Sold Oct 27
$1,790,000
Lincoln Avenue
4 bd · 5 ba
94.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
San Diego Neighborhood Guide
University Heights is a central San Diego neighborhood on the south rim of Mission Valley, between Hillcrest and North Park, laid out in 1888 around a planned college that was never built. The site later held the State Normal School, the forerunner of San Diego State University. Today it is known for Craftsman bungalow streets, the Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue dining strips, Trolley Barn Park, and remnants of the cobblestone walls of the former Mission Cliff Gardens.
Quick Facts
| Area | Original 1888 subdivision ran from today’s State Route 163 east to Boundary Street, south to University Avenue |
|---|---|
| Planning area | Split between Uptown (west of Park Boulevard) and Greater North Park (City of San Diego; Council District 3) |
| ZIP codes | 92116, 92103, 92104 |
| Boundaries | Roughly the south rim of Mission Valley on the north, State Route 163 on the west, University Avenue on the south and Boundary Street (near Interstate 805) on the east; neighborhood lines are informal. |
| Founded | 1888 (University Heights subdivision map filed August 6, 1888, by the College Hill Land Association) |
| Home types | Craftsman bungalows and early twentieth-century single-family homes, bungalow courts, and many small and mid-size apartment and condominium buildings |
| Signature style | Craftsman bungalows (about 1910-1920), with Prairie, Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Italian Renaissance-influenced apartments |
| Price tier | Upper |
| Best for | buyers who want a walkable, central location with early twentieth-century homes, canyon-rim streets, neighborhood restaurants and a community park |
Jeff’s Take
I’ve sold and leased a lot of homes in University Heights. It sits on the rim of Mission Valley between Hillcrest and North Park, with Craftsman streets, Trolley Barn Park and the Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue dining strips.
It’s one of the places I show luxury buyers who want a beautifully restored older home in a central, walkable neighborhood.
Who it’s not for: University Heights is small and central, so lots are modest. If you want acreage or a big yard, we’ll look farther out.
University Heights vs. North Park: University Heights shares North Park’s Craftsman character but is smaller and quieter, with dining concentrated along Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue.
What buying in University Heights often looks like
Say you fall for a restored Craftsman near Trolley Barn Park. Before we write, I check whether it’s individually designated as historic, what that means for changes, and whether it qualifies for the Mills Act, and I review the fire-zone rules if the lot backs onto the valley rim.
Market Snapshot
| Measure | Oct 2026 | Oct 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $1,360,000 | $1,237,500 | +10% |
| Avg. price per sq. ft. | $1,018 | $912 | +12% |
| Homes sold | 17 | 14 | +21% |
| New listings | 16 | 21 | −24% |
| Median days on market | 9 | 13 | −31% |
| % of list price received | 100% | 98% | +2% |
| Months of inventory | 2.0 | 2.6 | −23% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92116, as of October 2026. Source: San Diego Multiple Listing Service (SDMLS) closed sales, compiled by Jeff Brick. ZIP 92116 also includes Normal Heights and Kensington; part of University Heights is in 92103 and 92104.
| Measure | Current listings |
|---|---|
| Median asking price | $1,599,000 |
| Median asking price per sq. ft. | $1,017 |
| Homes for sale | 31 |
| Median days on market (current listings) | 36 |
| Months of supply | 2.2 |
| HouseCanary 1-year price forecast | 1.1% |
Single-family homes, ZIP 92116, 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): 17 homes sold in October at a median of $1,360,000, up 10% from a year ago. At 2 months of inventory the market is fairly balanced: well-priced homes sell, and overpriced ones sit.
A Few Recent Sales
Not every sale, just a few recent closings I picked to show what buyers are actually paying in University Heights right now. Updated monthly · November 2026.
