La Jolla, San Diego, California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Jolla (pronounced /ləˈhɔɪə/ "luh-HOY-uh") is a wealthy seaside resort community of up to 42,808[1] residents within the city of San Diego, California. Population figures are imprecise because La Jolla's borders are indistinct.
Generally the community's border starts at Pacific Beach to the south and extends along the Pacific Ocean shore north to include Torrey Pines State Reserve ending at Del Mar, California. Along the way La Jolla encompasses neighborhoods[2] like Bird Rock, Windansea, the original or "old" 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 of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and some commercial property east of I-5 and north of La Jolla Village Drive, which are also considered (in the wider definition) to be part of La Jolla. (More specifically, the City of San Diego defines La Jolla's eastern boundary as former Highway US 101, which is now Gilman Drive, excluding UCSD, and the northern boundary as the southern end of Torrey Pines municipal golf course. Others define La Jolla as all of ZIP code 92037.)
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[edit] Identity
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 believed to be derived from a Native American language, that of the La Jolla band of Luiseno Indians, who inhabited the area for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.[citation needed]
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, because historically the La Jolla post office was established before the community was absorbed within the San Diego city limits.[3] This along with the fact that La Jolla has had its own unique local phone book since 1937, the La Jolla Blue Book[4], 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.[5] The non-profit La Jolla Town Council[6] organization represents the interests of the La Jolla businesses that belong to the Council.
[edit] 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 - 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.
[edit] Education
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 The Children's School, Integral Elementary School of La Jolla, Delphi Academy, All Hallows Academy, Evans, Torrey Pines Elementary, La Jolla Elementary, and Bird Rock Elementary. The public high school, La Jolla High School, is in the San Diego City Schools district.
[edit] Landscape
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.
[edit] Beaches
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:
- Children's Pool Beach
- La Jolla Cove
- La Jolla Beach and Tennis property
- La Jolla Shores
- Scripps
- Black's Beach (leading up to Torrey Pines State Reserve)
- Windansea Beach
[edit] Mount Soledad
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.
[edit] Development
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 county's most wealthy people.
[edit] Attractions and activities
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). In 2008, Torrey Pines also hosted the 2008 U.S. Open which was played on the south course. 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. The location is mentioned in the legendary Beach Boys song, 'Surfin' USA,' in the final verse with the line "All over La Jolla..."
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.
[edit] Origin
The La Jolla 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.[7] 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]
[edit] Notable residents
- World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar Rey Mysterio
- Actors Gregory Peck, Cliff Robertson and Raquel Welch have also called La Jolla home, as have musician Michael Franks and the Hearst family.
- The O.C. actress Autumn Reeser was born in La Jolla and lived there until the age of 17.
- Financier Ivan Boesky lived in La Jolla for several years.
- Baseball executive Buzzie Bavasi lived in La Jolla from 1968 until his death in 2008.
- Robin Wright Penn attended La Jolla High School.
- Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, has a vacation home there.
- John McCain, United States Senator from Arizona, Republican Presidential candidate, owns a home with his wife, Cindy in La Jolla.
- Movie Producer Sun Min Park attended La Jolla High School.
- Conrad Riggs, Executive Producer of Survivor and The Apprentice attended La Jolla High School.
- Former MGM Production executive, Jeff Kleeman is a La Jolla native.
- Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts is a La Jolla native.
- Film Executive Donald Deline is a La Jolla Native
- Gore Verbinski, director of Pirates of the Caribbean is a La Jolla Native.
- Nobel Prize winner Clive Granger lives in La Jolla.
- Famous value investor Benjamin Graham lived in La Jolla at the end of his life.
- Sportscaster Dick Enberg lives in La Jolla.
- Rolf Benirschke, an NFL placekicker, attended high school in La Jolla.
- NFL quarterback Doug Flutie makes his home in La Jolla.
