Normal Heights/City Heights
WHO will love living Normal Heights and City Heights?
There is a genuine feeling of camaraderie in the Normal Heights and City Heights neighborhoods. Adams Avenue is the main street of Normal Heights where young families and professionals in their 30s and 40s prefer to live. On the other side of the 15 freeway is the cultural hub of City Heights, which offers an ethnically diverse blend of both newcomers and residents who have been in the neighborhood their whole lives. The result is a swelling of community pride and affinity for anything locally owned.
WHAT will you see?
Normal Heights is known for its artisanal coffee shops, craft beer breweries, well-curated boutiques, and dive bars. It’s a bike-friendly and dog-friendly neighborhood and easily walkable as you head down Adams Avenue or 30th Street (which leads into North Park after crossing El Cajon Blvd.). Conversely, City Heights is quieter and isn’t as of-the-moment as its neighbor, but you’ll find thrift stores, co-working spaces, and cultural developments with projects like Little Saigon, an area known for its beautiful street murals, specialty shops, and family-owned restaurants.
WHERE will you eat?
Both neighborhoods shine when it comes to their cuisine. In City Heights, you’ll find nearly every global flavor imaginable from Ethiopian and Laotian to Thai and Vietnamese. Tempt your adventurous taste buds and get to know the neighborhood through its food. Over in Normal Heights, at the cross-section of 30th and Adams, you’ll find a sought-after selection of restaurants all within steps of each other, including Cantina Mayahuel with shelves upon shelves of tequila, Beerfish, a casual seafood restaurant with an awesome outdoor patio, Soda & Swine, known for its meatballs and small plates, and the beloved Antique Row Cafe with biscuits and gravy as big as your head. It’s safe to say that between these two areas, your appetite will be sufficiently satisfied.
HOW will you spend your time?
Strolling and exploring. Both neighborhoods believe in sustaining a strong community and host regular street festivals, and intimate art gallery openings, movie screenings, and pop-up dinners. You never know exactly what new delight you’ll come across. Keep your eyes open and be ready to embrace anything involving arts, music, craft beer, and of course, food.
WHY you’ll love living here?
The walkable aspect and neighborhood familiarity makes it an ideal place to call home. It’s not as rowdy as downtown nor as tucked away as other places in San Diego. It sits right in the middle with plenty of things to do, while still maintaining a more serene atmosphere and laid-back pace.
