On your next trip to California, you want to know which San Diego neighborhoods to avoid and the best areas to stay. Indeed, you should not choose the location of your accommodation at random because you risk finding yourself in a red light district or a dangerous district of San Diego.
So that’s the purpose of this article: Find out which neighborhoods to avoid in San Diego and the best neighborhoods to stay in.
San Diego dangerous city in 2024?
NO in 2024, San Diego is not one of the most dangerous cities in the world. And it is even one of the least dangerous cities in the United States (see wikipedia article Crime in San Diego).
According to Numbeo ranking of cities in North America, San Diego is in the bottom of the table of the most criminal cities with a crime index of only 36.80.
See its position among the most criminal North American cities on the Numbeo.com website map:
And according to the world ranking, in comparison, San Diego would be less dangerous than Lima, Cancun, Milan, Nice ou London.
However, this ranking is established according to the feelings of Internet users according to their own criteria. These are not official figures on the insecurity of the different classified cities.
Indeed, the biggest insecurity problem in San Diego is linked to its geographic location. Remember that San Diego is located 15 km from Tijuana. This explains the problems linked to drugs, gangs, Mexican cartels and migrant smuggling.
Is San Diego safe for tourists?
In 2024, San Diego is no more dangerous for tourists than other major American cities. Indeed, crime in San Diego is not linked to tourists except for theft or fraud crimes. In fact, violent crimes and homicides are directly linked to drugs (trafficking, networks, gang warfare).
To see for yourself the type of crime in San Diego for 2024, here is the link to the official statistics from the police department.
That said, tourists must remain cautious and avoid some reputedly dangerous neighborhoods in San Diego when choosing a hotel or walking around at night.
San Diego neighborhoods map
The city of San Diego is divided into 52 districts, the complete list of which can be found at Wikipedia. Each district is made up of neighborhoods of which 100 are officially referenced.
To identify the dangerous neighborhoods of San Diego but also the best places to stay, here is a map where you can locate them: Google Map
Areas to Avoid in San Diego
South East San Diego is the area with the most gangs. Suddenly, the neighborhoods in this area are sensitive areas and should be avoided for tourists:
San Diego's Most Dangerous Neighborhoods
According to various classifications like Areavibes.com, updradeshome, Crimegrade.com, neighborhood scout, here is the non-exhaustive list of the most dangerous neighborhoods in San Diego for 2024:
Note that these neighborhoods are not very dangerous but compared to other neighborhoods in San Diego, they have the highest rates of crime (all things considered: theft, delinquency, criminality).
Best neighborhoods to stay in San Diego
It's hard to tell you which is the best and most beautiful neighborhood in San Diego. Indeed, San Diego is a city where the neighborhoods are all different with their own identity and atmosphere. As a result, a neighborhood may seem pleasant to some and less attractive to others.
However, I can communicate to you for 2024 the safest and most popular neighborhoods according to local real estate agencies and websites:
- La Jolla
- Point Loma Peninsula
- Pacific beach
- North Park
- Normal Heights
- South Park
- Mission Hills
- Gaslamp Quarter
- Hillcrest
These neighborhoods are those with lower per capita crime rates compared to other neighborhoods. This does not mean that they are completely safe, but simply less dangerous than the others.
Where to stay in San Diego for tourists?
Now discover the 2 neighborhoods preferred by tourists who come to visit or vacation in San Diego:
Downtown and Gazlamp: Tourist districts
Downtown San Diego is the best area for a first tourist visit. Indeed, it is in this area that the best restaurants are concentrated and it is the most practical for visiting the tourist sites of San Diego.
Downtown includes huge office buildings but also beautiful buildings from the Victorian era, many bars, restaurants, shops and the small historic and picturesque district of Gaslamp.
Here is a hotel that I recommend for its location in the heart of the Gaslam district: Hotel Indigo San Diego
Coronado Island for a seaside stay in San Diego
The majority of luxury hotels in San Diego are located in Downtown and on thecoronado island. This island is easily accessible by road from the rest of San Diego as it is connected by a bridge. It is San Diego's reputedly richest and most expensive resort.
Here is the hotel that I recommend if you want to spend a dream vacation facing one of the most beautiful beaches in San Diego on Coronado Island: Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa
Mission Bay – Mission Beach for a festive stay
In the Mission Bay neighborhood, on the northern part of Point Loma is Ocean Beach. It is an area very popular with tourists who are looking for one of the most beautiful beaches in San Diego, surf spots, a bohemian atmosphere but above all lots of entertainment.
It's the perfect location to visit the Sea World water park while still being close to downtown, the airport and San Diego's most beautiful neighborhood of La Jolla.
The hotel that I recommend to you below is located in Mission Beach facing the beach and with good value for money. See Mission Beach San Diego Hotel
How to visit San Diego?
Here is a convenient and interesting way to visit San Diego's must-see sites: Guided tour of San Diego
This study brings together serious information from economic media, local press, rankings and web statistics. It is a synthesis of data that does not involve any judgment or discrimination.
I've lived in San Diego for decades. The neighborhoods to avoid list is pretty accurate. The dangerous neighborhoods- Little Italy, downtown, Kearny Mesa, makes things a LOT more scary than they are. Very mild crime.
Your recommendation of Mission Beach for staying is a bit strange. Mission Beach is pretty much backward baseball hat wearing bro's and ho'skind of an area. Lots of alcohol fueled testosterone rage. Most locals don't bother going there. It's for “basic” twentysomethings who are future raging alcoholics. 😀
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