Tustin Old Town is an area centered around a group of historic buildings located on Main Street and El Camino Real which date back to the 1880s. Among the early businesses and structures in Tustin were a blacksmith shop, a combined grocery store/meat market, a business and feed store building, churches and school buildings. The present day museum is located in a historic old building which has housed many businesses over the decades.
Main Street runs from Williams Street on the west to just past Newport Avenue on the east. Today, its one-and-a-half miles reveal over twelve decades of Tustin's past. Tourists are advised to park their cars and follow a map to "Take Main Street to Tustin History." This sidewalk tour has three short side trips to expand the study. The total walking distance is just over two miles, but in that distance Southern California's past is illuminated in a special way.
The goals of the Tustin Old Town Association are to promote local business, to market the area to new businesses, to create a cohesiveness where everyone works for the common good, to maintain the historic heritage of the area, and to work with the City to attract more customers to the area. It is an excellent example of how private enterprise, working in cooperation with local government officials and policy makers, can revitalize an area within a community.
The Tustin Old Town Association recognizes the unique and varied economic interests and needs of Old Town business and property owners and encourages economic growth through new development and revitalization while maintaining the integrity of historic Old Town Tustin.