Life in La Jolla
Many make the mistake of thinking La Jolla is just a tourist destination or an "out of the way upscale shopping mall." Even though it's true these are La Jolla's two main economic pillars, people in the know think of La Jolla as it truly is - a beautiful, self-contained community affording the quality and diversity of life for the young and not so young most commonly reserved to the cosmopolitan centers of the world while preserving its small town charm. Just 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego, with its border starting at Pacific Beach to the south and extending along the Pacific Ocean shore north to include Torrey Pines States Reserve and ending at Del Mar, La Jolla is close enough to the city to enjoy its conveniences, yet far enough away for locals to lead a "So-Cal" beach lifestyle.
Whether you are a first-time visitor, a San Diego local, or true La Jollan, all will agree La Jolla is one of the rare places on earth where its shear natural beauty takes one's breath away time and again. This repetitive and lasting visual experience has been one of the primary reasons La Jolla has grown from 350 residents in 1900 to more than 40,000 people today and is considered to be one of the best places to live, not just in the United States, but in the entire world. Set on 7 miles of some of the most resplendent coastline in the world and bordered by stately mountains, La Jolla offers its residents, day after sunny day, unparalleled views of the vast Pacific Ocean, grand sunsets, La Jolla Cove (a majestic cove with hidden caves to explore over and over), the tide-weathered cliffs at Torrey Pines from which hang gliders are launched, and pristine beaches from one end of La Jolla to the other.
Beaches, Beaches & More Beaches!
La Jolla’s average daily temperature of 70.5° F explains its year round popularity as a vacation destination. Couple La Jolla’s mild climate with its stunning and diverse beaches, big and small, and you have discovered the paradise which is often referred to as the French Riviera of the U.S. It cannot be denied that the beach is king for locals and tourists, and La Jolla has thirteen of them. Going from north to south along the coast, you'll find Torrey Pines State Beach, Black's Beach, Scripps Beach, La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Cove, Boomer's, Shell Beach, Seal Rock, Children's Pool (Casa Cove), Wipeout Beach, Whispering Sands, Marine State Beach and WindanSea Beach.
At La Jolla's beaches every imaginable water activity is available, attracting naturalists, surfers, swimmers, snorkelers, scuba divers, kayakers, and plain old beachcombers. A case in point is La Jolla Cove, the north facing point directly across from La Jolla Shores. This is one of the best beaches to watch the annual grunion run and the location of the famous La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, which has its own private beach and hosts USTA National Tennis Tournaments each year.
The Cove is a favorite destination for swimming and sunbathing. Snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts use the Cove as the starting place to reach the Clam and explore the grotto beneath it. Kayakers are able to investigate the multitude of sea caves in the cliffs that form the Cove. The Cove also hosts two long-time La Jolla events: the La Jolla Cove Fireworks, a 25-year tradition, with awe-inspiring Fourth of July fireworks display and concert, and the La Jolla Rough Water Swim, a summertime tradition since 1916.
Golfer's Paradise
At the top of the cliffs rising up from Black's Beach and overlooking the magnificent Pacific Ocean is nationally known Torrey Pines Golf Course, a mecca for golf fanatics from all over and the host of the Farmers Insurance Open Professional Golf Tournament, the popular PGA event, which is the second stop on the West Coast Swing and the site of the 2008 United States Open Championship and Tiger Woods' last major victory.
A Great Place to Visit
With beaches, golf and tennis come tourists; with tourists come hotels and resorts, and La Jolla hotels come in a wide variety. La Jolla has accommodations for everyone from lodges, to bed and breakfast inns, to luxurious resorts. The Grande Colonial La Jolla, built in 1913, and the La Valencia Hotel, built in 1926, are both located in the heart of the Village and are still two of the most popular La Jolla hotels for tourist stays and La Jolla functions. Newer additions such as the Estancia La Jolla Resort and Spa offer the elegance and amenities sought by many travelers in this day and age, while the Empress Hotel and Hotel Parisi, both also in the Village, are upscale boutique hotels.
