National City is an authentic and welcoming urban neighborhood in San Diego with a rich history spanning over a century. With innovative local businesses, endearing historical sites, and accessible outdoor recreation, National City blends the best traits of San Diego with an identity all its own.

Parks & Recreation

Only a few blocks from Parco is Kimball Park, our residents’ favorite local greenspace and rec area, with a skatepark, baseball diamonds, and basketball courts within park limits, plus plenty of open grassy space to walk the dog, catch up on a book, or simply kick back and enjoy our famous southern California weather. Just down the street, Paradise Creek Education Park boasts just under 14,000 square feet of space dedicated to community enrichment, including an educational native plant walk with interpretive signage, community garden, bioretention areas for treatment of urban storm water runoff, and a cistern to collect and recycle rainwater. Whether you’re a fitness buff, urban explorer, or you just want to take in the views, Bayshore Bikeway is a great place to start; this 24-mile bicycle circuit circles San Diego Bay, with restaurants, breweries, and views galore. Whether it takes you 2 hours or 2 months to make it through mile 24, the Bayshore Bikeway is a must-see for locals and visitors alike. 

History

Incorporated in 1887, National City is the second oldest city in San Diego County. Accompanying this history are some characteristically antique architectural displays, many of which are centered around National City’s founders, Frank Kimball and his brothers Warren and Levi. The Frank Kimball Museum was once the residence of Frank Kimball, and despite being moved from its original location and altered from its original state in 1868, it’s still a wonderful example of early Californian architecture. Frank Kimball didn’t stop at his home residence; in 1887, Kimball constructed 10 Philadelphian-style rowhomes with the hope that they would catch the eye of Santa Fe Railroad executives. These gorgeous heritage rowhomes are still standing today, known as Brick Row on Heritage Square. If you're new to the area or you simply haven't had a chance to delve into the history of National City, these local treasures truly define what it means to be a part of the community of National City. 

Local Businesses

We don't use the term "one-stop shop" lightly, but if you're looking for food & drink, Big Ben Specialty Market, located next door to Parco, is about the closest thing you can get to one, with locally-sourced produce & meats plus craft beer, wine, specialty products, and an in-house restaurant and grill. Looking for more options? Simply cross the street to Market on 8th and be met with a 9,000-square-foot public market and beer garden composed of 12 food vendors and 2 retail outlets, including (but not limited to) Indonesian, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Louisianan, and Filipino cuisines, to name just a few. Just next door to Market on 8th is the famous Niederfrank's Ice Cream, proud to make their ice cream by the "most antique, inefficient, outdated and expensive process in the world" (their words, not ours). The result: an ice cream as luxurious and delicious as it was when Elmer Niederfrank first opened his streetfront ice cream parlor in 1948. Round out your local food tour by heading two blocks away to Napoleone's Pizza House, because we all know there are no rules about having pizza after you eat ice cream.