La Jolla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids La Jolla, San Diego
Community of San Diego
Nickname(s):  "The Jewel"
La Jolla, San Diego Location in Northwestern San Diego
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
City	San Diego
Founded:	1850
Population  (2010)
• Total	46,781
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (UTC--08:00)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (UTC--07:00)
ZIP Code	92037-92039, 92092, 92093
Area code(s)	858, 619

La Jolla (pronounced "la HOY-a") is a beautiful, hilly neighborhood by the sea in San Diego, California. It stretches for about 7 miles (11 km) along the Pacific Ocean. In 2010, about 46,781 people lived here. La Jolla has a mild climate, with an average daily temperature of 70.5°F (21.4°C).

This area is surrounded by ocean bluffs and beaches on three sides. It's about 12 miles (19 km) north of downtown San Diego. La Jolla extends from Pacific Beach in the south up to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and Del Mar in the north.

La Jolla is home to many schools and businesses. You'll find places for lodging, dining, shopping, and companies working in software, finance, and science. The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is here, along with famous research centers like the Salk Institute and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

History of La Jolla

What Does "La Jolla" Mean?

La Jolla in 1908

The name 'La Jolla' has a cool story! The local Native Americans, the Kumeyaay people, called this place mat kulaaxuuy, which means "land of holes." This might refer to the sea caves you can see from La Jolla Shores.

It's thought that Spanish settlers later wrote this name as La Jolla. Another idea is that it comes from the Spanish phrase la joya, meaning "the jewel." Even though some experts disagree, many people love this idea, and it led to La Jolla's nickname: "The Jewel." The name might also come from the Spanish La Hoya, meaning a geographic hollow or dip.

How La Jolla Grew Over Time

"Red Roost" and "Red Rest," two old cottages built in 1894 near La Jolla Cove.

When California became a state in 1850, La Jolla was made part of the city of San Diego. In 1870, Charles Dean bought some land and created an area called La Jolla Park. Later, in the 1880s, Frank T. Botsford and George W. Heald helped develop the area more.

In the 1890s, a railway was built, connecting La Jolla to the rest of San Diego. This made La Jolla a popular resort area. To attract visitors, the railway built things like a bathhouse and a dance hall. Tourists stayed in small cottages or in a temporary "tent city" set up each summer. Two of the oldest cottages, "Red Roost" and "Red Rest," built in 1894, are still standing near La Jolla Cove.

By 1900, La Jolla had 100 buildings and 350 residents. The first library was built in 1898. A volunteer fire department started in 1907, and the city added a regular fire station in 1914.

Many schools were also built. La Jolla Elementary School opened in 1896. The Bishop's School opened in 1909, and La Jolla High School was established in 1922.

Ellen Browning Scripps: A Generous Helper

La Jolla Recreational Center

In 1896, a wealthy journalist named Ellen Browning Scripps moved to La Jolla. She spent the last 35 years of her life helping the community. She used her money to build many important buildings in La Jolla. Many of these buildings are now famous landmarks.

Some of her projects include the La Jolla Woman's Club (1914) and the La Jolla Recreational Center (1915). She also helped build the first buildings for The Bishop's School and the Old Scripps Building at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her own home, built in 1915, is now the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.

Ellen Browning Scripps also helped start the Scripps Memorial Hospital in 1924 and the Children's Pool. She even founded Scripps College, a women's college, in 1926.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

The pier at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography is one of the oldest ocean research centers in the United States. It was started in 1903 by William Emerson Ritter, with help from Ellen Browning Scripps and her brother.

At first, the institution worked out of a boathouse. In 1905, they bought a large piece of land in La Jolla, where the Institution is still located today. The first lab buildings opened there in 1907. In 1912, it became part of the University of California. This institution later became the main reason for creating the University of California, San Diego.

University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

"Bear," a sculpture on the UC San Diego campus.

After World War II, local leaders wanted a University of California campus in San Diego. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography was doing important work, and local aerospace companies needed trained scientists.

The state approved the idea in 1955, and the university officially started in 1960. It was briefly called "University of California, La Jolla" before its name was changed to "University of California, San Diego." The university has a "college" system, with eight different colleges. The first college, Revelle College, was named after Roger Revelle, who helped create the university. A medical school was added in 1968. The famous Geisel Library opened in 1970. UCSD is now the second-largest employer in San Diego.

Mount Soledad Cross Memorial

The Christian cross on Mount Soledad

Mount Soledad is a hill about 822 feet (251 m) tall on the eastern edge of La Jolla. A large Christian cross was placed at the top in 1913. It was replaced in 1954 with a 29-foot (9 m) tall cross.

This cross became part of a long legal debate because it was on public land. People argued it violated the idea of separating church and state. A war memorial was built around the cross, and it was renamed the "Mount Soledad Veterans War Memorial."

After many years of legal battles, a group bought the land under the cross from the government in 2015. This finally ended the legal case, as the cross was no longer on public land.

