History
How Hillcrest became Hillcrest
A streetcar suburb on the mesa, a neon sign, a rainbow flag, and more than a century of neighbors building the place block by block.
1907
A streetcar suburb is platted
Developers lay out Hillcrest on the mesa north of downtown and market it as San Diego's first suburb, reachable by the Fourth and Fifth Avenue streetcar lines. The name comes from its position on the crest of the hill above Mission Valley.
1920s
Craftsman blocks and a business district
Bungalows and Spanish Revival courts fill the side streets while University Avenue becomes a working main street of grocers, pharmacies and theaters serving the growing mesa neighborhoods.
1940
The Hillcrest sign goes up
The neon Hillcrest sign is raised over University Avenue at Fifth, giving the district the landmark it is still known by. It has been rebuilt and relit several times since, most recently as a community-funded restoration.
1970s
The LGBTQ+ heart of San Diego
As downtown bars close and rents stay low, Hillcrest becomes the center of San Diego's gay and lesbian community. Community centers, bookstores, clinics and the first Pride marches take root along University Avenue.
1980s–90s
Organizing and rebuilding
The neighborhood answers the AIDS crisis with clinics, hospices and volunteer networks. Business associations reinvest in the commercial strip, and the Sunday Farmers Market begins on Normal Street.
2012
The Pride Flag at University & Normal
A 65-foot flagpole flying a large rainbow flag is dedicated at University Avenue and Normal Street, creating the plaza that now anchors the neighborhood's gatherings and vigils.
Today
Dense, walkable, and still changing
Hillcrest mixes century-old bungalows with new mixed-use housing, and remains one of San Diego's most walkable districts — restaurants, clinics, independent shops and Balboa Park all within a few blocks.
Have a correction, a photo, or a story from your family's years in Hillcrest? We'd like to add it — send it in and we'll credit you.