Sold Oct 28
$890,000
La Callecita
111.3% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Realty
San Diego Neighborhood Guide
Mission Hills is one of San Diego’s first suburbs, a mostly single-family Uptown neighborhood on a mesa above Old Town and Mission Valley, with views toward the bay and downtown. Laid out from 1908 under a subdivision George Marston helped launch, it is known for Craftsman, Prairie and Spanish Revival homes, canyon-edged streets and several designated historic districts. Washington Street and upper India Street form its main shopping and dining corridors, and Kate Sessions’ Mission Hills Nursery has operated here since 1910.
Quick Facts
| Area | Uptown, central San Diego |
|---|---|
| Planning area | Uptown Community Plan (City of San Diego) |
| ZIP code | 92103 |
| Boundaries | The city’s Uptown plan places Mission Hills south of Mission Valley, west of Curlew Street and Reynard Way, north of Norton Avenue and east of Old San Diego; Washington Street divides north and south Mission Hills |
| Founded | 1908, when George Marston and partners filed the original Mission Hills subdivision |
| Home types | Mostly single-family homes, with multi-family buildings north of Washington Street between Eagle and Ibis streets |
| Signature style | Craftsman, Prairie and Spanish Colonial Revival homes, plus mid-century Modern houses on canyon rims |
| Price tier | Luxury |
| Best for | Buyers who want historic single-family homes, canyon views and a quiet residential feel close to downtown |
Jeff’s Take
I’ve sold and leased a lot of homes in Mission Hills, and it’s one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city: tree-lined streets, canyon views, and historic Craftsman, Mission Revival and Spanish homes.
You’re minutes from downtown, the airport and Old Town, with Presidio Park and the canyons for walks. It’s one of the places I show luxury buyers first.
Who it’s not for: Mission Hills is quiet. If you want nightlife, Hillcrest is next door: go out there and come home here.
Mission Hills vs. Kensington: both offer beautiful historic homes and canyon views. Mission Hills is closer to downtown and mixes in more Craftsman and Prairie-style homes, while Kensington feels more tucked away and more cohesive in style.
What buying in Mission Hills often looks like
Say you love a 1920s home on a canyon edge. Before we write, I check whether it’s in a historic district or eligible for designation, look at the fire hazard map and the defensible-space rules for the lot, and get a sewer scope and foundation inspection scheduled early. That preparation lets you compete without taking on surprises.
Market Snapshot
| Measure | Oct 2026 | Oct 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,693,500 | $1,820,000 | −7% |
| Avg. price per sq. ft. | $1,072 | $941 | +14% |
| Homes sold | 8 | 8 | 0% |
| New listings | 20 | 20 | 0% |
| Median days on market | 9 | 16 | −44% |
| % of list price received | 101% | 97% | +4% |
| Months of inventory | 3.3 | 3.8 | −13% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92103, as of October 2026. Source: San Diego Multiple Listing Service (SDMLS) closed sales, compiled by Jeff Brick. ZIP 92103 also includes Hillcrest and Bankers Hill; Mission Hills-only prices typically run higher.
| Measure | Current listings |
|---|---|
| Median asking price | $1,995,000 |
| Median asking price per sq. ft. | $1,055 |
| Homes for sale | 49 |
| Median days on market (current listings) | 59 |
| Months of supply | 4.9 |
| HouseCanary 1-year price forecast | 0.7% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92103, listings on the market as of November 3, 2026. Source: HouseCanary Market Insights. Asking prices are what sellers are listing for, not final sale prices.
Jeff’s note (Q4 2026): Single-family homes sold in a median of nine days at 101% of asking, and price per square foot is up 14%. If you want Mission Hills, come ready to move.
A Few Recent Sales
Not every sale, just a few recent closings I picked to show what buyers are actually paying in Mission Hills right now. Updated monthly · November 2026.
$890,000
La Callecita
111.3% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Realty
$2,800,000
Clark Street
3 bd · 4 ba · 2,207 sq ft
112% of list price
Listing courtesy of Pacific Sotheby's International Realty
$1,400,000
Dana Place
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,447 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams La Jolla
$3,450,000
Arguello Street
3 bd · 3 ba · 2,500 sq ft
98.7% of list price
Listing courtesy of Scott & Quinn Real Estate
$1,565,000
Falcon Street
3 bd · 3 ba · 1,820 sq ft
98.1% of list price
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties
$880,000
Sutter Street
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,248 sq ft
88.4% of list price
Listing courtesy of San Diego Real Estate and Loans
$4,300,000
Licensed in 50 states.
