Carmel Valley is a suburban planned community in the northwestern corner of San Diego, California, United States.

[2] The community is composed of commercial offices, residential units, hotels, retail stores and restaurants.

Native American Kumeyaay history within the area has been documented to 7,000 years ago, which was adjacent to a Kumeyaay village west of El Camino Real near the San Dieguito River in North City at the time of European contact with the Spanish known as Ahwel-Awa or ‘aqwilawa,[3][4] meaning "twine house".

[6] The Kwitlp clan were relocated inland into what is today, the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians under the Quilp surname.

[7] The name Cordero comes from men with this surname who settled in the area in 1770s (Joaquin Ignacio, Francisco, Mariano Antonio, the sources also contain references to "Cordero brothers" that participated in the Portolá expedition), a ranch house owned by one or more of them was located to the east of El Camino Real and south of Carmel Valley Road.

[8] Following the Mexican-American War and the California Gold rush, the area developed to support agriculture and horse farms.

[10] Carmel Valley is bordered to the north by the North City Future Urbanizing Area (NCFUA) and Pacific Highlands Ranch; to the south by Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and Torrey Hills; to the east by Pacific Highlands Ranch and Del Mar Mesa; and to the west by Interstate 5 and Torrey Pines.

The remainder of the 92130 ZIP code is filled by the surrounding communities of Del Mar Mesa, Pacific Highlands Ranch, and Torrey Hills.

According to the San Diego County Assessor's Office's 2006 estimates,[1] there were 42,047 people living in the neighborhood, a 49.2% increase from 2000.