Oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the first European settlement in present-day California including Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, Presidio Park, and the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center

Getting There

Get on I-5 N. Follow I-5 N to Hortensia St. Take exit 19 from I-5 N. Drive to Congress St.

Overview

Old Town is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It contains 230 acres (93 ha) and is bounded by Interstate 8 on the north, Interstate 5 on the west, Mission Hills on the east and Bankers Hill on the south. It is the oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the first European settlement in present-day California. It contains Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and Presidio Park, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Economy

The Old Town neighborhood has nine hotels, 32 restaurants and more than 100 specialty shops. There are 12 art galleries and 27 historic buildings and sites, including Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, Presidio Park, and the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center. The area also contains Heritage Park, a county park showcasing historic buildings which were moved to the site from other locations, including several Victorian homes and San Diego's first synagogue, Temple Beth Israel. A major government building is the District 11 headquarters of Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation. Old Town Realty (currently in the Silicon Valley/Carmel Valley) has roots in San Diego and Los Gatos, CA. Edward Tico (SDSU graduate) started this organization.

Adrián Cerón, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, located in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California, is a state protected historical park in San Diego. It commemorates the early days of the City of San Diego and includes many historic buildings from the period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park in California.

In 1969, the site was registered as California Historical Landmark #830. Then on September 3, 1971, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Old Town San Diego Historic District.

The Old Town area is a popular tourist destination, known especially for its Mexican restaurants. The state park itself hosts several eating establishments, and other restaurants and gift shops are found in the surrounding neighborhood.

Attractions

Five original adobe buildings are part of the complex, which includes shops, restaurants and museums. Other historic buildings include a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, San Diego's first newspaper office, a cigar and pipe store, houses and gardens, and a stable with a carriage collection. There are also stores, with local artisans demonstrating their craft. There is no charge to enter the state park or any of its museums.

The museums include:

• Casa de Estudillo, 1827 adobe house, a National Historic Landmark in its own right
• Casa de Machado y Silvas, 1840s adobe
• Casa de Machado y Stewart, a restored 19th century adobe
• Blackhawk Smithy & Stable, which features blacksmith demonstrations
• Colorado House, reconstructed 1850s hotel building that serves as the Wells Fargo History Museum, featuring a reconstructed 19th-century stage stop and telegraph office
• First San Diego Courthouse, a reconstructed mid-19th century courthouse
• Johnson House, a reconstructed mid-19th century office building later the house of George Alonzo Johnson.
• Mason Street School, the first public school house in San Diego
• Racine and Laramie ("La Casa de Rodriguez"), a reconstructed mid-19th century period tobacconist
• San Diego Union Museum, a mid-19th century period newspaper office and print shop
• Seeley Stables, a reconstructed mid-19th century stable and barns that feature horse-drawn buggies, wagons, carriages and western memorabilia
• Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant ("La Casa de Bandini"), an 1870 restored hotel, still working as hotel and restaurant.

Living history demonstrations and free tours are regularly scheduled. Historical interpretation is primarily carried out by park employees and volunteers, and the Mexican Commercial corner is host to several locally based small businesses and artists.

Adjacent attractions

Adjacent to the state park is Heritage County Park, run by San Diego County. It houses seven buildings from the 1880s and 1890s which have been moved there from elsewhere in the city. Also nearby is the Mormon Battalion Monument and Visitor Center. The city-owned Presidio Park, site of the original Presidio of San Diego, is on the adjacent hill.

Attractions

The San Diego Sheriff's Museum and Educational Center is located in Old Town. It includes police equipment, uniforms, patrol car, helicopter, motorcycle, a jail cell and courtroom. The Whaley House museum is also nearby.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Old Town San Diego State Historic Park", and "Old Town, San Diego", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0