- Novelist Anne Rice, author of Interview with the Vampire, moved to La Jolla from the New Orleans area in March 2005.[8]
- Rock guitarists Robin Crosby and Warren DeMartini of the metal band Ratt attended high school in La Jolla
- Until recently, Deepak Chopra ran his Center for Well Being in La Jolla.
- Kary Mullis, a biochemist and surfer from La Jolla, invented PCR (polymerase chain reaction), a procedure employed in genetic engineering and forensic science, for which he won the Nobel Prize.
- Gateway, Inc. founder Ted Waitt built an estate on top of Mount Soledad where he lives with his family.
- Armi Kuusela, winner of the first Miss Universe beauty pageant, back in 1952, lives in La Jolla with her husband, Albert Williams.
- Many of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans live in La Jolla, including Irwin and Joan Jacobs, Margaret Anne Cargill, David C. Copley, and Audrey Geisel (the widow of Theodor Geisel/Dr. Seuss)
- Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was a long-time resident of La Jolla, and died there in 1991. Like many celebrities, his address and phone number were listed in the local phone book, the La Jolla Blue Book[9]. The main library at the University of California, San Diego, is dedicated to him.
- Ellen Browning Scripps, philanthropist, founder of Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Scripps College
- Painter Richard Allen Morris has been living in La Jolla for twenty years.
- Carl Rogers, eminent American psychologist
- George Gigov, a high-ranking UN Diplomat; a three-star general (US Navy, Ret.) and a former Boeing Co. Executive
- David Hall (Oklahoma governor), Governor of Oklahoma from 1971-1975, moved to La Jolla after serving 19 months in Federal prison for racketeering and extortion, and went on to become a successful sales executive there.
- Sam Hinton, American folk singer and marine biologist.
- Raymond Chandler, an early influential noir novelist, moved to La Jolla late in his career. He died there 13 years later, but not before delivering a bleak aphorism about then-stuffy La Jolla, "A nice place — for old people and their parents."
- Geoffrey Burbidge and Margaret Burbidge, famous astronomers who still hold positions at UCSD after many years, reside near La Jolla Shores.
- Francis Crick, the Nobel laureate who was amongst those who identified the essential structure of DNA, was a long-time resident of La Jolla.
- Notable oceanographer Walter Munk lives in La Jolla.
- Joel Skinner, former manager and current 3rd base coach of the Cleveland Indians, was born in La Jolla.
- Simple Plan lead singer Pierre Bouvier has a house in La Jolla.
- Ken Rockwell, a photographer and writer has a house in La Jolla.
- 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson, women's professional tennis player, was born in La Jolla.
- Taylor Made Employee and Legend of "The World's Biggest Disco" Mike Nowicki, lives in La Jolla.
[edit] External links
- La Jolla Blue Book Community Directory
- La Jolla Aerial Photographs
- The Best of La Jolla in HDVT (High Definition Virtual Tours).
- San Diego Community Profile: La Jolla
- Congregational Church of La Jolla (United Church of Christ)
- SANDAG population and housing estimates (PDF)
- La Jolla Light Newspaper
- La Jolla Town Council
- La Jolla Shores Association - serving the La Jolla Shores community
- La Jolla High School Home Page
- La Jolla by The Sea Visitor's Guide
- La Jolla Web Portal
- La Jolla Elementary School
- La Jolla Neighborhood Guide
- La Jolla Surf and Swell Model Page
[edit] References
- ^ "Population and Housing Estimates, Zip Code 92037". 2004 Estimates. Retrieved on 2006-10-15.
- ^ map of La Jolla neighborhoods
- ^ USPS zipcode lookup website
- ^ La Jolla Blue Book Community Directory
- ^ La Jolla Community Profile
- ^ La Jolla Town Council
- ^ PBS Weekend Explorer, accessed December 2, 2007.
- ^ "Anne Rice's rebirth", San Diego Union-Tribune, November 3, 2005.
- ^ La Jolla Blue Book Community Directory
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