Bonita is a census-designated place in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. Home to about 12,900 residents, it is an unincorporated community whose Spanish name means "beautiful," and it has long been valued for the open, rural character that sets it apart in the South Bay. The community lies in the Sweetwater River Valley, land that was once part of the Rancho de la Nación. Citrus defined its early economy: Scotsman Hiram Murray Higgins cultivated the celebrated Bonnie Brae lemon here, and for decades the valley shipped carloads of lemons and oranges east. A dam failure in 1906 flooded the lower valley, and in the postwar years, when a proposed highway threatened the area's rural character, residents formed the Sweetwater Valley Civic Association to protect it — a tradition of local advocacy that continues to shape Bonita's identity. Today Bonita blends suburban neighborhoods with larger-lot, custom, and equestrian properties. Students attend the Chula Vista Elementary School District and the Sweetwater Union High School District, which includes Bonita Vista High School in nearby Chula Vista. The community's three neighborhoods — among them the commercial hub of Lynwood Hills and the horse-country hills of Bonita South — give it a distinctively mixed character. Recreation centers on the Bonita Golf Course, Sweetwater Regional Park, and Rohr Park, along with the trails and open space that support the area's riding and hiking culture. For homebuyers, Bonita offers rural atmosphere and equestrian living within a short commute of San Diego's urban core.