La Jolla

La Jolla, San Diego
Community of San Diego
Nickname: "The Jewel"
La Jolla, San Diego Location within western San Diego
Coordinates:32°50′24″N117°16′37″W / 32.84000°N 117.27694°W /32.84000; -117.27694
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
City	San Diego
Founded:	1850[1]
Population (2010) [2]
• Total	46,781
Time zone	UTC−08:00(UTC--08:00)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00(UTC--07:00)
ZIP Code	92037-92039, 92092, 92093
Area code(s)	858, 619
Website	LaJolla.com

La Jolla(/ləˈhɔɪə/ləHOY-ə,Latin American Spanish:[laˈxoʝa]) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city ofSan Diego, California, occupying 7 miles (11 km) of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.^[2]The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature of 70.5 °F (21.4 °C).^[3][4]

La Jolla is surrounded on three sides by ocean bluffs and beaches^[5]and is located 12 miles (19 km) north ofdowntown San Diegoand 45 miles (72 km) south of theOrange Countyline.^[6][7]The neighborhood's border starts atPacific Beachto the south and extends along the Pacific Ocean shoreline north to includeTorrey Pines State Natural Reserveending atDel Mar, California.

La Jolla is home to many educational institutions and a variety of businesses in the areas of lodging, dining, shopping, software, finance, real estate, bioengineering, medical practice and scientific research.^[5][8][9]TheUniversity of California, San Diegois located in La Jolla, as are theSalk Institute,Scripps Institution of Oceanography, andScripps Research.

Local Native Americans, theKumeyaay, called this locationmat kulaaxuuy(IPA[matkəlaːxuːj]),lit.'land of holes'(mat='land').^[10]The topographic feature that gave rise to the name "holes" is uncertain; it probably refers to sea-level caves located on the north-facing bluffs, which are visible fromLa Jolla Shores. It is suggested^{[citation needed]}that the Kumeyaay name for the area was transcribed by the Spanish settlers asLa Jolla. Another suggestion for the origin of the name is that it is an alternative spelling of the Spanish phraselajoya, which means'the jewel'. Despite being disputed by scholars, this derivation of the name has been widely cited in popular culture.^[11]This supposed origin gave rise to the nickname "The Jewel".^[12]The name may also come from the SpanishLa Hoya, meaning a geographic hollow. Different spelling conventions over the years would permit this to be written as La Jolla.^[13]

During the Mexican period of San Diego's history, La Jolla was mapped aspuebloland and contained about 60 lots. When California became a state in 1850,^[14]the La Jolla area was incorporated as part of the chartered City of San Diego.^[1]In 1870, Charles Dean acquired several of the pueblo lots and subdivided them into an area that became known as La Jolla Park. Dean was unable to develop the land and left San Diego in 1881. Areal estate boomin the 1880s led speculators Frank T. Botsford and George W. Heald to further develop the sparsely settled area.

In the 1890s, the San Diego, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla Railway was built, connecting La Jolla to the rest of San Diego. La Jolla became known as a resort area. To attract visitors to the beach, the railway built facilities such as a bath house and a dance pavilion. Visitors were housed in small cottages and bungalows above La Jolla Cove, as well as a temporarytent cityerected every summer. Two of the cottages that were built in 1894, the "Red Roost" and the "Red Rest", also known as the "Neptune and Cove Tea Room", still exist and are the oldest buildings in La Jolla that are still on their original site. The two cottages have been vacant since the 1980s, boarded up and covered in tarpaulins while their fate was debated. In November 2020 the Red Rest was largely destroyed by fire.^[15]

The La Jolla Park Hotel opened in 1893. The Hotel Cabrillo was built in 1908 by "Squire" James A. Wilson and was later incorporated into the La Valencia Hotel.^[16]

By 1900, La Jolla comprised 100 buildings and 350 residents. The first reading room (library) was built in 1898.^[16]A volunteer fire brigade was organized in 1907; the city of San Diego established a regular fire house in 1914. Livery stable owner Nathan Rannells served successively as La Jolla's volunteer fire captain, first police officer (the only San Diego police officer north ofMission Valley), and first postmaster.^[17]

La Jolla Elementary School began educating local children in 1896.^[18]The Bishop's Schoolopened in 1909.La Jolla High Schoolwas established in 1922. Between 1951 and 1963, other elementary schools (Bird Rock, Decatur, Scripps, and Torrey Pines) were established in the area to ease overcrowding.^[18]The La Jolla Beach and Yacht Club (later theLa Jolla Beach and Tennis Club) was built in 1927.^[16]

