San Diego Communities

Mission Beach is a community built on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay. It is part of the city of San Diego, California.

Mission Beach spans nearly two miles of ocean front. It is bounded by the San Diego River estuary on the south, Mission Bay Park on the east, and the community of Pacific Beach on the north. A boardwalk runs along the beaches on both the ocean and bay sides of the community. The main artery through Mission Beach is Mission Boulevard. The community is divided into South Mission, a peninsula, and North Mission. At the south end of the beach a jetty, with grass, parking and a walk, extends into the ocean.

Attractions near Mission Beach include SeaWorld in Mission Bay Park and the historic amusement park Belmont Park in South Mission Beach. Belmont Park was originally built as the Mission Beach Amusement Center by John D. Spreckels in 1925 to stimulate real estate sales and to promote his electric railway. Belmont Park now features the original wooden Giant Dipper Roller Coaster as well as newer rides such as the FlowRider® at Wave House, Chaos, Vertical Plunge, Krazy Kars, Tilt-a-Whirl, Liberty Carousel, Crazy Submarine, The Beach Blaster, and The Chaos.

Mission Beach offers opportunities to participate in sunbathing, horseshoes, surfing, bicycling, skateboarding, Frisbee tossing, and other outdoor activities. This is a great area for weekly vacation rentals. The summer months and spring break are very high volume tourism season for Mission Beach.

Pacific Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego, bounded by La Jolla to the north, Mission Beach and Mission Bay to the south, Interstate 5 to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. While largely populated by young people, surfers, and college students, the population is becoming older, more professional, and more affluent due to rising property and rental costs. "P.B.," as it is known as by local residents, is home to one of San Diego's larger nightlife scenes, with dozens of bars, eateries, and clothing stores.

Pacific Beach public schools are art of the San Diego Unified School District. They include Mission Bay Senior High School, Pacific Beach Middle School, and several elementary schools. In addition to bordering the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay Park, Pacific Beach includes Kate Sessions Park and the Pacific Beach Recreation Center.

Downtown San Diego (also referred to as Centre City) is the city center of San Diego, California, U.S. and the central business district of San Diego County. In 2004, Centre City San Diego had a population of 28,586.

Centre City San Diego is delimited by San Diego Bay to the west and southwest, Bankers Hill, Middletown, and Balboa Park to the north, Sherman Heights and Golden Hill to the east, and Barrio Logan and Logan Heights to the southeast. San Diego International Airport is just northwest of downtown.

In the past decade, downtown San Diego has benefitted from revitalization and redevelopment and has become a vibrant live, work, play community. CCDC has been actively redeveloping downtown, and it is now a highly desirable address.

Downtown Districts & Neighborhoods

Columbia, the west district of downtown.

Core District, the central business district of downtown.

Cortez Hill, the north-east district of downtown.

East Village, the east district of downtown, which is home to Petco Park and surrounding Ballpark Village.

Gaslamp Quarter, a two by ten block night life district in central Downtown Little Italy, the north-west district of downtown.

Marina, the south-west district of downtown, which is home to Seaport Village.

Horton District, the district comprising Horton Plaza and adjacent buildings in central downtown.

Seaport Village, a tourist district within the Marina District, which is not an official district or neighborhood.

La Jolla is a wealthy seaside resort community, occupying seven miles of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. Although within the northern city limits of San Diego, California, La Jolla retains its own small-town atmosphere and its own civic pride. Home to roughly 42,808 residents, La Jolla is defined on three sides by its rugged coastline of ocean bluffs and beaches, backed by steep canyons and hillsides culminating at Mount Soledad. Located twelve miles north of Downtown San Diego, and 40 miles south of Orange County California, La Jolla is probably best known for its beautiful weather year round with an average daily temperature of 70.5 °F making this area a tourist hotspot. In addition, La Jolla is well known for its elite shopping and dining, with upscale boutiques, import shops, and gourmet restaurants lining Prospect Street.

La Jolla is home to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the Salk Institute, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

La Jolla Neighborhoods

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 is 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 not at all the same; they are distinct neighborhoods within La Jolla.