Downtown San Diego is thecentral business district ofSan Diego, California, theeighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven neighborhoods:Gaslamp Quarter,East Village,Columbia,Marina,Cortez Hill,Little Italy, andCore.
The downtown area is home of theSan Diego Convention Center, the city's primary convention center. It is also home of theSan Diego Symphony and theSan Diego Opera, as well as several performing arts venues, such asJacobs Music Center,the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, and theSan Diego Civic Theatre.[1][2]
Downtown San Diego is located onSan Diego Bay, which houses theUSSMidway Museum and theMaritime Museum of San Diego.Balboa Park is a historicurban cultural park that borders the area.San Diego International Airport is located three miles (4.8 km; 2.6 nmi) northwest of downtown.
The downtown of San Diego was previously inhabited by theKumeyaay who referred to the area as Tisirr, and also established a village called Pu-Shuyi near what is now Seaport Village.[3][4]
The city of San Diego was originally focused onOld Town near thePresidio, several miles north of current downtown. The location was not ideal because it was several miles from navigable water. In 1849 Lt.Andrew B. Gray, a surveyor working with the boundary commission to establish the boundaries of the new state of California, suggested that an area closer toSan Diego Bay would be a better location for a city because it would be better for trade. He proposed the idea toWilliam Heath Davis, who recruited four other investors. The partners under Davis's leadership purchased 160 acres (65 ha) of land in what is now downtown San Diego. They laid out a street plan for New Town and built a wharf and warehouse.[5] Several people built houses there, including the still-standing William Heath Davis House, now a museum.[6]John Judson Ames wrote a prospectus for a newspaper, theSan Diego Herald in December 1850, soliciting advertisements and subscriptions from the towns-people;[7] the first issue was published on May 29, 1851.[8] However, New Town did not do well due to a lack of fresh water, a financial depression in 1851, and opposition from the established settlements in Old Town andLa Playa.[1] In 1852, a San Diego grand jury called for the removal of several Kumeyaay villages close to any White settlement and the village of Tisirr was razed to the ground.[9]
In 1867,Alonzo Horton purchased 800 acres (320 ha) ofpueblo lands in the current downtown area, and in 1869 he added Davis's 160 acres (65 ha) to his holdings; the area was referred to as the Horton Addition.[10] Davis's wharf had fallen to pieces by then, but Horton realized the area was still ideal for a harbor.[11] He built a new wharf at the end of Fifth Avenue in 1869.[12] He vigorously sold property and gave away land to promote development of the area, fueling the first of San Diego's many real estate speculation booms. People flocked to the area, known as New Town, because of its better access to shipping. In 1871 government records were moved to a new county courthouse in New Town. By the 1880s New Town had totally eclipsed Old Town (as it is called to this day) as the heart of the growing city.
In 1885, the transcontinental railroad reached San Diego. TheSanta Fe railway station opened downtown in 1887 (that station was replaced in 1915 by the downtown landmarkSanta Fe Depot, which is still in use). In 1886 the city's first electric lights and first streetcars were established in New Town.[13] In 1912 theSpreckels Theatre opened downtown, the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi.[14] A new commercial pier, theBroadway Pier, was built by the city in 1913.
In the 1910s, downtown became one of the many San Diego neighborhoods connected bythe Class 1 streetcars and an extensive San Diego public transit system that was spurred by thePanama–California Exposition of 1915 and built byJohn D. Spreckels. These streetcars became a fixture of the neighborhood until their retirement in 1939.[15]
In 1964 the multi-story City Hall and Community Concourse were dedicated on a four-block-square property at 202 C Street. Recent mayors and city councils have discussed building a replacement city hall, but no replacement plan has been approved.
In the 1960s, Centre City began to fall into a state of disrepair and disrepute. Major businesses and stores moved from downtown to suburban shopping malls. The downtown area became known as a hangout for homeless people and sailors on liberty. Tattoo parlors, bars, and strip clubs were predominant forms of business. Trash littered theGaslamp Quarter, many 19th century Victorian houses were rundown, and there were few buildings of significant size (the tallest building at the time was fourteen stories, the locally famousEl Cortez).[16] Despite this, low- and mid-rise buildings were beginning construction.