In 1896 journalist and publisherEllen Browning Scrippssettled in La Jolla, where she lived for the last 35 years of her life. She was wealthy in her own right from her investments and writing, and she inherited a large sum from her brother George H. Scripps in 1900. She devoted herself to philanthropic endeavors, particularly those benefiting her adopted home of La Jolla. She commissioned many of La Jolla's most notable buildings, usually designed byIrving Gillor his nephew and partnerLouis John Gill. Many of these buildings are now on theNational Register of Historic Placesor are listed as historic by the city of San Diego; these include theLa Jolla Woman's Club(1914), theLa Jolla Recreational Center(1915), the earliest buildings ofThe Bishop's School, and theOld Scripps Buildingat theScripps Institution of Oceanography, as well as her own residence, built in 1915 and now housing theMuseum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Her donations also launched theScripps Memorial Hospitalin 1924 (originally located on Prospect Street in La Jolla until it moved to its present site in 1964), the Scripps Metabolic Clinic (now theScripps Research Institute), and theChildren's Pool. Ellen Browning Scripps also foundedScripps College, a women's college, in 1926.^[19]Scripps College is located inClaremontin Los Angeles County (not to be confused withClairemont, a neighborhood ofSan Diego).

TheScripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the nation's oldest oceanographic institutes, was founded in 1903 byWilliam Emerson Ritter, chair of the zoology department at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, with financial support from Scripps and her brotherE. W. Scripps. At first the institution operated out of a boathouse inCoronado. In 1905, they purchased a 170-acre (69 ha) site in La Jolla, where the Institution still stands today. The first laboratory buildings there opened in 1907. The institution became part of theUniversity of Californiain 1912. Ultimately, it became the nucleus for the establishment of the University of California San Diego.

From 1917 through 1964, theUnited States Marine Corpsmaintained a military base in La Jolla. The base was used for marksmanship training and was known asCamp Calvin B. Matthews. During and afterWorld War II, the population of La Jolla grew, causing residential development to draw close to the base, so that it became less and less suitable as a firing range because of risk to the adjacent civilian population.^[20]Meanwhile, the site was being eyed as a location for a proposed new campus of the University of California. In 1962, Camp Matthews was declared surplus by the Marine Corps. The base formally closed in 1964, and that same year, the first class of undergraduates enrolled in the University of California San Diego.

Local civic leaders had long toyed with the idea of aSan Diego campusof theUniversity of California, and the quest became more definite following World War II. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, under its directorRoger Revelle, had become an important defense contractor, and local aerospace companies likeConvairwere pressing for local training for their scientists and engineers. The state legislature proposed the idea in 1955, and the Regents of the university formally approved it in 1960.^[21]During the planning stage of the university's establishment, it was briefly known as the "University of California, La Jolla", but the name was changed to "University of California, San Diego" before its founding in 1960.^[22]The founding chancellor wasHerbert York, named in 1961, and the second chancellor wasJohn Semple Galbraith, named in 1964. The university was designed to have a "college" system; there are now eight colleges. The first college was established in 1965 and was namedRevelle CollegeafterRoger Revelle, who is regarded as the "father" of the university.^[22]Amedical schoolwas established in 1968. The landmarkGeisel Librarywith itsBrutalist architectureopened in 1970. The university is the second largest employer in the city and has the 7th largest research expenditure in the country.^[23]

The Camp Matthews site for the university was selected with some hesitation; one of the concerns was "whether La Jollans in particular would lay aside old prejudices in order to welcome a culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse professoriate into their midst".^[21]La Jolla had a history of restrictive housing policies, often specified in deeds and ownership documents. In La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Hermosa, only people with pureEuropeanancestry could own property; this excludedJews, who were not consideredwhite. Such "restrictive covenants" were once fairly common throughout the United States; the 1948 Supreme Court caseShelley v. Kraemerruled them to be unenforceable, and Congress outlawed them twenty years later via the Fair Housing Act (Title VII of theCivil Rights Act of 1968).^[24]However, realtors and property owners in La Jolla continued to use more subtle ways of preventing or discouraging Jews from owning property there.^[25]Revelle stated the issue bluntly: "You can't have a university without having Jewish professors. The Real Estate Broker's Association and their supporters in La Jolla had to make up their minds whether they wanted a university or an anti-Semitic covenant. You couldn't have both."^[26]The issue was overcome; La Jolla now boasts a thriving Jewish population,^[27]and there are four synagogues in La Jolla.^[28]