Arts and Culture in La Jolla

La Jolla became a place for artists in 1894 when Anna Held started the Green Dragon Colony. This was a group of twelve unique cottages.

The La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by famous actors like Gregory Peck. It closed for a while but reopened in 1983 on the UCSD campus. It now has three theaters.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego opened in 1941 in Ellen Browning Scripps's old home. It has a large collection of modern art. The La Jolla Music Society was also founded in 1941. Since 2019, it has its own permanent home, the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, which hosts many world-class performances.

Geography and Nature

View looking north from above the Children's Pool

View from Horseshoe

Wipeout Beach

Where is La Jolla?

La Jolla's border starts at Pacific Beach in the south. It goes along the Pacific Ocean shoreline north to include Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and ends at Del Mar, California.

La Jolla includes several smaller neighborhoods like Bird Rock, Windansea Beach, the main shopping area called the Village of La Jolla, La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Farms, Torrey Pines, and Mount Soledad.

The City of San Diego says La Jolla's eastern border is Gilman Drive and the Interstate 5 freeway. Its northern border is the UCSD campus.

The United States Postal Service gives La Jolla its own special ZIP Code, 92037. This is why addresses can say "La Jolla, CA," making some people think it's a separate city. The UCSD campus also has its own ZIP Codes, 92092 and 92093.

Amazing Ocean Wildlife

La Jolla's ocean waters are full of amazing marine animals! You can see sea lions, harbor seals, and different kinds of whales, like migratory gray, humpback, and blue whales. There are also dolphins, green sea turtles, and many kinds of fish like garibaldi.

Many of these animals live in the large offshore kelp forest. Scuba divers often explore these forests to see interesting species. The kelp forests are also home to many invertebrates, like sea urchins, abalone, sea stars, and giant octopus.

You can often see California sea lions and harbor seals resting on the rocks in the sun. However, their presence can sometimes attract larger sharks, like great white sharks. Most shark encounters are not dangerous, and sharks often swim near surfers without being noticed.

Beaches and Coastline

La Jolla has a mix of sandy beaches and rocky coastlines. The area can sometimes experience flooding and ocean storms.

Mount Soledad is covered with winding roads and hundreds of homes that look out over the ocean. It's home to the large concrete Mount Soledad Easter Cross.

The most special part of La Jolla is its oceanfront. It has rugged cliffs and sandy beaches that are home to many seals. There are many beaches you can reach from the cliffs. Some popular spots include Blacks Beach, Torrey Pines Glider Port, Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla Shores, and La Jolla Cove.

Blacks Beach is a favorite spot for surfers. The Torrey Pines Glider Port is where you can see many gliders flying in the air. Sunset Cliffs is popular for watching the sunset. La Jolla Shores is near the UCSD Scripps pier and has shops and restaurants. La Jolla Cove is the most popular tourist spot, known for snorkelers, swimmers, and lots of wildlife, especially the La Jolla seals. During certain times of the year, you might see harmless Leopard Sharks in the shallow water, as they come closer to shore to breed.

Here are some of the popular beaches and coastal access points, from north to south:

• Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
• Black's Beach
• Scripps, near Scripps Institution of Oceanography
• La Jolla Shores
• La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club
• La Jolla Cove
• Boomers Beach
• Shell Beach
• Children's Pool Beach
• Wipeout Beach
• Horseshoes
• Marine Street
• Windansea Beach
• Bird Rock

Weather in La Jolla

People and Neighborhoods

Who Lives in La Jolla?

According to the 2010 census, most people in La Jolla are White (82.5%). There are also many Asian people (11.2%) and people of two or more races (3.1%). About 7.2% of La Jolla's population are Latino. There is also a notable Persian community.

La Jolla is known for having very expensive homes. In 2008 and 2009, it had some of the highest home prices in the nation. For example, a standard four-bedroom home cost about $2.125 million in 2009.

View of La Jolla

Different Neighborhoods in La Jolla

La Jolla is made up of several smaller neighborhoods, each with its own feel:

• La Jolla Farms — This area is west of UCSD. It includes the Torrey Pines Gliderport, the Salk Institute, and expensive homes on the cliffs above Black's Beach.
• La Jolla Shores — This is a residential area with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus. It also has a small area with shops and restaurants.
• La Jolla Heights — Homes on the hills overlooking La Jolla Shores.
• Hidden Valley — The lower part of Mount Soledad on the northern side.
• Country Club — Lower Mt. Soledad on the northwest side, including the La Jolla Country Club golf course.
• Village — Also called Village of La Jolla, this is the "downtown" area with most of La Jolla's shops and restaurants.
• Beach-Barber Tract — The coastal part from Windansea Beach to the Village.
• Lower Hermosa — A coastal strip south of Beach-Barber Tract.
• Bird Rock — Southern coastal La Jolla, known for its shops, restaurants, and surfing spots.
• Muirlands — A large area on the western middle slope of Mt. Soledad.
• La Jolla Mesa — A strip on the lower southern side of Mt. Soledad, next to Pacific Beach.
• La Jolla Alta — A planned community east of La Jolla Mesa.
• Soledad South — Southeastern slopes of Mt. Soledad, going up to the top.
• Muirlands West — A small neighborhood between Muirlands and Country Club.
• Upper Hermosa — Southwestern La Jolla, north of Bird Rock.
• La Jolla Village — In northeast La Jolla, east of I-5 and south of UCSD. It has the La Jolla Village Square shopping mall.