$1,790,000
Lincoln Avenue
4 bd · 5 ba
94.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$1,790,000
Lincoln Avenue
4 bd · 5 ba · 2,407 sq ft
94.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$430,000
Mississippi Street
1 bd · 1 ba · 633 sq ft
89.8% of list price
Listing courtesy of Red Rhino Realty
$1,299,000
Maryland Street
3 bd · 3 ba · 1,265 sq ft
100% of list price
Listing courtesy of Allstars Realty
$520,000
Mississippi Street
2 bd · 2 ba · 681 sq ft
100.2% of list price
Listing courtesy of eXp Realty of Southern CA
$1,105,000
Maryland Street
4 bd · 2 ba · 1,278 sq ft
88.4% of list price
Listing courtesy of RE/MAX Hometown
$579,000
Campus Avenue
2 bd · 2 ba · 824 sq ft
96.7% of list price
Listing courtesy of eXp Realty of California
$1,520,590
Meade Avenue
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,453 sq ft
98.2% of list price
Listing courtesy of Compass
$1,226,000
Carmelina Dr.
4 bd · 2 ba · 1,757 sq ft
136.4% of list price
Listing courtesy of CityMark Realty
$1,226,000
Carmelina Dr.
4 bd · 2 ba
136.4% of list price
Listing courtesy of CityMark Realty
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
University Heights began in the land boom of the late 1880s. The College Hill Land Association, headed by Daniel Choate, subdivided a trapezoid of mesa land along the south rim of Mission Valley and filed the University Heights map on August 6, 1888. The centerpiece was to be the San Diego College of the Arts, a branch of what became the University of Southern California, but the boom collapsed by 1889 and the college was never built. East-west streets were named for U.S. presidents and north-south streets for states. In 1898 the unused college site was donated to the State for a Normal School, which opened in 1899 in a building by William S. Hebbard and Irving Gill. It became San Diego State Teachers College in 1921 and moved to Montezuma Mesa in 1931, becoming today’s San Diego State University. Streetcars shaped the neighborhood: a cable railway reached the area around 1890, John D. Spreckels’ San Diego Electric Railway took over in 1898, and a large trolley barn opened in 1913. Spreckels also developed Mission Cliff Gardens, which closed in 1930 and was replaced by housing in the early 1940s.
The original 1888 subdivision was the work of the College Hill Land Association, headed by Daniel Choate. Development was slow until after 1900, when trolley access arrived; in 1906 the University Heights Syndicate reorganized development of the area. John D. Spreckels’ San Diego Electric Railway Company was a major force, operating the streetcar line and the Mission Cliff Gardens attraction that drew riders to the end of the line. Scottish-born gardener John Davidson, hired as superintendent in 1904, built the cobblestone walls, paths and terraces that partly survive. The 1915 Panama-California Exposition helped spur apartment construction, and Mission Cliff Gardens was redeveloped as a housing tract in the early 1940s.
Architecture
University Heights was platted with long blocks of narrow, deep lots, roughly 25 by 140 feet, with alleys down the center. Most homes are one- and two-story Craftsman bungalows built between about 1910 and 1920, with scattered Victorian-era houses from the 1880s and 1890s and Prairie and Romantic Revival examples. Bungalow courts, a Mission Revival bungalow on Madison Avenue and Spanish Colonial Revival courts such as Rosamond Court on Georgia Street reflect the 1910s and 1920s. Multifamily construction began in the late 1920s, and Park Boulevard is lined with Italian Renaissance-influenced and Mission Revival-influenced apartment and commercial buildings. World War II-era infill added units behind many older homes on the deep lots, and postwar apartments filled in around Park Boulevard and Washington and Normal Streets.
University Heights does not have a single citywide-designated historic district, but many individual homes have been designated, and the City’s Uptown historic context study identifies Craftsman and Mediterranean blocks and the Park Boulevard commercial strip as potential districts. With help from the University Heights Historical Society, several Mission Cliff Gardens remnants have been designated, including the cobblestone wall along Adams Avenue, the cobblestone wall around the former lily pond near Mission Cliff Drive and North Court, the Ostrich Farm entrance at Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue, and the gate at the end of North Avenue. Owners of designated homes may apply for a Mills Act contract, which can reduce property taxes.
