Old Town, National City, CA

Old Town is National City's original westside, the blocks between Interstate 5 and National City Boulevard south of Plaza Boulevard, plus the bayfront on the far side of the freeway. The first transcontinental rail line in the San Diego area ended here, and this is still the part of the city where homes, shops and industry sit side by side. The National City Depot, an Italianate Santa Fe station from 1882, stands on West 23rd Street as the oldest railroad building left in San Diego County. The San Diego Electric Railway Association runs it as a museum on weekends, with a model train inside and real trains rolling past outside. Housing in Old Town is a mix that reflects decades of industrial zoning. Older houses share streets with auto-body shops, warehouses and light manufacturing, and the city's Westside plan now encourages more homes mixed with shops. The largest new addition is Paradise Creek, a set of 201 energy-efficient affordable apartments that opened in 2016 alongside a restored creek, an expanded park and a community garden. The bay is the neighborhood's real backyard. Pepper Park covers five and a half acres at the mouth of the Sweetwater Channel, with a fishing pier, a boat launch, a sandy playground and barbecue pits. The Aquatic Center sits inside the park, Pier 32 Marina is next door, and a mile-long art walk of sculptures and murals runs along the water. Paradise Creek Educational Park adds a wetland walk. Food near the water comes down to two stops. The Waterfront Grill at Pier 32 looks over the marina and is known for fish and chips and a seared ahi salad. Hannegan's House Beer Co. and Creamery, in a small warehouse on Tidelands Avenue, brews Irish-style ales and folds them into ice cream, such as mint chocolate chip made with its stout. The Blue Line's 24th Street station is the nearest trolley stop to the depot, and I-5 runs straight through. Groceries mean a drive to the bigger stores on Highland Avenue or Plaza Boulevard. Industrial neighbors bring trucks and shop noise on weekdays, and the freeway cuts Old Town off from its own waterfront. Cross it, though, and an evening walk from Paradise Creek out to the end of the Pepper Park pier finishes at open water, with boats easing in from the Sweetwater Channel.