Lemon Grove is a city in San Diego County, California, in the East County region about nine miles east of downtown San Diego. It began as agricultural land settled in the mid-19th century and took its name from the citrus groves planted around the turn of the twentieth century, when lemons and oranges became the area's signature crop. That heritage endures in the Big Lemon, a roadside sculpture along Broadway originally built as a 1928 parade float. The city also holds a distinctive place in American history. In 1930-31, when the local school board attempted to segregate Mexican American students into a separate school, parents challenged the action in court. The resulting ruling — Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District — is recognized as the first successful school desegregation case in the United States, predating Brown v. Board of Education by more than two decades. Today Lemon Grove is a compact, diverse, and mostly residential city of roughly 28,000 people, largely surrounded by the city of San Diego. It is served by the Lemon Grove School District for elementary and middle grades and the Grossmont Union High School District for secondary students. The San Diego Trolley's Orange Line stops at two stations in the city, giving residents a direct rail connection to downtown San Diego and the wider transit network. Lemon Grove tends to suit first-time buyers, families, and commuters who want single-family homes on established lots, a genuine small-town identity, and transit access to the San Diego core — all at a more attainable price point than the coast. Its parks, community events, and historic character anchor a close-knit, neighborhood-centered way of life.