La Jolla, San Diego, California

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Wipeout Beach
Wipeout Beach
View from Windansea Beach
View from Windansea Beach

La Jolla (pronunciation IPA: /ləˈhɔɪə/, i.e. “lah-HOY-yah”) is a seaside resort community of 42,808[1] residents within the city of San Diego, California. La Jolla borders Pacific Beach to the south and extends north to Torrey Pines State Reserve and Del Mar, California. Along the way it encompasses neighborhoods[2] like Bird Rock, Windansea, The Village of La Jolla , La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Farms, Torrey Pines, Mount Soledad and La Jolla Village (including La Jolla Village Square). Interstate 5 forms La Jolla's man-made border to the east, with the exception of some University of California, San Diego and commercial property east of I-5 and north of La Jolla Village Drive, which is also part of La Jolla.

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Boomer's Beach
Boomer's Beach

La Jolla residents and business owners sometimes refer to the "city", "village," or "town" of La Jolla. Although the name is sometimes said to mean "the jewel" (from the Spanish "la joya"), it is actually derived from a Native American tribe, the La Jolla band of Luiseno Indians, which inhabited the area for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish. The U.S. Postal Service has designated "La Jolla" as the only acceptable place name for use in mailing addresses for the ZIP Codes covering the area, even though such addresses lie within the San Diego city limits.[3] These conventions can give the impression that La Jolla is a separate incorporated city, even though it is part of the City of San Diego.

La Jolla has several community groups which work to unify the voice of the community. The La Jolla Community Planning Association advises the City Council, Planning Commission, City Planning Department as well as other Governmental agency as appropriate in the initial preparation, adoption of, implementation of, or amendment to the General or Community Plan as it pertains to the La Jolla area.[4] The non-profit La Jolla Town Council[5] organization represents the interests of the La Jolla businesses that belong to the Council.

Additionally, a group that calls itself Independent La Jolla was formed in 2004 to advocate for the secession of La Jolla from the City of San Diego.

  • La Jolla Farms - the homes on top of the cliffs above Black's Beach and adjacent to the western boundary of the UCSD campus.
  • La Jolla Shores - the residential area and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus along La Jolla Shores beach and east up the hillside. Also includes a small business district of shops and restaurants along Avenida de la Playa.
  • La Jolla Heights - the homes on the hills overlooking La Jolla Shores. No businesses.
  • Hidden Valley - lower portion of Mount Soledad on the northern slopes. No businesses.
  • Country Club - lower Mount Soledad on the north-west side, including the La Jolla Country Club golf course.
  • Village - a.k.a. Village of La Jolla (not to be confused with La Jolla Village) the "downtown" business district area, including most of La Jolla's shops and restaurants, and the immediately surrounding residential areas.
  • Beach-Barber Tract - the coastal section from Windansea Beach to the Village. A few shops and restaurants, mostly on La Jolla Blvd.
  • Lower Hermosa - coastal strip south of Beach-Barber Tract. No businesses.
  • Bird Rock - southern/coastal La Jolla, and the lower slopes of Mt Soledad in the area. Shops and restaurants along La Jolla Blvd.
  • Muirlands - relatively large area on western middle slope of Mt. Soledad. No businesses.
  • La Jolla Mesa - A strip on the lower southern side of Mt. Soledad, bordering Pacific Beach.
  • La Jolla Alta - The neighborhood east of La Jolla Mesa.
  • Soledad South - Southeastern slopes of Mount Soledad, all the way up to the top, east of La Jolla Alta.
  • Muirlands West - The neighborhood between Muirlands to the south, and Country Club - to the north.
  • Upper Hermosa - North of Bird Rock, east of La Jolla Blvd.
  • La Jolla Village - (not to be confused with the Village of La Jolla) - north-east La Jolla, east of La Jolla Heights, north and west of I-5, and south of UCSD. This neighborhood's namesake, The La Jolla Village Square shopping and residential mall, including La Jolla's two movie theatres, is located here.

It should be noted that The Village (of La Jolla) and La Jolla Village are distinct neighborhoods within La Jolla.

