University City is a region often called the Golden Triangle as it is bounded by three freeways; I-5 to the west, I-805 to the northeast, and State Route 52 to the south. The University Towne Center shopping mall (UTC) is located near the center of University City, while the campus of the University of California, San Diego, from whom the town derives its name, is to the west. The local high school is University City High School.
There are two distinct parts of University City divided by Rose Canyon and the railroad tracks. South of Rose Canyon is historically referred to as University Square, centered on Governor Drive. It is a mostly residential neighborhood along Governor Drive with many single family homes. A local strip mall at Governor and Genesee is anchored by a Vons grocery store and a Rite Aid pharmacy. Another strip mall anchored by Henry's Marketplace is to the west at Governor and Regents. There are several elementary schools, parks, a middle school, and a library. Just southwest of the Governor Drive exit from I-805 is a commercially zoned area containing office parks with low-rise buildings.
The northern part of University City north of the Rose Canyon is usually referred to UTC (originally University Towne Centre). UTC and University City are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the entire Golden Triangle area. UTC is primarily condo and apartment complexes with a cluster of hotels and high rise office buildings with mostly financial services as tenants. Besides containing three local shopping centers, there is also a large regional shopping mall anchored by Sears and Macy's. UTC also has some parks, an elementary school, and police and fire stations. The eastern mesas of UTC have recently been developed for industrial use, and are home to several biotech companies.
The topography of University City is mesas and canyons such as Rose Canyon and San Clemente Canyon and their feeder canyons that provide most of the remaining open space.
