Bonita is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. The population was 12,538 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Bonita has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13 km2). 5.0 square miles (13 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (2.71%) is water.
While Bonita is politically designated as an unincorporated community, bounded by the incorporated cities of Chula Vista, San Diego and National City, it is closely associated with the geography of the Lower Sweetwater Valley. Thus considered, Bonita occupies about a five mile (8 km) stretch of the Sweetwater River, its valley, and surrounding hills on either side, bounded upstream (east) by the Sweetwater Reservoir, and downstream (west) effectively by Interstate 805. The community crosses west of I-805—an area less than 160 acres (0.65 km2)—reaching as far south and west as East H Street and Hilltop Drive. Its northern boundary is State Route 54 and its southern extent reaches approximately one mile (2 km) south of the river.
The Bonita area is populated by coyote, racoon, fox, rabbits, squirrels, opossum, and skunk, among other wildlife.
The word Bonita is a feminine word for “beautiful” in the Spanish language. It was the name of a ranch owned by Henry Ernest Cooper, Sr. in 1884, and was used by the nearby post office. The ranch itself was used to cultivate lemons, which were first grown in the area beginning in 1871. During the early years lemon industry was thriving, where it became the originator of the bonnie brae variety, named after the first lemon ranch in the community.
The Bonita Historical Museum is the principal repository of historical information for the Lower Sweetwater Valley.
The climate in Bonita is a combination of the coastal and inland valley climates of San Diego County : warmer (and sunnier during the May Gray and June Gloom periods) than areas directly adjacent to San Diego Bay or the coast, but not as hot as communities in inland valleys such as El Cajon, or even nearby Spring Valley. In summer, Bonita’s climate is pleasant.
