Petco Park

Since 2004, the home of the San Diego Padres has been Petco Park. Before Petco Park, the Padres used to play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium which is the home of the San Diego Chargers. Both the Chargers and the Padres used to share the stadium until the 2004 season.

Petco Park is a very unique stadium because it is located in the heart of downtown San Diego which is different from many stadiums around the United States. The Stadium has created an economic boost to the San Diego economy especially in downtown.

Construction started for Petco Park in 2000. The stadium was suppose to open in 2003 but opened a year later because construction workers went on strike which caused delays.

After construction was complete, Petco Park was recognized as one of the best stadiums in the country. The stadium can hold 45,000 people and has two unique features. First, they have what is know as the Park at the Park. The Park at the Park is a little park behind the batter's eye in center field which has a little wiffle ball field and a playground for little children. A ticket to go to the Park at the Park during a Padre game only cost $5 which is one of the most affordable tickets in sports. The second unique feature is the building that sits in left field. Back in the 1930's, the Western Metal Supply Company Building was the tallest building in San Diego and captures a lot of San Diego's history. The builders of Petco Park wanted to keep the history of the Western Metal Building and built the stadium around the building. It is the only stadium to have completed such a task.