Historically , Little Italy in San Diego was the home to Italian fishermen and their families . Many Italians moved to San Diego from San Francisco after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake in search of tuna and other deep-sea sport and commercial fish . When Interstate 5 was constructed through Little Italy in the early 1970s , 35 % of the neighborhood was destroyed and during the same time the California tuna industry was declining , which caused the neighborhood to suffer nearly 30 years of decline . With the creation of the Little Italy Association in 1996 , the neighborhood has gone through gentrification and has seen a renaissance as Community Benefit District specializing in Italian food , boutique shopping and maintenance that makes this shopping district the place to live in Downtown San Diego . Prior to gentrification , the neighborhood was mainly composed of low-density commercial businesses and single-family detached homes . Currently , the neighborhood is mainly composed of residential units , mostly mid-rises , high-rises , and lofts , with ground floor retail stores and a few commercial buildings
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Italian Americans