In 1975, redevelopment plans were created for downtown.[17] These efforts were spearheaded, in part, by councilmanLeon Williams, who represented downtown at the time.[18] In 1985, the area underwent more redevelopment with the completion ofHorton Plaza, the Gaslamp Quarter revival, and the completion of theSan Diego Convention Center.Petco Park, aballpark used by theSan Diego Padres, opened in 2004.[19]
In the 1860s, the first Chinese people moved to the downtown area.[20] In the 1870s, the Chinese were the primary fishermen in the area.[21] Beginning in the 1880s, a large number of Chinese began to move to San Diego, establishing a concentration; with up to 200 Chinese making up a minority of the 8,600 who lived in all of San Diego.[22] At its peak, about a thousand Chinese lived in San Diego and were faced withdiscrimination.[23] The concentration became known as Chinatown, and an effort to demolish the area due to thePanama–California Exposition was attempted but the area continued on until World War II.[24] Beginning in the early 1900s,Filipinos began to move to San Diego, and settled in and near Chinatown.[25] In 1995, theAsian Pacific Thematic Historic District was created to preserve the remaining structures that remained from the era when Chinatown, as well as Nihonmachi (Japantown), existed.[26] While a few of the buildings remain, there no longer exist a significant concentration ofChinese Americans in the former neighborhood.[27]
Located in central San Diego, downtown San Diego is delimited bySan Diego Bay to the west and southwest,Bankers Hill,Middletown, andBalboa Park to the north,Sherman Heights andGolden Hill to the east, andBarrio Logan andLogan Heights to the southeast.San Diego International Airport is just northwest.
Due toSan Diego International Airport's proximity to downtown, there is aFAA imposed 500-foot height restriction on all buildings within a 2.3-mile radius of the runway.[28] The height regulation exists because when planes approach the airport, any structure taller than 500 feet within the radius could interfere with flight operations and potentially result in a collision.[29]
TheUnited States Postal Service operates the downtown San Diego Post Office at 815 E Street.[30] The city's former main public library is located across the street from it at 8th and E streets, but currently is vacant. A new nine-story Central Library opened in 2013 on Park Boulevard at J Street.[31] Other government buildings downtown include City Hall and other city administration buildings, the San Diego Police Headquarters at 14th and Broadway, the State of California office building at 1350 Front Street, and a three-block federal office complex at 8th and Front streets. County and federal courthouses are also located downtown.
The downtown area contains numerous sites that are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. They include:
TheSan Diego Civic Theatre in the Community Concourse is the home of theSan Diego Opera as well as traveling shows. TheSan Diego Symphony is headquartered atJacobs Music Center, a renovated movie palace on 7th Avenue originally built in 1929 as the Fox Theater. TheSpreckels Theater at 1st and Broadway, in continuous operation since 1912, hosts local and traveling performances and productions. TheBalboa Theatre, built in 1924, re-opened in 2008 after extensive renovations as a venue for live performances and concerts. Both the Spreckels and the Balboa theaters are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. Other downtown theaters include the Lyceum inHorton Plaza, which hosts the San Diego Repertory Theatre as well as concerts and art shows, and the Sledgehammer Theater. Nightclubs such as the House of Blues and Croce's feature well-known musical groups. The Museum of Contemporary Art, also located in downtown San Diego, has displayed work across a collection of media since 1950.[32]
A scene inOne Battle After Another was filmed at theWestgate Hotel.[33]Traffic was filmed in the downtown neighborhood[34] andAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy featured aerial shots of the district as well.[35]Demolition Man was filmed along Harbor Drive near theSan Diego Convention Center andAmerica Plaza trolley station.[36] Parts ofThe Samuel Project were filmed in theGaslamp district.[37]
South of 8 was produced atRosewood Five Studios,[38][39] a performance venue that later becameGray Area Multimedia. Located in the basement of theC Street Inn on Seventh Ave in theCore district,[40][41] the venue was a production facility for the filmsEverybody Dies by the End,[42]Friend of the World,[43] andHacksaw.[44] Other films shot in the downtown neighborhood includeIn God We Tru$t,[45]My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?,[46] andScavenger Hunt.[47]
TheColumbia (waterfront) neighborhood of downtown hosts theUSSMidway aircraft carriermuseum ship, as well as the eight ships and boats of theMaritime Museum of San Diego, headlined byStar of India.
