La Playa, San Diego facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
La Playa, San Diego
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|---|---|
| La Playa | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  California |
| County |  San Diego |
| City |  San Diego |
| Reference #: | 61 |
La Playa (which means 'the beach' in Spanish) is a neighborhood right on the San Diego Bay in Point Loma, California. It's a part of the big city of San Diego. To its east is the beautiful San Diego Bay. To the south, you'll find Naval Base Point Loma. On its west side is the Wooded Area neighborhood, and to the north are Point Loma Village and Roseville-Fleetridge. It's also located across a water channel from Shelter Island.
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About the La Playa Neighborhood Today
The area known as La Playa today is mostly a place where people live. It's located a bit north of where the original La Playa was. This neighborhood is known for having some of the most expensive homes in San Diego.
You'll find two popular yacht clubs here: the San Diego Yacht Club and the Southwestern Yacht Club. Some of the homes right on the bay even have their own private docks for small boats.
La Playa's Important History
The original area called La Playa played a super important role in the early history of San Diego.
First European Landing
In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to step foot in what is now California. He landed at La Playa, probably at a small rocky spot called Ballast Point.
San Diego's First Harbor
When a permanent European settlement was started a few miles inland in 1769, La Playa became its "harbor." It was a place where big ships could anchor. Smaller boats would then carry goods from the ships to the settlement. These goods were moved over land using the historic La Playa Trail. This trail is the oldest European trail on the West Coast. La Playa stayed San Diego's main port until the 1870s. That's when "New Town" (which is now downtown San Diego) was established.
Life at La Playa in the 1800s
In his book Two Years Before the Mast, Richard Henry Dana Jr. wrote about sailors in the 1830s. He described how they camped on the beach at La Playa. They would hunt for wood and rabbits in the hills of Point Loma.
During the time when Mexico controlled California (1822–1846), the beach at La Playa became a busy, unofficial town. Up to 800 people lived there! It was centered around about a dozen huge "hide houses." These houses were used to process and store cattle hides. The hides were then shipped out to be sold. Each hide house was named after the Boston trading ship it served. The first and most famous was the Brookline. Its captain was James O. Locke. The American flag was first raised over California (unofficially) at this spot in 1829. Ships from almost every country in the world visited the La Playa harbor during this time.
Historical Recognition
The original La Playa site was officially recognized as California Historical Landmark #61 in 1932. It was also named a historical landmark by the San Diego Historical Resources Board in 1970.
What Remains Today
The original landing spot at La Playa and Ballast Point are now part of the Naval Base Point Loma. You can't see any of the original buildings or sites today. These areas are usually only open to the public during the yearly Cabrillo Festival. Scholars can also visit for special archeological digs. A lighthouse stood on Ballast Point from 1890 to 1960. Today, there is just a simple automated light there.
