La Jolla Community Info
The jewel of the city of San Diego is La Jolla, featuring secluded coves and beaches, ocean caves, numerous small parks, and the renowned coast walk cliff-top promenade. A pedestrian-focused shopping district in the “Village” hosts cafes, boutiques, coffee houses, galleries, and fine restaurants.
La Jolla is a seaside resort community of 42,808 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 like Bird Rock, Windansea, The Village of 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 exception of some University of California, San Diego and commercial property east of I-5 and north of La Jolla Village Drive, which is also part of La Jolla.
La Jolla residents and business owners sometimes refer to the “city”, “village,” or “town” of La Jolla. Although the name is sometimes said to mean “the jewel” (from the Spanish “la joya”), it is actually derived from a Native American tribe, the La Jolla band of Luiseno Indians, which inhabited the area for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.
La Jolla is home to the University of California, San Diego, with many research institutions and Mandell Weiss Theater & Forum, the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library and the Salk Institute. Nearby Torrey Pines State Reserve is one of the largest ocean-side reserves on the California coast and features takeoff sites for gliders and hang gliders. Mt Soledad’s summit to the east offers the best views of San Diego.
