La Jolla, San Diego, California

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La Jolla (IPA pronunciation [lɑ ˈhojɑ], 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 (including "downtown 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 minor exception of some University of California, San Diego and commercial property east of I-5 and north of La Jolla Village Drive also considered by those who live and work there to be part of La Jolla.

Contents 1 Identity 2 Neighborhoods 3 Landscape 4 Education 5 Beaches 5.1 Black's Beach 5.2 Children's Beach 5.3 La Jolla Cove 5.4 La Jolla Shores 6 Attractions and activities 7 Origin and pronunciation 8 Notable residents 9 In popular media 10 External links 11 References

[edit] Identity

La Jolla residents and business owners sometimes refer to the "city", "village", or "town" of La Jolla. 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.

[edit] Neighborhoods

• La Jolla Farms - the exclusive 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 Institute 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 often confused (by taxi drivers, for example), but are distinct neighborhoods within La Jolla.

[edit] Landscape

With palm-lined streets and large estate homes, La Jolla is an area of both natural beauty and opulent displays of wealth. Visitors often view the wild seal congregations or patronize the upscale retail shops on Prospect Street. The highlights of La Jolla, from a natural aspect, are the view of the ocean and Mount Soledad. Narrow roads follow the contours of Mt. Soledad, and hundreds of homes overlooking the ocean can be found on the slopes. Popular sandy beaches, dotting the coastline from the south to the north, are Windansea Beach, La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Beach and Tennis property, La Jolla Shores, Scripps, and Black's Beach (leading up to Torrey Pines State Reserve).

[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 innovative Integral Elementary School of La Jolla. The public high school, La Jolla High School, is in the San Diego City Schools district.

[edit] Beaches

[edit] Black's Beach

Main article: Black's Beach

[edit] Children's Beach

In recent years, harbor seals have taken over the Children's Beach, a quaint man-made cove near downtown. The seals are protected animals under federal law, so removing them has become a difficult and controversial issue. As of October, 2006, the beach is open and a rope that previously separated people from the seals has been removed. However, harassment of the animals is still prohibited and swimming is allowed but not recommended.^{[verification needed]}

[edit] La Jolla Cove

The La Jolla Cove is a small beach in walking distance from the children's pool and is one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. Scripps Park, a grassy area excellent for picnicking, is right next to the beach. The beach is also in walking distance of many shops and restaurants. This beach is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling. The La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve.

[edit] La Jolla Shores

La Jolla shores is located by residential area and is approximately one mile long. Because the waves are the most gentle this is a great beach for children. Surfing and scuba diving lessons are popular at this beach.

[edit] Attractions and activities

La Jolla is also the location of Torrey Pines Golf Course, made famous by the PGA TOUR Buick Invitational held there each February (in 2005, the competition was held in January). 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.

Marine street is in within walking distance from La Jolla High School, which makes it a great hangout for students when they are done with class. The shore break is unlike the other beaches and is known as "womp," which makes the beach more dangerous than others.

Skimboarding and Surfing are very popular at many of La Jolla's world-famous beaches including Windansea and the People's Wall.

For many years, La Jolla has been the host of a rough water swim. The events are the 250 meter junior swim for people 12 and under, the 1 mile amateur swim for people 18 and under, the 1 mile masters swim for people 19 and over, and the Gator man, a 3 mile swim to the 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, you must also be a member of USA swimming.

The USS La Jolla, a nuclear submarine, is named in its honor.

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 and pronunciation

The area was known as La Jolla Park at least as early as 1886. The origin of the name is obscure. It is pronounced "Lah HOY-Ya," not "Lah Ho-Ya" as it should be in Spanish. Some say it is a corruption of ahoy, called out by sailors seeking the attention of people on the shore. The people of La Jolla claim it is a misspelling of La Joya, meaning "The Jewel" in Spanish. The most-likely, although least-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. 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

• Actors Gregory Peck, Cliff Robertson and Raquel Welch have also called La Jolla home, as have musician Michael Franks and the Hearst family.
• 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.^[6]
• 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 Theodore Geisel/Dr. Seuss)
• 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
• 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.
• Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was a long-time resident of La Jolla, and died there in 1991. Unlike many celebrities, his address and phone number were listed in the local phone book. The main library at the University of California, San Diego, is dedicated to him.
• 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."
• Jim Fales, Head Coach of the Bishop's School's Mens Water Polo team that has captured five concecutive league championships for the local prepratory school

[edit] In popular media

The title article in Tom Wolfe's The Pump House Gang is about a group of surfers from Windansea Beach in La Jolla who "attended the Watts riots as if it were the Rose Bowl game in Pasadena." (see [1] for an excerpt)

[edit] External links

• San Diego Community Profile: La Jolla
• 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 Cove Paintings
• La Jolla High School Home Page

[edit] References