North Park
South Park

About the Community of North Park

In 1893 northeast of Balboa Park a 40-acre parcel, owned then by Joseph Nash was sold to James Monroe Hartly whose desire was to create a lemon grove. As the City of San Diego expanded over the years it crept up till it eventually surrounded Hartly’s grove. Hartly deemed his piece of real estate, “Hartly’s North Park” and the name stuck as the City of San Diego began referring to the suburb as “North Park.”

In the early 1900’s, North Park became one of several San Diego neighborhoods connected by the classic 1 streetcars, an extensive San Diego public transit system. The streetcars were a fixture of the neighborhood until their retirement in 1939. North Park, then and now, is a neighborhood of mixed architectural styles representative of many eras and known for an area lined with turn of the century Craftsman and California Bungalows most commonly referred to as Morely Field. These original classic homes were designed by renowned designer and builder David Owen Dryden, and are now the site of the “Dryden Historic District.”

About the Community of South Park

Standing out for its tree lined streets, Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Style homes, compact blocks and unique cozy atmosphere, South Park is considered to be San Diego’s first streetcar suburb. The streetcar linked South Park to the City of San Diego and was joined by a host of other neighborhoods connected by the Class 1 streetcars that were San Diego’s first public transit system in 1906. Now considered one of San Diego’s major historic urban communities, South Park is home to many fine noteworthy single family residences developed by Irving Gill, William S. Hebbard, and Richard Requa, many of which have been designated to the official historical register.