TheSan Diego Convention Center andPetco Park are located downtown, as well asSeaport Village.
More than 200 cruise ships a year call at the cruise ship terminal. A passenger ferry connects downtown San Diego withCoronado, andSan Diego Bay harbor tours depart from Harbor Drive.
Downtown events include the Big Bay Balloon Parade, held in conjunction with theHoliday Bowl; the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade and Festival; the Parade of Lights featuring holiday-decorated boats on the Bay; and the San Diego Street Scene music festival.[48] Every mid to late July, downtown San Diego is transformed forSan Diego Comic-Con, the largest entertainment and comic book convention in the world. San Diego Comic-Con is held inside theSan Diego Convention Center, but the convention has expanded to other nearby hotels, parks, and plazas which include theManchester Grand Hyatt Hotel,Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina,Hilton San Diego Bayfront,Omni San Diego Hotel and theGaslamp Quarter as major supporting venues. Annually each Halloween season,The Haunted Hotel resided in the area from 1993 to 2019, before it relocated toMission Valley.[49]
The downtown area is served bySan Diego Unified School District. Washington Elementary School is located in the downtown area.San Diego High School andSan Diego City College are located in the northeastern corner of downtown adjacent to Balboa Park. Middle school students from downtown attend Roosevelt Middle School in theBalboa Park area.[50] The charter high schoole3 Civic High School is located inside the downtownlibrary.Monarch School, a public K-12 school for students who are homeless or affected byhomelessness, is also located downtown.
A few private or religious schools exist in the area.[51][52]California Western School of Law is located downtown.[53]
Streets are laid out in a grid pattern and many are designated for one-way traffic. North–south roads have both names and numbers. The named roads begin with Harbor Drive and then move east past Pacific Highway, Kettner Boulevard, India, Columbia, State, Union and Front streets. The roads are then numbered and are called avenues, starting at 1st Avenue and continuing to Park Boulevard (12th Avenue). The general pattern is that even numbered streets go south, and odd numbered streets go north. East–west streets are laid out alphabetically from A to K, with the exception of D, H and I, which are replaced with Broadway, Market Street and Island Avenue, respectively. Streets north of A Street are named after trees, starting with Ash Street and going up to Laurel Street.
Main thoroughfares include Broadway and Market Street (east–west), and Harbor Drive, Pacific Highway and Park Avenue (north–south).
Three freeways either pass through or start/end in downtown San Diego.State Route 163 (SR 163) ends in downtown with the southbound lane of the freeway becoming 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue becoming the northbound lane at Ash Street.Interstate 5 (I-5) passes above the downtown area and is accessible from selected streets outside of the actual downtown area or at the intersection of 10th/11th and Ash (where 163 starts and ends). Additionally,SR 94 enters downtown from the east, with westbound SR 94 becoming F Street and G street becoming eastbound SR 94.
The downtown area is served by theSan Diego Metropolitan Transit System, theSan Diego Trolley. There is also a commuter train linking downtown with northern San Diego County, called theCoaster, which also stops at communities along the San Diego County coastline, as well as theAmtrak passenger rail system.
Parking is mainly concentrated in various "pay to park" lots, with metered parking spaces alongside most streets. There is also parking available at the County operation center (located between Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway, just north of Ash), as well asSeaport Village.
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Travel information from Wikivoyage
Data from Wikidata32°43′14″N117°9′16″W / 32.72056°N 117.15444°W /32.72056; -117.15444
