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The most walkable neighborhoods in San Diego
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
19 neighborhoods of San Diego ranked by walkability, each scored across the area around its own center. The Gaslamp Quarter leads with 98/100, then Cortez Hill (97) and Little Italy (94). 13 of the 19 score 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot, and the lowest we rank is Alta Vista (27).
| # | Neighborhood | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaslamp Quarter | 98 |
| 2 | Cortez Hill | 97 |
| 3 | Little Italy | 94 |
| 4 | City Heights | 92 |
| 5 | Bankers Hill | 88 |
| 6 | Hillcrest | 86 |
| 7 | Mission Valley | 80 |
| 7 | Barrio Logan | 80 |
| 9 | Old Town of San Diego | 79 |
| 9 | Pacific Beach | 79 |
| 11 | Normal Heights | 75 |
| 12 | Golden Hill | 71 |
| 13 | Ocean Beach | 70 |
| 14 | Clairemont | 65 |
| 15 | Point Loma | 52 |
| 16 | Tierrasanta | 50 |
| 17 | Linda Vista | 49 |
| 18 | Allied Gardens | 47 |
| 19 | Alta Vista | 27 |
"From the center" is the distance from San Diego's busiest point to the neighborhood's center. "Area scoring 70+" is the share of points across the neighborhood where most errands can be done on foot.
The top 5 up close
Gaslamp Quarter
The Gaslamp Quarter scores 98/100, 950 m south of San Diego's busiest point. It has the most parks of the five: 160 within a 30 minute walk, the nearest Horton Plaza Park, about 6 minutes away. More on the Gaslamp Quarter.
Cortez Hill
Cortez Hill is the most central of these five, 350 m north-west of San Diego's busiest point, and scores 97/100. None of the others has as many cultural venues, with 137 in a 30 minute walk; Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center is the nearest, about 6 minutes away.
Little Italy
Little Italy scores 94/100, 1.2 km west of San Diego's busiest point. 1,872 everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of its middle, the nearest grocery about 8 minutes away. More on Little Italy.
City Heights
City Heights lies the furthest out of these five, 6.2 km north-east of San Diego's busiest point, and scores 92/100. It has the most groceries of the five: 33 within a 30 minute walk, the nearest La Sirena, about 2 minutes away. Its thinnest category against the others is cultural venues, with 9. 98% of its area scores 70 or more.
Bankers Hill
Bankers Hill scores 88/100, 1.1 km north-west of San Diego's busiest point. 1,554 everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of its middle, the nearest grocery about 3 minutes away. It has the fewest groceries of the five, 13. 94% of its area scores 70 or more.
Center and outskirts
The 5 neighborhoods within 3 km of San Diego's center average 89, and the 14 further out average 66, so walkability falls away from the center. The nearest to the center, Cortez Hill, 350 m away, scores 97, and the farthest, Tierrasanta, 13.2 km out, scores 50.
Each dot is a ranked neighborhood, numbered by rank and colored by score, placed by its distance and direction from the center of San Diego.
San Diego as a whole scores 65 out of 100 across the 5 km around its center. Other cities in the United States with ranked neighborhoods: New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas.
Questions about San Diego's neighborhoods
What is the most walkable neighborhood in San Diego?
The Gaslamp Quarter is the most walkable of the 19 neighborhoods we rank in San Diego, with a walkability score of 98 out of 100 (Walker's Paradise). It is followed by Cortez Hill (97) and Little Italy (94).
Which neighborhoods of San Diego are least walkable?
Of the 19 neighborhoods we rank, the lowest scoring are Alta Vista (27), Allied Gardens (47) and Linda Vista (49). These are the best-known neighborhoods with their own Wikipedia articles, so less walkable outer suburbs that are not ranked may score lower still.
How are San Diego's neighborhoods ranked?
Each neighborhood is scored at points 100 m to 500 m apart across a circle around its center, sized to its area, and its score is the mean of those points. Each point's score counts the groceries, restaurants, shops, schools, parks and other everyday places within a 30 minute walk, as described in the methodology. San Diego scores 65 across the 5 km around its center.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. Neighborhoods and where they lie from Overture Maps and Wikidata.