Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 74th-largest city in the United States. Located just 7.5 miles from downtown San Diego and 7.5 miles from the Mexican border in the South Bay region of the metropolitan area, the city is at the center of one of the richest economic and culturally diverse zones in the United States. Chula Vista is so named because of its scenic location between the San Diego Bay and coastal mountain foothills. Founded in the early 19th century, fast population growth has recently been observed in the city. Located in the city is one of America's few year-round United States Olympic Training centers and popular tourist destinations include Aquatica San Diego, Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, the Chula Vista marina, and the Living Coast Discovery Center.

Like the rest of lowland San Diego County, Chula Vista has a semi-arid climate, with Mediterranean characteristics, though the winter rainfall is too low and erratic to qualify as an actual Mediterranean climate.

Chula Vista maintains a business atmosphere that encourages growth and development. In the city, the small business sector amounts for the majority of Chula Vista's business populous. This small business community is attributed to the city's growth and serves as a stable base for its economic engine.