaped office buildings. Access to the business park is convenient and the area is well-known for its high tech and financial tenants.