Central San Diego is an urban region in San Diego, California. It comprises the core urban neighborhoods surrounding Balboa Park and Downtown San Diego. Its boundaries include Mission Valley to the north, Interstate 15 to the east, San Diego Bay and San Diego International Airport to the west, and Naval Base San Diego to the south.
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For administrative purposes, the city of San Diego sometimes defines Central San Diego as the region comprising the neighborhoods surrounding the southern half of Balboa Park, based on neighborhood policing and community service areas.[1] However this definition is arbitrary in terms of urban design, culture and demographics. In practical terms, Central San Diego includes all of the region surrounding Balboa Park de facto because of these individual neighborhoods' longstanding commercial ties, shared culture, and architectural and historical similarities.[2]
Downtown San Diego's first suburbs began appearing in the late 19th century, including South Park and Golden Hill in 1870 and North Park in 1893.[3] Balboa Park's site was placed in reserve in 1835 and is one of the oldest sites in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The neighborhoods along the southern and western sides of Balboa Park include many Victorian buildings dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several of which are on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] The neighborhoods along the northern and eastern sides of Balboa Park include many Craftsman buildings dating from the early 1900s. Likewise, many of these structures are also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Much of Central San Diego was originally served by the historic San Diego Class 1 Streetcars.
Pedestrianism in all of the urban mesa neighborhoods surrounding Balboa Park is high relative to the rest of San Diego and these neighborhoods feature compact blocks and walkable business districts.[5]
Central San Diego is bounded by Mission Valley to the north, Interstate 15 to the east, San Diego Bay and San Diego International Airport to the west, and Naval Base San Diego to the south. The region includes the following neighborhoods:[6]