The Boulevard Sign

Drive-in restaurants, malt shops and drag races are images from the good old days of El Cajon Boulevard, but one of the most visual elements of that era was the spectacular display of neon signs. It wasn't Las Vegas, but for San Diego, an evening drive down the bright and colorful Boulevard is a fond memory for those who were in San Diego during the 1940s through the 1960s.

To fill the void of lost neon signage, the spectacular Boulevard gateway sign was erected in 1989 to return to the glory of neon. City officials and local business leaders saw the sign as a major new landmark which would promote the Boulevard as a destination and encourage further community revitalization efforts.

March 2009 marked the 20th Anniversary of The Boulevard gateway sign, which is located near the intersection of Park and El Cajon Boulevard. Just as planned, this monumental occasion has come to represent 20 years of progress and revitalization. With the establishment of the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association, the last 20 years has seen the area's reemergence as a retail, and more recently, residential destination. Since the installation of the sign, the Association has installed 165 ornamental streetlights, landscaped miles of medians, repaired sidewalks, and planted hundreds of trees.