4 bd · 4 ba · 4,946 sq ft
91.5% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$1,822,000
La Callecita
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,643 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Realty
$1,210,000
Kite Street
2 bd · 2 ba · 892 sq ft
94.7% of list price
Listing courtesy of Serhant California
$565,000
Torrance Street
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,052 sq ft
94.3% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
Sold information from the San Diego MLS (SDMLS®), deemed reliable but not guaranteed. These homes may have been listed and sold by other brokerages; they are shown to illustrate the local market, not as Jeff Brick’s own sales. Want the full list of recent sales or a value estimate for your home? Ask Jeff.
History
The land that became Mission Hills was bought in 1869 by S.T. Johnston of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, who deeded acreage to his daughter, Sarah Johnston Cox Miller; she named it Johnston Heights. An economic downturn in the 1890s stalled building. In 1908, the firm Gordon, Goodwin and Co. and merchant George Marston bought land and filed the first Mission Hills subdivision, using ideas from planner John Nolen’s 1908 plan for San Diego. Horticulturist Kate Sessions opened her Mission Hills Nursery in 1910, the same year streetcar service tied the area to downtown. Streetcar Line No. 3 reached its final extension along Fort Stockton Drive in 1913.
Most homes were built between about 1910 and 1930, as later subdivisions such as Mission Hills No. 2, Allen Terrace, Inspiration Heights, Presidio Ridge and Presidio Hills filled in. In the 1950s and 1960s, architects such as Lloyd Ruocco built Modern homes on canyon lots that had once been too steep to use. Residents have since won local historic district designations in 2007 and 2014.
George Marston and the firm Gordon, Goodwin and Co. filed the original Mission Hills subdivision in 1908, and Harry L. Miller filed the Inspiration Heights map in 1909, based on his mother Sarah Johnston Cox Miller’s 1886 Johnston Heights map. Builder Morris B. Irvin is credited by SOHO with more than 125 Mission Hills homes. David Owen Dryden, best known for North Park bungalows, also built in Mission Hills, according to the Journal of San Diego History. Later subdivisions recorded on City maps include Mission Hills No. 2 (1910), Allen Terrace (1913), the resubdivision of Inspiration Heights (1917), Presidio Ridge (1923) and Presidio Hills (1926).
Architecture
The Cultural Landscape Foundation calls the Mission Hills Historic District one of San Diego’s most intact concentrations of early 20th-century styles, especially Craftsman, Prairie and Spanish Colonial Revival. The City’s Uptown historic context report adds a few Tudor Revival homes and a local touch: stucco “gull wing” porch dormers. Streets follow the canyon terrain rather than a strict grid, with mature shade trees and palm-lined Sunset Boulevard. Architects whose work appears here include William Hebbard, William Templeton Johnson, Richard Requa, Emmor Brooke Weaver, Louis Gill, Cliff May and the Quayle Brothers. Alexander Schreiber designed a Prairie-style house here. Mid-century Modern homes, including work by Lloyd Ruocco, sit along canyon rims. Kate Sessions influenced the neighborhood’s landscape.
Mission Hills has several City-designated historic districts. The Historical Resources Board approved the Mission Hills Historic District (75 homes on the 1800 block of Sunset Boulevard, Sheridan Avenue and Lyndon Road) and the Fort Stockton Line Historic District (107 homes along parts of Fort Stockton Drive, West Lewis and Pine streets, following the old streetcar line) in July 2007. A 99-home extension of the Mission Hills district was approved on June 26, 2014. Inspiration Heights was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2021. Owners of designated historical resources may apply for a Mills Act contract to reduce property taxes in exchange for preservation.
Living Here
Mission Hills is mostly single-family homes, according to the City’s Uptown plan, with higher-density multi-family housing north of Washington Street between Eagle and Ibis streets. Most houses date from about 1908 to 1930, in Craftsman, Prairie and Spanish Revival styles, and many sit within designated historic districts. Mid-century Modern homes line some canyon rims, and Green Manor, a 13-story senior residence, opened at Ibis Street and Fort Stockton Drive in 1970 before zoning later limited high-rises. Buyers looking for condos will find more choice near the Washington Street corridor.
