Central San Diego can best be described as the heart and soul of San Diego county, as well as being the most central district of the county.

The downtown district of San Diego is well known for its numerous street districts like the Marina, East village, Gas Lamp, Cortez Hill, Little Italy, and Horton Plaza. This is the financial district of San Diego as well as a major port for the US Naval Fleet.

Just north of downtown San Diego are the areas of Hillcrest, North Park, and slightly east is Kennsington and Talmadge. These communities live on the flat mesa overlooking Mission Valley, which is just due North.