Living Here
University Heights mixes detached single-family homes, many of them Craftsman bungalows built around 1910 to 1920, with bungalow courts and a large share of apartments and condominiums, especially along and near Park Boulevard. The original lots are narrow and deep, so many properties have a second unit or a later building at the rear. Homes on the north side sit near the Mission Valley rim and canyon edges. Condominium buildings typically carry HOA dues. Expect older construction throughout, with many remodeled homes.
University Heights is a compact, walkable neighborhood. Park Boulevard has a row of restaurants, cafes and bars between Meade and Adams Avenues, and Adams Avenue runs east toward Normal Heights and Kensington. Trolley Barn Park on Adams Avenue has a playground, lawns and a summer Friday evening concert series. The free Adams Avenue Unplugged music walk in spring has its western end here. Diversionary Theatre stages plays on Park Boulevard, and Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo and Mission Valley are all a short drive away.
Getting Around
Walk Score: 87, Very Walkable (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/University_Heights) · Transit Score: 52, Good Transit (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/University_Heights) · Bike Score: 67, Bikeable (https://www.walkscore.com/CA/San_Diego/University_Heights)
University Heights is served by San Diego Unified School District. Alice Birney Elementary at 4345 Campus Avenue is the neighborhood’s public elementary school and has been an International Baccalaureate World School for the Primary Years Programme since the 2009-2010 school year. Middle and high school assignments depend on the address, so confirm the assigned schools for any specific home with San Diego Unified before buying.
Trolley Barn Park on Adams Avenue near Park Boulevard is the neighborhood’s main park, with canyon open space along the Mission Valley rim and Balboa Park a short trip south.
Explore University Heights
Public and charter schools closest to the heart of University Heights.
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
San Diego Unified
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 University Heights.
Park data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are approximate, measured from the center of University Heights.
University Heights sits in the center of the City of San Diego on the mesa above Mission Valley. Hillcrest lies to the southwest, North Park to the south and southeast, and Normal Heights to the east across Interstate 805. Park Boulevard runs north-south through the middle of the neighborhood, linking it to Balboa Park and downtown.
Local Favorites
Brewery and restaurant with rooftop bar
4601 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92116
Directions →Historic 1940s hotel with bars and restaurants
2223 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92104
Directions →Photos, ratings and links from Google Maps
FAQ
The 1888 subdivision was built around a planned San Diego College of the Arts that was never constructed. The site later became the State Normal School, which grew into San Diego State University and moved to Montezuma Mesa in 1931.
Yes. Walk Score rates University Heights 87, or Very Walkable, and most daily errands can be done on foot. Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue have restaurants, cafes and shops within walking distance of most homes.
Daily life revolves around Park Boulevard’s restaurant row, Adams Avenue and Trolley Barn Park, which hosts summer Friday evening concerts. The neighborhood feels residential but central, with Hillcrest, North Park and Balboa Park close by.
The neighborhood is known for Craftsman bungalows from about 1910 to 1920, along with bungalow courts and many apartment and condominium buildings. A few Victorian-era houses survive from the 1880s and 1890s.
The neighborhood is in San Diego Unified School District, and Alice Birney Elementary on Campus Avenue is an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme school. Confirm assigned schools for a specific address with the district.
Yes. Many homes are individually designated, and cobblestone walls and gateways from the old Mission Cliff Gardens have been designated as well. Designated properties may qualify for Mills Act property tax savings.
University Heights is quieter and more residential, with bungalow streets and a smaller dining strip on Park Boulevard. Hillcrest is denser, with more nightlife, shopping and medical facilities.
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 · Mission Hills · North Park · Burlingame · South Park
Header photo: Visitor7 (CC BY-SA 3.0), 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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