Life in Mission Hills is calm and neighborly. Free Summer Concerts in the Park are held on Friday evenings in July at Pioneer Park, and the business district hosts the annual Taste of Mission Hills. Washington Street and Fort Stockton Drive offer restaurants and shops, and upper India Street, known as International Restaurant Row, is home to long-running spots like El Indio, which the San Diego Tourism Authority credits with inventing taquitos, and Shakespeare Pub. Kate Sessions’ Mission Hills Nursery, open since 1910, is a favorite place to wander. Undeveloped canyons, left open in keeping with John Nolen’s planning ideas, give the neighborhood a green, tucked-away feel.
Getting Around
Walk Score: 70, Very Walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/Mission_Hills) · Transit Score: 53, Good Transit (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/Mission_Hills) · Bike Score: 47, Somewhat Bikeable (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/Mission_Hills)
Mission Hills is in the San Diego Unified School District. Grant TK-8, at 1425 Washington Place, serves students from transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. High school assignments and options depend on the address and the district’s enrollment programs. School boundaries can change, so families should confirm the assigned schools for any specific property directly with San Diego Unified.
Mission Hills includes Pioneer Park, home of the Friday summer concerts, and Mission Hills Park, a City permit site within Presidio Park, along with open, undeveloped canyons west of Stephens Street.
Explore Mission Hills
Public and charter schools closest to the heart of Mission Hills.
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
Mono County Office of Education
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
School assignment depends on the exact address, so confirm the schools for any home with the school district. Source: California Department of Education, 2024–25 school sites. Report cards link to the official California School Dashboard.
Green space, trails and play areas in and around Mission Hills.
Park data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are approximate, measured from the center of Mission Hills.
Mission Hills sits on a mesa in western Uptown, just north of Downtown San Diego, with Old Town to the west and Mission Valley below to the north. Hillcrest lies to the east, and Middletown and Little Italy are to the south. Steep canyons edge the neighborhood and give many homes views of Mission Valley, San Diego Bay and the downtown skyline. Washington Street is its main commercial spine.
Local Favorites
Garden center (founded by Kate Sessions in 1910)
1525 Fort Stockton Dr, San Diego, CA
Directions →Improv theater (in Mission Hills since 1999)
3717 India St, San Diego, CA
Directions →Photos, ratings and links from Google Maps
FAQ
George Marston and the firm Gordon, Goodwin and Co. filed the first Mission Hills subdivision in 1908, and most homes were built between about 1910 and 1930. Streetcar service, which reached Fort Stockton Drive by 1913, helped the neighborhood grow.
Parts of it are. The City designated the Mission Hills Historic District and the Fort Stockton Line Historic District in 2007 and added a 99-home extension in 2014, and Inspiration Heights was listed on the National Register in 2021.
Craftsman, Prairie and Spanish Colonial Revival homes dominate, with some Tudor Revival houses and mid-century Modern homes on canyon rims. Architects such as William Hebbard, Richard Requa and Lloyd Ruocco worked here.
The famed horticulturist opened the Mission Hills Nursery in 1910 and influenced the neighborhood’s landscape. The nursery on Fort Stockton Drive is still open and is described as San Diego’s oldest.
Walk Score rates Mission Hills 70, Very Walkable, with a Transit Score of 53 and a Bike Score of 47. Washington Street and upper India Street are the easiest places to walk to dining and shops.
Grant TK-8 on Washington Place is the neighborhood public school, serving transitional kindergarten through eighth grade. Always confirm school assignments for a specific address with San Diego Unified.
Mission Hills is in San Diego International Airport’s Airport Influence Area, and the airport plan addresses noise, safety and overflight there. How much a home is affected depends on its exact location, so check the airport’s maps for any address.
Work With Jeff
Jeff Brick, San Diego REALTOR® at Compass, DRE# 02156850. Million Dollar Service at All Price Points. Call or text 858-324-4448.
Nearby neighborhood guides: Hillcrest · North Park · Burlingame · South Park · University Heights
Header photo: Keizers (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Real numbers for your neighborhood from the San Diego MLS, a short note from Jeff, and the homes worth seeing. One email a month. Unsubscribe any time.
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