Mission Hills, San Diego

Mission Hills is a neighborhood of San Diego, California. It is located on hills just south of the San Diego River valley and north of downtown San Diego, overlooking Old Town and San Diego Bay.

The area is affluent, primarily residential, with some small shops and restaurants. The area was developed in the early 20th century and most of the houses are still from that era, carefully preserved and restored. Some of them were designed by San Diego’s premier architect, Irving Gill.

The famous horticulturalist Kate Sessions helped to develop Mission Hills. She founded the Mission Hills Nursery, which is still an active business after more than 100 years.

Several public, private, and religious schools are located in Mission Hills. The best known is the “lower school” campus of the private Francis Parker School, founded in 1912.