Things to Do and See

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Museum of Contemporary Art - La Jolla

La Jolla has many fun attractions and activities:

• Torrey Pines Golf Course is a famous golf course that hosts a big PGA Tour event every year called the Farmers Insurance Open. It also hosted the U.S. Open in 2008 and 2021.
• Downtown La Jolla is known for its jewelry stores, boutiques, fancy restaurants, and hotels. Prospect Street and Girard Avenue are popular for shopping and dining.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1941, is located right above the waterfront. It has a large collection of American and European art from after 1950.
• The beautiful beaches and ocean access include Windansea Beach, La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Cove, and Children's Pool Beach. La Jolla Cove is famous for its rough water swim event.
• In 2011, the La Jolla Community Foundation started a project to add murals by various artists around the town.
• The La Jolla Fencing Academy opened in 2017.
• The La Jolla Concours d'Elegance is a fancy car show held at La Jolla Cove every year.

Getting Around La Jolla

The San Diego Trolley light rail system has four stops in La Jolla on its Blue Line:

• Nobel Drive: Serves the La Jolla Village Square shopping center.
• VA Medical Center: Serves the Veteran Affairs hospital next to UC San Diego.
• UC San Diego Central Campus: Located in the center of the university.
• UC San Diego Health La Jolla: Near Scripps Memorial Health La Jolla and other medical facilities.

These four stations opened on November 21, 2021. The Blue Line was extended to connect La Jolla Village, UC San Diego, and University City to the rest of San Diego.

Education in La Jolla

UCSD's distinctive Geisel Library, named after Theodor Seuss Geisel ("Dr. Seuss") and featured in UCSD's logo

Colleges and Universities

The University of California San Diego (UCSD) is the main center for higher education in La Jolla. UCSD includes the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

National University also has its main office in La Jolla. Several research institutes are located near UCSD, including Scripps Research Institute, the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LJI), and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Other Schools

La Jolla is part of the San Diego Unified School District. Public schools include La Jolla High School, La Jolla Elementary, Muirlands Middle School, Torrey Pines Elementary, and Bird Rock Elementary. There's also Preuss School, a public charter school.

Private schools in the area include The Bishop's School, The Children's School, Stella Maris Academy, The Gillispie School, and the Evans School. La Jolla Country Day School is located nearby in University City.

Religious Places

La Jolla has many different religious institutions:

• All Hallows Catholic Church
• Assembly of God
• Christian Science Church
• Congregational Church
• Barabbas Road Church
• First Baptist Church
• La Jolla Christian Fellowship
• La Jolla Lutheran Church
• La Jolla Presbyterian Church
• La Jolla Religious Society of Friends
• La Jolla United Methodist Church
• Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic church
• Prince Chapel by the Sea (African Methodist Episcopal Church)
• St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal
• St. John Church of God in Christ
• Torrey Pines Christian Church
• The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints San Diego California Temple
• University Lutheran Church
• Congregation Beth El
• Congregation Adat Yeshurun
• Chabad Jewish Center of La Jolla

La Jolla in Media

The Neurosciences Institute was a filming location for The Cell (2000)

• La Jolla (called "Esmerelda") is the setting for Raymond Chandler's 1958 novel, Playback. Chandler lived in La Jolla.
• The comic book publisher WildStorm Productions was based in La Jolla from 1993 to 2012.
• La Jolla is mentioned in The Beach Boys' 1963 song Surfin' U.S.A. and in The Network's 2003 song Spike.
• "La Jolla" is also the name of a song on Wilbur Soot's 2020 album Your City Gave Me Asthma.

Movies Filmed in La Jolla

• Lab scenes for the movie The Cell (2000) were filmed at The Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla.
• La Jolla is one of the backgrounds in the movie Traffic (2000).
• Scenes for the movie The Samuel Project (2018) were filmed in La Jolla.
• Some scenes for the movie Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea (2023) were filmed at the director's home in La Jolla.

TV Shows Set in La Jolla

• La Jolla was the setting for the 2011 season of The Real World: San Diego, an MTV reality TV series.
• The Netflix sitcom Grace and Frankie is set in La Jolla.
• Disney+'s Big Shot also takes place in La Jolla.

Famous People from La Jolla

Many notable people have called La Jolla home, including scientists, business leaders, artists, writers, surfers, and performers. You can find a full list in the List of people from La Jolla article.

See also

In Spanish: La Jolla para niños