Nestled between Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay, Pacific Beach is one of the most happening regions of San Diego. It is perfect for surfing and for sunbathing. Its boardwalk is filled with interesting stores and exotic restaurants. Pacific Beach is one area in San Diego that never gets boring. The hip and relaxed community of Pacific Beach supports more than 40,000 residents and 1,200 businesses.  

                       

A century ago, Pacific Beach was only a plot of dirt located near the Pacific Ocean. When it was starting to show signs of an exciting life, the Great Depression occurred. This saw the collapse of The San Diego College of Letters, which was then located close to Pacific Beach. Land sales also went down as too many people lose their money in the depression.

 

As the economy slowly revived, more people started to buy land in and around Pacific Beach. Earl Taylor, a Kansas native, who arrived in Pacific Beach in 1923, purchased and developed many parcels of land in the business district, within several blocks of the ocean.  For the centenary year of the beach, he commissioned a Pier. This got the local crowd excited. In 1927, a pier complete with a cork-lined dance floor was opened to the public.

 

Mission Bay, which is Pacific Beach's southern boundary, was initially just mud flats.  It was only after World War II that attention was turned to this area. In 1945, under the guidance of City Planning Director, $2 million bond issue to dredge and improve the bay. The helped the local community in finding jobs.

 

In the 1980s, commercial activity around Pacific Beach grew. Several private developers invested heavily in building residential and commercial structures on the beachfront.

The Promenade shopping center was along Pacific Beach drive and Sea Coast Square was constructed at Garnet and Mission Blvd came up as part of these ventures.
Planning ahead has been the mandate for the 1990's. Community leaders from many areas pushed for renovations and new programs at the Pacific Beach Recreation Center. The once worn-down facility today boasts fresh paint and fixtures, along with higher usage.

Since the 1990s, there have been several attempts by the local community to revitalize Pacific Beach and to add to its ambience by revitalizing some of the old restaurants and holding more cultural events at the boardwalk. Recently the community at Pacific Beach has also been on a tree planting drive. Four hundred new trees have been planted.