Central SD

Peaceful, beautiful, and far enough to escape the noise of the city but close enough to be a short drive/bus ride away. 

Clairemont

Clairemont is a highly-central neighborhood in the city of San Diego surrounded by 5 different freeway systems making commuting throughout all of San Diego County easy. It is only 10-20 minutes drive from the beach/bay, has 12 local parks, and multiple canyons winding through the neighborhoods making it a great area for families to play and hike. It was developed primarily in the 1950s and continued through the 1970s and was considered, at the time, the largest development in the country of it's kind. It is comprised of single-family homes, duplexes, condos, apartments, and commercial space divided between North Clairemont, Clairemont Mesa East, Clairemont Mesa West, Bay Park, and Bay Ho. Many homes here have canyon views or in Bay Park & Bay Ho views of Mission Bay & the Pacific Ocean. Tecolote Canyon Natural Park is about 903 acres and is filled with hiking trails, biking trails, and the Tecolote Golf Course. It is close to big box stores, restaurants, and a movie theatre. 

Mission Valley

Mission Valley is primarily known for being the shopping center of San Diego with three large malls including Fashion Valley Mall, Westfield Mission Valley, and Hazard Center Mall. It is divided into Mission Valley West and Mission Valley East. The outlet for Mission Valley West goes to Sea World and Mission Bay while the eastern outlet goes to the soon-to-be-developed Snapdragon Stadium aka Aztec Stadium (and formerly known as Qualcomm Stadium/SDCCU Stadium/prior home of the Chargers). The stadium will be the future home to San Diego State University's football team as well as host to concerts, women's soccer league, and rugby league. Much of the housing lies in large apartment and condo complexes built in the 1970s as well as some newer construction condos/townhomes/houses in Civita. 

North Park / South Park / Bankers Hill / Golden Hill / Mission Hills/ Hillcrest

These areas all surround Balboa Park also known as the "Jewel of San Diego" and the largest urban park in the country (yes, it is larger than Central Park in NY - 1200 acres vs only 843 acres). Balboa Park is home to gardens, museums, hiking, restaurants, recreation areas, cultural events,  theatres, dog parks, golf/frisbee golf courses, and the San Diego Zoo.  The surrounding neighborhoods are known for their Crafstman-style homes built between the 1900s-1940s, some of which are historically designated.

North Park is a hipster neighborhood with bars, microbreweries, boutique shops, art galleries, cafes, and restaurants.

South Park extends down from North Park with a similar vibe but is geared more towards residential single-family homes.

Hillcrest is known for being the central hub of San Diego's LGBTQ+ community as well as for its locally-owned bars, clubs, restaurants, and specialty stores. 

Bankers Hill & Golden Hills are just West and South of Balboa Park, respectively. Both neighborhoods have easy access to Downtown San Diego. Banker's Hills has single-family homes as well as high-rise condo complexes that overlook both Balboa Park & the San Diego Bay although with some sacrifice for noise consideration as planes descend overhead to land at San Diego International Airport. 

Mission Hills is the most affluent of neighborhoods close to Balboa Park with a few boutique shops, restaurants, and a cool nursery. 

University Heights/Normal Heights / Kensington / Talmadge

University Heights, Normal Heights, Talmadge, and Kensington are all affluent neighborhoods known it's housing "character" with small and large Spanish-style homes built between the 1920s-1950s. The main commercial streets of Adams Ave & El Cajon Blvd have restaurants, bars, cafes, and a shocking amount of auto shops.

Birdland/Kearny Mesa / Serra Mesa / Tierrasanta

These suburban communities are a bit further inland (about 20-30 minutes from the beach) and were built primarily in the 1950s for military housing and training grounds. There are mid-century-style homes, condos, and apartments along with large hospitals and business warehouses. It is known for being close to Convoy which is renowned for its awesome Asian restaurants as well as close to Montgomery Regional Aiport. 

La Mesa Area - Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, San Carlos, Fletcher Hills

These neighborhoods are just north of the 8 Freeway and about 25-35 minutes to the beach. It is home to many single-family houses adjacent to Mission Trails Regional Park, Lake Murray, while still being close to San Diego State University. Mission Trails regional park is the 7th largest open space urban park in the US with 7000 acres of canyons and hills with hiking, mountain biking, equestrian trails, and rock climbing. 

La Mesa Area - College Area, Rolando, City Heights, Oak Park

This neighborhood houses San Diego State University. College Area and Rolando are a mix of student and family housing. 

City Heights and Oak Park are diverse neighborhoods with big box stores, awesome restaurants, shops, a cool nursery, and mixed residential housing. 

Mira Mesa & Sorrento Valley

Mira Mesa & Sorrento Valley is a hub for major employers like UC San Diego, MCAS Miramar, Qualcomm, and multiple biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The South street of Miramar which borders the military base MCAS is one of the premier destinations for those looking to remodel their home with every type of supply and installation store a person would need to renovate their home. The rest of the area is comprised mostly of single-family homes, apartments, condos, and big-box retailers. 

Carmel Valley

Carmel Valley is composed of office space, residential areas, hotels, retail stores, and restaurants.  It is one of the "newer" communities of San Diego with its housing developments starting in the mid-1980s. It is considered an upscale neighborhood with top-rated schools and a low crime rate.