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About the Port of San Diego

The Port is where San Diego greets the world. This waterfront of opportunity welcomes millions of visitors each year and creates prosperity in our communities.

The Imperial Beach Pier stretched into the Pacific Ocean

Building a 21st Century Port

The Port of San Diego manages San Diego Bay and 34 miles of its beautiful, natural waterfront for the people of California. The Port was established in 1962 under the Port Act and is charged with implementing the Public Trust Doctrine. For over fifty years, the Port's five member cities - Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego - have worked together to develop and promote commerce, navigation, recreation and fisheries on and around San Diego Bay. Self-funded, the Port contributes billions annually to San Diego’s economy, benefiting the community, local businesses and employees. Businesses at the Port provide thousands of well-paying jobs, supporting individuals and families throughout the region. Each year, millions of people enjoy a remarkable way of life offered by San Diego Bay and its waterfront communities. 

 


 

Discover Our Five Member Cities

  • Chula Vista

    Chula Vista

    Chula Vista is located at the south end of San Diego Bay. The Port and the City of Chula Vista are partnering to redevelop the Chula Vista Bayfront, the West Coast's largest waterfront development opportunity. The bayfront is a 535-acre parcel that is being transformed into a thriving destination with new parks, a resort hotel and convention center, restaurants, shops and a marina, under a shovel-ready master plan. The implosion and demolition of a power plant, the extension of an arterial roadway and other improvements have "set the table" for development. Private investments will fund public improvements, and when it's complete more than half of the land will be dedicated to the public realm, including parks, open space, habitat preservation, roads and waterways.

    Visit the Chula Vista Bayfront
  • Coronado

    Coronado

    Coronado was established in the 1880s on a peninsula that extends into San Diego Bay. The Port of San Diego oversees the Coronado Ferry Landing with its thriving shops and restaurants. At Coronado Tidelands Park, the Port installed a special playground demonstrating the concept of "universal design" for people with disabilities. The City of Coronado and the Port partnered on $1.2 million in improvements to the Glorietta Bay Boat Launch, which has operated continuously for over 40 years. A remodeled dock now accommodates boats, kayaks, paddleboards and rowing sculls.

    Visit Coronado
  • Imperial Beach

    Imperial Beach

    Imperial Beach is the most southwesterly city in the continental U.S., flanked by the Pacific Ocean and South San Diego Bay. This classic Southern California town is nestled between miles of oceanfront beaches and wetlands teeming with wildlife. Since the late 1990s, the Port of San Diego invested more than $15 million in capital improvements, contributing to a vibrant downtown with the development of Portwood Pier Plaza. The plaza is anchored by the iconic Imperial Beach Pier, a combined lifeguard tower/sheriff's substation, and a park. An undeveloped, Port-owned parcel known as Pond 20 is within City of San Diego jurisdiction but located at the entrance of Imperial Beach.

    Visit the Imperial Beach Pier
  • National City

    National City

    The National City Bayfront is made up of 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water managed by the Port of San Diego under the Tidelands Trust. Major Port assets in this area include the National City Marine Terminal, a major center for automobile imports and exports, which processes more than 400,000 vehicles per year. Public amenities include Pepper Park, Pier 32 Marina, the Port Aquatic Center, and public art pieces. The Port, in partnership with the City of National City, is pursuing a land use plan to rebalance the waterfront. The National City Balanced Plan was developed in cooperation with the City of National City, community and business stakeholders. Among many improvements to facilitate public access, recreation, commercial development and maritime cargo operations, the plan envisions eventually increasing the total size of Pepper Park by nearly 50 percent.

    Visit the National City Marina
  • San Diego

    San Diego

    San Diego's downtown area follows the shoreline of San Diego Bay and is home to the Port's cruise business and many Port hotels and restaurants. The Port of San Diego partnered with the City of San Diego and Civic San Diego to invest $31.5 million in improvements to the visitor experience under the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, with benefits including improved traffic flow, a widened public esplanade, jacaranda gardens, public art and a new public plaza. The Port is currently planning to redevelop a major portion of the southern downtown waterfront, the Central Embarcadero, and Harbor Island, which is a prime location near San Diego International Airport. These redevelopment efforts will support better public access to the water and enhanced waterfront dining and retail offerings. To the south of downtown lies the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, a hub for specialty cargo.

    Visit the Embarcadero
    Visit Harbor Island
    Visit Shelter Island

21st Century Marina Uncropped

Facts About the Port of San Diego

22public parks

64,410regional jobs

$9.2billion regional impact

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