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District 3's historic trees, buildings, and businesses
Livability and Happiness
Livability and Happiness
Welcome to Our Happy Tree Walks website! Our purpose is to encourage residents and visitors in San Diego's District 3 to enjoy the warm street livability of its historic Bankers Hill neighborhood. See lots of beautiful trees, heritage buildings, and enjoyable locally owned shops, bars, and restaurants.
Why we made these walks:
Why we made these walks:
At the February 2025 meeting of the San Diego City’s Community Forest Advisory Board (CFAB) it was decided to create a Subcommittee on Community Outreach. The representative of District 3 (includes Bankers Hill) suggested that a tree-oriented project to encourage Community Happiness and Livability might be worth exploring.
We decided to create a website that would encourage resident interest in the street trees, buildings, and businesses of Bankers Hill. Four walks were designed that are easy to navigate on computers or smartphones with maps, photos, and guides.
The results are here for you to see, free of charge and with no commercial ties.
This is a pilot! if you have any comments we would be delighted to receive them summer of 2025 so we can improve the website and suggest similar projects for other San Diego districts and communities.
Thanks for being the first users of Our Happy Tree Walks!
Visit the CFAB website here.
Balboa's rich tree history is uncovered with a walk through Balboa Park's large and mature trees.
Livability at its finest: from Olive Street Park, along Quince Street, and beyond
The Happy Modern Village Life of 5th Avenue.
Jacarandas create their own floral street festival in April and May. Here's where to see them.
Bankers Hill - Geography Lesson
Bankers Hill - Geography Lesson
District 3
District 3
San Diego's District 3 includes Bankers Hill, Balboa Park, Downtown, Old Town, North Park, Normal Heights and more!
Banker's Hill
Banker's Hill
Bankers hill starts at the North end of Balboa Park (Upas Street) and meets I-5 at the South end. Its West border follows Reynard Way.
Are there many trees in Bankers Hill?
Are there many trees in Bankers Hill?
Aside from Balboa Park itself, Bankers Hill / Uptown area has the densest tree canopy in San Diego!
In 2021, 27% of Uptown (Bankers Hill and Hillcrest) was shaded by trees. That's pretty good, considering the national average is 26%, and much lower in mediterranean regions like San Diego. Overall, San Diego's tree cover was 15% in 2021.
At the time of this survey, 18% of Bankers Hill was still available for greening. The City has since planted some new trees, including the ones feature on our Olive St Walk below. However, a goal of 43% urban canopy cover should be strived for to offset the negative impacts of urbanization.
Tree Resources: Learning for All
Tree Resources: Learning for All
Prepare to explore with the Seek App
Prepare to explore with the Seek App
Download the app here.
Seek by iNaturalist is a plant and animal ID app that can help you learn to recognize the diverse tree species in Bankers Hill and beyond. This app is available for all smartphones, records each observation, and can even be made a fun game by completing weekly challenges. The "My Observations" tab keeps species you've identified for you to return to at any time.
Learn more about how to use this excellent tool here. It's as easy as point and shoot to ID plants and animals right away!
Want to go further? iNaturalist allows you to post and share your observations to the public, where they are reviewed by experts.
Find more information or download the app on the iNaturalist website
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