Mission Hills is a vibrant, historic neighborhood of San Diego situated on hills overlooking Old Town, Downtown San Diego, and San Diego Bay. Home to some of San Diego’s oldest and most historic homes, as well as an eclectic mix of restaurants, boutiques and professional service providers, Mission Hills is a unique metropolitan enclave of roughly 57,000 residents.
While it’s a part of the larger Uptown community—which also includes Hillcrest, Bankers Hill and part of University Heights—Mission Hills has its own character and resident concerns, ranging from the cleanliness and safety of public parks to the aesthetics of new construction.
Our Past
Mission Hills’ first home (at 2036 Orizaba) was built in 1887 on “Inspiration Point” by the daughter of the captain of the pacific coast sidewheel steamship Orizaba. Her father could see it when he guided the ship into harbor on return from the northern California coast. Now known as Villa Orizaba, this home was soon joined by newly planned subdivisions along Sunset, adjoining Presidio Park, and overlooking the dairy farms and river in Mission Valley. Some of our most prominent city forefathers developed here in the 1920’s and 30’s. George Marston, Kate Sessions and J.D. Spreckels aimed to create an “Uptown Fine Home” area, in the leapfrog growth up the hill from downtown. Kate Sessions sought a rural site for her nursery when it moved from Balboa Park, and then convinced her friend and patron, Spreckels, to bring his electric railway out to Mission Hills to expand her customer access.
Our Culture