The University of California, San Diego (including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the San Diego Supercomputer Center) is the center of higher education in La Jolla. National University is also headquartered in La Jolla. Among the several research institutes near UCSD and in the nearby Torrey Pines Science Park are The Scripps Research Institute, the Burnham Institute (formerly called the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation) and the Salk Institute. The community's prep schools are La Jolla Country Day School, The Bishop's School, and The Preuss School UCSD. Elementary schools include Integral Elementary School of La Jolla, Delphi Academy, All Hallows Academy, Evans, Torrey Pines Elementary and La Jolla Elementary. The public high school, La Jolla High School, is in the San Diego City Schools district.

Sunset at La Jolla
Sunset at La Jolla
La Jolla Cove
La Jolla Cove
View from La Jolla Cove
View from La Jolla Cove

La Jolla, like most of Southern California, is an area of great natural beauty with a mixture of geology - sandy beaches and rocky shorelines good for a variety of outdoor activities. The area has a number of public beaches, parks, as well as shopping areas.

The most compelling geographical highlights of La Jolla is its ocean front, where residents and visitors can enjoy the alternating rugged and sandy coast line and view wild seal congregations. Popular sandy beaches, dotting the coastline from the south to the north, are:

Mount Soledad is covered with the narrow roads that follow its contours and hundreds of homes overlooking the ocean on its slopes. It is the home of the large concrete Mount Soledad Easter Cross built in 1954, later designated a Korean War Memorial, that became the center of a controversy over the display of religious symbols on government property.

The landscape of La Jolla today is shaped by its development. With palm-lined streets, large estate homes in masterplanned and gated developments, La Jolla has become one of the most expensive neighborhoods in San Diego, boasting some of the country's most wealthy people.

La Jolla is also the location of Torrey Pines Golf Course, made famous by the PGA Tour's Buick Invitational held there each February (in 2005 and 2007, the competition was held in January). The 2008 U.S. Open will be held on the south course June 9 to 15th. Down the steep cliffs from the Salk Institute and the Torrey Pines Golf Course is the famous de facto nude beach, Black's Beach.

Walking along the beach at all times (but especially at sunset) is popular recreation. Those ambling along may be able to glimpse the “Green Flash”.

Downtown La Jolla is noted for its jewelry stores, upmarket restaurants and hotels. Prospect Street and Girard Avenue also have several famous boutiques and restaurants (including local favorites, such as the Girard Gourmet and Harry's Coffee Shop). Notable for its architectural and historical presence is the La Valencia Hotel, which used to welcome movie stars on retreat from Hollywood during the silent film era.

Skimboarding and surfing are very popular at many of La Jolla's beaches including Windansea Beach.

Ocean swimming at La Jolla Cove is very popular year round, where a swimming channel in the underwater park is demarcated and marked at 1/4 and 1/2 mile distances with buoys. For many years, La Jolla has been the host of a rough water swim. The events are the 250 meter junior swim for people twelve years of age and under, the one mile amateur swim for people 18 and under, the one mile masters swim for people nineteen and over, and the Gator man, a three mile swim from the La Jolla Cove to the Scripps Pier and back. It is available for everyone, but people under 18 must have a note from their coach. In order to compete in the amateur or junior events, one must also be a member of USA swimming.

Spectacular views of the ocean and much of San Diego can be seen from the Mount Soledad Memorial Park at the top of Mount Soledad.

“La Jolla” is pronounced /la'hoja/ not /la'hoʒa/, as one might expect due to the pronunciation of the orthographic “ll” in the Spanish of most of Latin America. The area was known as “La Jolla Park” at least as early as 1886. The origin of the name is obscure. Some say it is a corruption of “ahoy”, called out by sailors seeking the attention of people on the shore. Promoters of La Jolla claim it is from the Spanish “la joya”, meaning the jewel. A more likely though less glamorous theory is that “La Jolla” is a corruption of the Native American word “Woholle”, meaning hole in the mountain, referring to the caves in the north-facing cliffs next to La Jolla Cove Park.[6] Most of these have since either collapsed due to ongoing erosion, or have been intentionally destroyed by local authorities to prevent the drownings that were once frequent occurrences.[citation needed]

La Jolla
La Jolla

Coordinates: 32°50′24″N, 117°16′37″W

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