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21-426: The station is located at the intersection of Rosecrans Street/Taylor Street and Pacific Highway, adjacent to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and the freeway intersection of Interstate 5 and Interstate 8 . It is also located about two miles southeast of SeaWorld San Diego and Mission Bay , providing access to the northernmost beaches in the city of San Diego. Free parking (Park & Ride) for up to 24-hours

42-648: A new county courthouse in New Town, and Downtown permanently eclipsed Old Town as the focal point of San Diego. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park preserves and recreates Old Town as it existed during the Mexican and early American periods, from its settlement in 1821, through 1872 when it lost its dominant position to Downtown. The Old Town area is a popular tourist destination, known especially for its Mexican restaurants. The state park itself hosts several eating establishments, and other restaurants and gift shops are found in

63-752: Is available in the Transit Center lots. Old Town Transit Center was built in the early 1990s, and the San Diego Trolley 's North/South Line was extended here on June 16, 1996. In November 1997, the line, renamed the Blue Line , was extended into Mission Valley . When the Green Line service was introduced with the opening of the Mission Valley East extension on July 10, 2005, the Blue Line's northern terminus

84-452: Is immediately adjacent to Old Town State Historic Park. After five years the Mission moved to a location several miles upriver at the present site of Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Presidio Hill remained the primary settlement for several decades because it was defensible against attack by European enemies or hostile Native Americans. As the need for defense decreased, settlers preferred to live at

105-1067: The Mexico–United States border in San Ysidro . The Old Town Transit Center hosts passenger trains operating on Amtrak 's Pacific Surfliner intercity rail route and on the COASTER commuter rail service. Of the 22 weekday Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains operating in San Diego, 18 of them stop at the Old Town Transit Center, though the Surfliner trains operating at Old Town do not offer checked luggage service, and stop at Old Town to board passengers (northbound trains) or detrain passengers (southbound trains) only, respectively. Amtrak ridership at Old Town Transit Center has exploded between Fiscal Year 2011 and 2013. In Fiscal Year 2011, there were just 22,867 boardings and detrainings at Old Town (which

126-584: The West Coast of the present-day United States was the San Diego Presidio , a military outpost of Spanish California , founded by Gaspar de Portolà in 1769. Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded by Father Junípero Serra the same year. The Presidio and Mission were originally built on a bluff above the San Diego River , Presidio Hill, which is now the site of the city-owned Presidio Park and which

147-720: The Green Line added cars and offer more frequent service to the San Diego Convention Center , Petco Park , Snapdragon Stadium , and Viejas Arena when necessary. As part of the Mid Coast Trolley Project, on November 21, 2021, the Blue Line returned to service the Old Town station. The Blue Line provides access to places such as the University of California, San Diego , Jacobs Medical Center , Westfield UTC , and

168-523: The Green Line though Old Town to downtown San Diego. The Trolley's Mid-Coast extension that was completed in November 2021 extends to serve the University City area. Old Town also operates as a bus transit center for San Diego Metropolitan Transit System 's routes 8, 9, 10, 28, 30, 35, 44, 83, 88, and 105. There is an underground pedestrian tunnel linking bus terminals on both sides of the station with

189-509: The San Diego Trolley services, while the other two tracks are used for COASTER, Amtrak, and BNSF freight service. Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is a state protected historical park in the Old Town neighborhood of San Diego, California . The park commemorates the early days of San Diego; it includes many historic buildings from

210-403: The base of the hill because of greater convenience. In the 1820s the town of San Diego grew up at the base of the bluff, at the site commemorated by Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. The Presidio was abandoned and fell into disrepair. During the pueblo period following Mexican independence, the Old Town area was the commercial and governmental hub of the region, even though its population

231-521: The cultural history of San Diego. They have boutiques, antique stores, retro shops, outlet centers and local independently owned shops. They also have diverse shops that highlight upcoming artists' work and their culture. There is no charge to enter the state park or any of its museums. The museums include: The commercial facilities in Old Town State Park, such as restaurants and gift shops, are managed by outside contractors. For more than 30 years