If you are not at the beach you might be looking for a bite to eat. Without a doubt, La Jolla’s culinary plate is exhaustive. From Mexican-inspired entrees to sushi, Thai and beyond, La Jolla’s restaurants satisfy every palate. Top attractions for fine dining are the Marine Room at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club and the Mediterranean Room, located in the La Valencia Hotel. The Crab Catcher has unbelievable seafood presentations and Harry's Coffee Shop, a La Jolla landmark, is still a local favorite.
La Jolla is not all beaches, hotels and dining. La Jolla’s "downtown," located in the Village, is a vigorous upscale business district in its own right. It consists of about 30 blocks - Girard Avenue is the "main drag" and Prospect Street is La Jolla's "Rodeo Drive." Every imaginable business and employment opportunity is available. Many financial institutions, law firms, medical offices, "tech" industries, software developers, hotels, restaurants, art galleries, retail shops of every description, and more are located in and around the Village. To own a business in La Jolla or to work in La Jolla is considered by many to be a major perk.
An Even Better Place to Live
La Jolla's cultural and civic menu is extensive notwithstanding its small town moniker. It features a multitude of fine-art galleries displaying a wide variety of style and media by local and internationally acclaimed artists. Each year the La Jolla Festival of the Arts provides a two-day event featuring art from nearly 200 of the West's best artists. The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the Village and has ongoing exhibitions throughout the year, and the La Jolla Art Association contributes much to La Jolla through its support of the local artistic community. Founded by actors Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, the La Jolla Playhouse, located at the Mandell Weiss Center on the UCSD campus, has been recognized for its outstanding theatrical productions since 1947, earning over 60 awards of excellence, including seven Tony awards. La Jolla Concerts By The Sea holds concerts each summer in Scripps Park at La Jolla Cove and The La Jolla Chamber Music Society sponsors performances throughout the year, including the nationally-recognized SummerFest Series featuring chamber music. And, each year Las Patronas, the La Jolla organization dedicated to making donations for the advancement of health care, education, social services, and cultural arts throughout San Diego, holds its "Jewel Ball," which is considered the most prestigious social event of the year.
La Jolla has become one of the world's most acclaimed centers for research and higher learning. The prestigious University of California, San Diego, whose modern and beautiful campus is located in the northern section of La Jolla, is currently ranked the fourteenth best university in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and the 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked UC San Diego as the 35th best university in the nation. UCSD boasts 7 Nobel Prize winners on its faculty.
The Salk Institute, The Scripps Institute, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego Supercomputer Center, and Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, as well as many others, have contributed to La Jolla's fame and, more importantly, to the world's benefit, and produced winners of the Nobel Prize while doing so.
It doesn't end there. La Jolla's youth are exposed to educational options which are next to none. Its public and private schools are state, U.S. and world renown. While The Bishop's School, La Jolla Country Day School, The Gillispie School, and The Children's School, to name just a few, all offer outstanding private school alternatives and earned accolades for their dedication to the academic advancement of La Jolla's youth, La Jolla High School is a shining example of public education. Established in 1922, it has maintained a strong emphasis on academic achievement which has resulted in over 90% of its graduates continuing their education at universities and colleges. Its honors are many and varied. La Jolla High School has been recognized as a California Distinguished School, a Nationally Certified AVID School with Distinction, the only public school west of the Mississippi to be a Cum Laude Society school, and a Newsweek Top 100 School.
Pair La Jolla's natural beauty with La Jolla's man-made amenities – beaches, dining, peaceful village streets, Mediterranean-style cafes with outdoor seating to "watch the surf roll in," elegant and trendy boutiques through which one can endlessly stroll, sixteen luxurious residential and beach cottage neighborhoods, varied art, cultural and educational facilities and opportunities – and you will quickly come to realize that if you are lucky enough to live in La Jolla, life doesn't get much better.