Best-Value Neighborhoods in 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. ... See Full Page

Granger fills the southeastern edge of National City, between 16th Street and the Sweetwater River, with Interstate 805 on one side and the Bonita line on the other. It shares a name with Granger Avenue, and a regional mall sits at its southern tip. ... See Full Page

Across Interstate 805 from the rest of town, El Toyon holds the northeast end of National City, running from 16th Street up to the San Diego city line. East Plaza Boulevard is its main road, and the stretch inside the neighborhood is lined with Filipino turo-turo counters, bakeries and markets. ... See Full Page

Olivewood stretches across the southern part of National City from 24th Street down to the Sweetwater River and State Route 54. Highland Avenue and Sweetwater Road are its two commercial spines, and Interstate 805 marks the eastern edge. ... See Full Page

Downtown National City is a narrow civic strip between National City Boulevard and D Avenue, running south from Plaza Boulevard. Most of the land belongs to Kimball Park and the buildings around it, so the neighborhood feels less like a business district and more like the city's front yard. ... See Full Page

Las Palmas is one of the smallest neighborhoods in National City, a few dense blocks south of 18th Street between D Avenue and Highland Avenue. It sits between downtown's civic buildings and the city's main commercial avenue, and its best-known address is a historic farm. ... See Full Page

Central takes in most of National City north of 18th Street, from the Victorian blocks along A Avenue east to Interstate 805. The city's oldest buildings stand here, a few blocks from a long run of Filipino bakeries, grills and markets on 8th Street and Plaza Boulevard. ... See Full Page