Sorrento Valley is known as a center for high tech, biotech and scientific research, aided by its close proximity to the University of California, San Diego.

[4][5] The village of Ystagua was a major manufacturing, food processing, and trade center in the region, with ample access to shellfish, fish, game, and wild grasses.

Vigilantes subjected these protesters to patriot indoctrination and forced them to kneel in front of the flag and sing the "Star Spangled Banner" in-key, which left an unknown number of IWW members dead or injured.

Notable companies in the neighborhood include Qualcomm, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Verizon, FedHome Loan Centers,[11] Google Inc.,[12] Texas Instruments, Optimer Pharmaceuticals, The ACTIVE Network, Advanced Test Equipment Rentals, Forcepoint (formerly Websense), Einstein Medical, Hologic, Dexcom, NuVasive, T-Mobile, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Scripps Clinic.

The Sorrento Valley station is a stop for the Coaster commuter and Pacific Surfliner rail lines, which provide train links to Oceanside and Downtown San Diego.