Located just south of La Jolla and north of Mission Beach is the cool little town of Pacific Beach. This amazing beach town is home to one of San Diego’s more popular nightlife scenes with its laidback beach bars and a favorite place for younger adults and college kids who want to live the “California dream.” Although it has a resort feel to it and over 1,300 businesses, Pacific Beach is still a comfy fun place to call home. With its extreme beach culture, this beach community is a very diverse spot where everyone is always happy.
What the Locals Love About Pacific Beach
As one of the more desirable areas in San Diego, “PB” (as it is called by the locals) is a very healthy town because of all the outdoor activities. Because of its popularity with metro area residents, it is much easier to get around the town by bicycle which is a more common form of transportation for locals.
Another popular spot for runners, walkers and the like is the Boardwalk which stretches the 3.2 miles from the northern tip of Pacific Beach down to the southern tip of Mission Beach. At the center of town, the major hub for shops and restaurants, Garnet Avenue, dead ends at the Pacific Ocean and leads straight into Crystal Pier. There, you will find locals hanging out and talking about the huge fish or wave they caught or watching the surfers and the bathing beauties soaking up the sun.
Pacific Beach is also the home of most of the surf culture in southern California. In fact, there is a beach that is marked for surfers only – Tourmaline Surf Park. This park is great for all levels of surfing from novices to the most experienced surfers.
Although Pacific Beach is a young community, families still enjoy the atmosphere here. The north end, between Tourmaline and Crystal Pier is a very family oriented section of the beach as it is much quieter and has lifeguards lining the beach.
The Residents of Pacific Beach
PB locals love where they live. For the most part, they are young and want to enjoy beach living. The median age of the over 40,000 residents is about 34 years old (2009 data) with a median income of just under $70K. Additionally, over 85 percent of the residents have no kids and take “work hard…play hard” to heart.
The Lay of the Land
In Pacific Beach, the streets basically run north-south and east-west. Although the commercial center of town runs on Garnet Avenue, Mission Boulevard is the “main drag” of town. It runs in a north-south direction along with the other streets that are in alphabetical order and named after federal officials. The east-west streets are named after precious stones such as Tourmaline, Turquoise, Sapphire and more.
There are more renters living in Pacific Beach than homeowners as the median home price is around $600K. More of the homes and condominiums that are closer to the beach tend to be investment property for vacation rentals.
Life IS Good in PB
One thing that rarely ever hear from the residents of Pacific Beach is complaining. Even the immense amount of traffic on the weekends from area southern California residents rolls off their backs. Why not? This is such a fun place with so much to do and such a relaxed atmosphere. No wonder people love living here!
Over the past last year, median sale prices are showing signs of increasing. Additionally, because there are so many annual renters and vacation rentals in Pacific Beach, investors like the area. This is a good time to sell if you are thinking about it. Single-family homes sell within two to three months at a median sale price of about $725K with condominium homes just over $400K.
Depending on the style of home, the
The population of Ocean Beach is about 12,000 with the residents’ average age at about 31 years old. With a median household income of just under $50,000, the residents of Ocean Beach enjoy living a very laid-back lifestyle and having the free spirit attitude of the 1960s and 1970s.
Ocean Beach is full of attractions that are favorites of locals and southern California residents. One of the most favorite draws is the original Dog Beach after which other coastal areas mirrored their dog beaches. Another favorite is the Ocean Beach Pier. Although it is definitely a popular tourist destination, locals can be spotted at one of the shops located along the walk, fishing, or walking the half-mile out to the end of the pier.
For sellers,
The population of Mission Beach is about 46,000 with the residents’ average age at about 31 years old. With an average household income of just under $70,000, the residents enjoy the fruits of their labor participating in all of the beach sports and activities the community has to offer.
Mission Beach is most widely known for its boardwalk and amusement park, Belmont Park. This landmark features traditional and modern rides as well as the huge world famous Big Dipper roller coaster, the Wave House wave pool, and other thrilling rides in addition to lots of places to eat and drink. It is such a fun park and attracts even the most settled residents of the community…not to mention visitors from all over.
Whether you are moving out of town or simply want to upgrade your home, the latest statistics show that it is a good time if you are considering selling your home in La Jolla. Because the market showed a solid month to month increase of 21 percent in terms of median sold price and 15 percent increase for the same year to year, the market is making a comeback. Additionally, the number of days on the market is at about 130 days which shows that homes stay on the market for only a few months. There are definitely buyers out there for properties of this caliber. Our agents know how to list, market and sell a home those in La Jolla. Give us a call to devise a plan for you.
La Jolla offers communities with different features that attract many different types of buyers. While all of the neighborhoods in this affluent community are considered to be exclusive, some are more so and come with a much higher price tag than others. The homes and condominiums priced on the lower end are still deemed to be priced higher than most communities around the metro area.