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252-568: The largest single contractor was Bazaar del Mundo ("Bazaar of the World"), run by San Diego businesswoman Diane Powers. In a controversial move, in 2005 the state park agency did not renew her contract but awarded it to Plaza del Pasado ("Plaza of the Past"), run by Delaware North Companies. The goal was to create a more authentic and historically accurate presentation and appreciation of life and commerce in San Diego from 1821 to 1872. However revenue plunged under

273-641: The new management. In spring 2009, Delaware North withdrew from its contract with the state and management changed hands to the Old Town Family Hospitality Corporation, headed by local restaurateur Chuck Ross. The commercial area is now called Fiesta de Reyes ("Festival of the Kings"). San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

294-525: The past two years.) Of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, the Old Town Transit Center was the 25th-busiest in Fiscal Year 2013, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 372 passengers daily. Old Town Transit Center is also a light rail station on the San Diego Trolley 's Green Line . This station originally served as that line's terminus, until a system realignment in September 2012 extended

315-532: The period 1820 to 1870. The park was established in 1968. In 2005 and 2006, California State Parks listed Old Town San Diego as the most visited state park in California. In 1969, the site was registered as California Historical Landmark No. 830. Then on September 3, 1971, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Old Town San Diego Historic District . The first European settlement on

336-465: The surrounding neighborhood. Five original adobe buildings are part of the complex, which includes shops, restaurants and museums. Other historic buildings include a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, San Diego's first newspaper office, a cigar and pipe store, houses and gardens, and a stable with a carriage collection. There are also stores, with local artisans demonstrating their craft. The shops located in this area are festive and distinctive that capture

357-671: The town. When California was admitted to the United States in 1850, San Diego (still largely limited to the Old Town area) was made the county seat of San Diego County , even though the town's population was only 650. The Old Town area remained the heart of the city of San Diego until the 1860s, when a newcomer to San Diego named Alonzo Horton began to promote development at the site of present-day downtown San Diego . Residents and businesses quickly abandoned " Old Town " for Horton's "New Town" because of New Town's proximity to shipping. In 1871 government records were moved from Old Town to

378-581: The trolley/train areas. The station is also served by San Diego International Airport 's San Diego Flyer shuttle which operates every 20 to 30 minutes between the Old Town Transit Center, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The station also sees service from UC San Diego 's Triton Transit Hillcrest Express, which connects passengers with the UC San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest , University of San Diego shuttles, and FlixBus intercity motorcoaches. There are four tracks; two tracks are designated for

399-578: Was a 5.79% increase over Fiscal Year 2010). In Fiscal Year 2012, boardings and detrainings at Old Town rose to 61,118, a 167% increase over FY2011. As of Fiscal Year 2013, the Amtrak ridership figure has continued to rise, to 135,749 boardings and detrainings, a further 122% increase over FY2012. (There has been a corresponding decrease in Amtrak boardings at Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego over this same period, possibly indicating that some Amtrak boardings have been relocating from Santa Fe Depot to Old Town over

420-629: Was never more than a few hundred. San Diego during this period is vividly described by Richard Henry Dana Jr. in his classic book Two Years Before the Mast . In 1834 the Mexican government granted San Diego the status of a pueblo or chartered town; however, its pueblo status was revoked in 1838 due to declining population. One problem limiting the town's growth was its location far from navigable water. All imports and exports had to be brought ashore in Point Loma and carried several miles over La Playa Trail to

441-475: Was pushed back to this station, which also served as the Green Line's western terminus. During a system redesign on September 2, 2012, as part of the Trolley Renewal Project, MTS extended the western terminus of the Green Line from this station to 12th & Imperial Bayside Terminal and shortened the Blue Line's northern terminus to America Plaza . The Special Event Line was eliminated; and instead,

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