Mission Valley

Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east-west in San Diego, California, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean. For planning purposes it is divided into two neighborhoods: Mission Valley East and Mission Valley West. Mission Valley was the site of the first Spanish settlement in California, established in 1769. Mission Valley nowadays serves as an important shopping and entertainment center for San Diego. Some condominiums and apartments can be found in the area as well. The San Diego River valley was originally called La Cañada de San Diego. Cañada in Spanish means gully, ravine, or glen. The name was changed to Mission Valley in the 1860s in reference to Mission San Diego de Alcalá. The Mission Valley...