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The Pacific Beach Coast

Pacific Beach is the quintessential San Diego Beach town.  Surfers ride the waves, beautiful bodies stretch the shore, and tourists and residents alike cruise the boardwalk.  Palm trees line the busy streets, where pedestrians and beach cruiser bicycles outnumber the cars.  The southern California surf culture is predominant here, keeping the neighborhood young and eclectic.  

pacific beach surfingThis vibrant beach town is the antithesis to La Jolla to the north with its young demographic, liberal ideas, and grid-like layout.  The streets running east to west are named after precious gems such as Turquoise, Sapphire, Opal, Tourmaline, Emerald, and the main avenue, Garnet.  Along Garnet Avenue you'll find a variety of restaurants and eateries of every palette, clothing stores for any wardrobe, and of course, a plethora of bars, happy hours, and nightlife.  If you're looking for a party in San Diego, Pacific Beach is where you'll find it!

Garnet Avenue dead ends at the ocean and becomes Crystal Pier, the public pier of Pacific Beach.  The pier attracts sightseers, fishermen, and visitors looking to sleep above the crashing waves in the Crystal Pier cottages hotel. This wooden pier is opened daily to the public, and closes nightly for the courtesy of hotel guests staying in the cottages along the pier. 

Running along the shoreline for nearly four miles is the Pacific Beach Boardwalk, connecting the town to the water, and Pacific Beach to Mission Beach.  Summer weather attracts flocks of tourists and visitors, creating Times Square type crowds.  Joggers, bikers, rollerbladers, walkers, and people watchers all cruise the boardwalk adjacent to the sand.  Restaurants, bars, shops, and rental facilities border the eastern side, filling the needs of the multitudes of beach goers.

The sand stretching south of Pacific Beach becomes Mission Beach, a small peninsula bordered by water on both sides.  This unique stretch of beach is primarily inhabited by vacation renters and a few residents.  The lack of landmass inhibits parking by tourists except at a select few locations, keeping the beaches generally very family friendly. 

view of pacific beach on our bike tour

The centerpiece of Mission Beach is Belmont Park, a waterfront amusement center.  The historic Giant Dipper, an oceanfront wooden rollercoaster resides here, still in operation after over eighty years!  Additional attractions can be found here, such as the Wave House Flow Rider, the Liberty Carousel, Speedway Bumper Cars, and other rides.

Just a block to the east of Mission Beach is Mission Bay, the nation's largest man-made aquatic park.  The park is covers just over 4,000 acres and contains 27 miles of shoreline, 19 of which are sandy beaches.  Sailing, boating, waterskiing, and jet skiing are popular activities in these waters, and the extended waterfront offers an endless opportunities for activity.

A recreational paradise, Pacific Beach and the surrounding Mission Bay area are considerably recent additions to San Diego's growth.  Pacific Beach began its history in the late 1880's as speculators began selling off land in Pacific Beach.  This undeveloped area was known as False Bay, a name dubbed back in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. 

The San Diego River would alternate its route between San Diego Bay and Mission Bay depending on water flow, creating a tidal marshland and estuary often confused with San Diego Bay by ships.  This section of land and water remained undeveloped until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began renovation and construction in the 1940's to create the newly defined body of water.  At the onset of World War II, San Diego's population grew because of it's high military activity, and Pacific Beach was one of many neighborhoods that began to flourish as a repercussion. 


 

 

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