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is an unincorporated community in San Diego County, California, United States. The community includes the neighborhood of La Presa and part of the neighborhood of Casa de Oro (which extends into unincorporated La Mesa). The United States Census Bureau has divided Spring Valley into two census-designated places (CDPs), Spring Valley and La Presa. The population of Spring Valley was 59,384 at the 2000 census. This figure combines the population of the Spring Valley CDP (26,633) and the La Presa CDP (32,721). There are claims that the
area has over 100,000 residents although this claims large areas that are actually unincorporated parts of La Mesa and El Cajon.
Spring Valley is named for the natural spring located there. It was long the home of the Kumeyaay tribe, who called it
. Spanish conquerors drove off the natives and used the area for cattle, calling it
(St. George's Spring).
In 1863 Judge Augustus S. Ensworth of San Diego filed a claim for a 160 acre (647,000 m²) ranch that included the spring. The ranch, and the small adobe house he built there, were sold to Rufus King Porter and later to historian Hubert Howe Bancroft. The adobe is now a National Historic Landmark.