Eastlake is a planned community in eastern Chula Vista, built from the 1980s onward around a series of artificial lakes and ponds. It is a prototype of the master-planned suburban development that defined San Diego County's growth during that era — uniformly neat, heavily amenitised, and somewhat interchangeable with similar developments across Southern California. But it has aged well and has a pleasant lakeside ambiance.
The Eastlake greenbelt and lake trail offer cycling and walking routes through the community, and the shopping centres along Otay Lakes Road serve as the practical hub of this part of the city. Heritage Park, with its own small lake, sits at the north edge of Eastlake. The community contrasts sharply with the older, more organic downtown area along Third Avenue — together they give a clear picture of Chula Vista's growth from a small border town to a major suburban city.