National City - Chula Vista Neighbor

The second oldest city in San Diego County is National City. It was incorporated in 1887. Being close to the Mexican border, about 10 miles to the south, and with the City of San Diego a few miles to the north, National City is a prime location for business. National City is the headquarters of the Pacific Reserve Fleet of the United State Navy and home to the USS Ronald Reagan.
National City was once part of the old Rancho de la Nacion. Frank, Levi, George and Warren Kimball purchased 26,000 acres of the old ranch and named it National City in 1868. This area became known as a post-Civil War land boom that grew overnight. It was said that the first modern house in San Diego was built by Frank Kimball and had a bathtub with hot running water. The Kimball brothers prepped the land for a railroad so that the area was set for growth and expansion. A real estate boom kicked off in National City and land was bought and sold many times over as it rose in price. The city was advertised to east coast people showing them the great opportunities that National City had to offer, primarily the great climate that we still enjoy in San Diego´s South Bay area today and the future growth potential. Many Victorian homes were built at this time many of which still stand today and are restored. This real estate boom ended when the Santa Fe Railroad decided to make Los Angeles its main terminal instead of San Diego in 1889. The San Diego Southern Railway was operating the former Coronado Railroad and National City & Otay Railway since 1908.
The first residence of the area was the California Indians. Then the Mission San Diego de Alcala was built. Later the soldiers of the Presidio took the land over for use as grazing land. They named the land the Ranch of the King or "El Ranch del Rey. Later the land was given to Don Juan Forester by his brother in law, the governor of California Pio Pico. Don Juan called the land El Ranch de la Nacion.
Before the California Indians there were earlier residents, although not human. The American mastodon used to live in National City long ago. Remains of one such mastodon was found in the Pleistocene-age siltstones (rock composed of hardened silt) in National City. National City Real Estate is again on the move. Southern California has been on the rise now for quite a few years, although National City has not seen the kind of massive gains as some other South Bay areas have seen. National City is modernizing and is a great place to purchase real estate. It is still one of the affordable places to buy in San Diego. There are also many plans for future growth and modernization. If you would like more information on real estate in National City contact us or call us today for more information. 619-656-6700.