Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
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Old Town San Diego Historic District
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View of Old Town
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| Location | San Diego, California |
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| Coordinates | 32°45′16.77″N 117°11′50.42″W / 32.7546583°N 117.1973389°WCoordinates: 32°45′16.77″N 117°11′50.42″W / 32.7546583°N 117.1973389°W |
| Area | 29.08 acres (117,700 m2) |
| Built | 1825 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Other |
| NRHP Reference # | 71000182 |
| CHISL # | 830 |
| SDHL # | 14 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 3, 1971 |
| Designated SDHL | November 6, 1970 |
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 town 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 first European settlement on the West Coast of the present-day United States was the San Diego Presidio, a military outpost of Spanish California, founded by Gaspar de Portolà in 1769. Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded by Father Junípero Serra the same year. The Presidio and Mission were originally built on a bluff above the San Diego River, Presidio Hill, which is now the site of the city-owned Presidio Park and which is immediately adjacent to Old Town State Historic Park.
After five years the Mission moved to a location several miles upriver at the present site of Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Presidio Hill remained the primary settlement for several decades because it was defensible against attack by European enemies or hostile Indians. As the need for defense decreased, settlers preferred to live at the base of the hill because of greater convenience. In the 1820s the town of San Diego grew up at the base of the bluff, at the site commemorated by Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. The Presidio was abandoned and fell into disrepair.
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