Mount Soledadis an 822-foot-tall (251 m) hill on the eastern edge of La Jolla and one of the highest points in San Diego. A largeChristian crosswas placed at the top in 1913 as a prominent landmark. It has been replaced twice, most recently in 1954 with a 29-foot-tall (8.8 m) cross (43 feet (13 m) tall including the base). Originally known as the "Mount Soledad Easter Cross", its presence on publicly owned land was challenged in the 1980s as a violation of theseparation of church and state. Since then the cross has had a war memorial built around it and was renamed "Mount Soledad Veterans War Memorial".^[29]

The issue has been in almost continual litigation ever since, with the city attempting to sell or give away the land under the cross. By an act of Congress, the federal government took possession of it undereminent domainin 2006. TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuitdeclared the cross unconstitutional in 2011, and theSupreme Court of the United Statesdeclined to hear an appeal.^[30]In December 2013, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ordered that the cross be removed within 90 days, but stayed the order pending a forthcoming appeal by the government.^[31][32]

On July 20, 2015, a group called the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association reported that it had bought the land under the cross from theDepartment of Defensefor $1.4 million.^[33]On September 7, 2016, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a one-page ruling, ordering dismissal of the case and an end to all current appeals, stating that the case was now moot because the cross was no longer on government land. Both sides agreed that this decision puts a final end to the case.^[34]

La Jolla became anart colonyin 1894 when Anna Held (also known as Anna Held Heinrich) established the Green Dragon Colony. This was a cluster of twelve rustic cottages that included The Green Dragon, Wahnfried, and The Ark, a boat-shaped structure with port holes and swinging bunks.^[35]

TheLa Jolla Playhousewas founded in 1947 byGregory Peck,Dorothy McGuire, andMel Ferrer.^[36]It became inactive in 1959, but was revived in 1983 on the University of California campus under the leadership ofDes McAnuff. It now incorporates three theaters: theMandell Weiss Theatre(1983), the Mandell Weiss Forum (1991) and the Potiker Theater (2005).

TheMuseum of Contemporary Art San Diegowas founded in 1941 in La Jolla, in the former home of Ellen Browning Scripps (designed by Irving J. Gill). The museum has undergone several renovations and expansions, and is working on plans to triple its size.^[37][38]

TheLa Jolla Music Societywas founded in 1941 as the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla byNikolai Sokoloff, former conductor of theCleveland Orchestra. It presented the premieres of commissioned works in the auditorium of La Jolla High School before presenting their concerts in the Sherwood Auditorium of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Since April 2019, theConrad Prebys Performing Arts Centeris the permanent home of La Jolla Music Society and hosts world-class performances presented by LJMS as well as other San Diego arts presenters. Additionally, The Conrad will see a wide range of conferences, corporate meetings, and private events.

The neighborhoods's border starts atPacific Beachto the south and extends along the Pacific Ocean shoreline north to includeTorrey Pines State Natural Reserveending atDel Mar, California. La Jolla encompasses the neighborhoods^[39]of Bird Rock,Windansea Beach, the commercial center known as the Village of La Jolla, Muirlands,La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Farms,Torrey Pines, andMount Soledadto name a few.

The City of San Diego defines the neighboorhood's eastern boundary as Gilman Drive and theInterstate 5 freeway^[40]and the northern boundary as UCSD.^[41]

TheUnited States Postal Servicedefines a somewhat larger area, assigning the neighborhood the 92037ZIP Code, recognizing it as a historically and geographically distinct area. This unique ZIP code allows addresses to read La Jolla, CA, and is the only neighborhood within the City of San Diego so recognized. Additionally, it is in the 919xx/920xx sequence used for suburban and rural ZIP Codes in San Diego County, rather than the 921xx sequence used for the remainder of the City of San Diego. These conditions sometimes lead to the erroneous impression that La Jolla is a separate city, rather than a part of San Diego. The 92037 ZIP code extends the northeasterly boundary to Genesee Avenue and the northerly boundary toDel Mar, California. The UCSD campus, also part of La Jolla, has ZIP Codes 92092 and 92093.

Despite the city and postal service definitions, La Jolla does not have universally accepted boundaries. In the 1980s, the trustees of Scripps Hospital voted to move the campus from downtown La Jolla toUniversity City, east of Interstate 5 and not within the traditional boundaries of La Jolla. The governing documents of the hospital required it to be located in La Jolla, however. A court ruled that "La Jolla" exists merely as a "state of mind" and thus allowed the relocation of the hospital.^[42]Several businesses and housing developments east of Interstate 5 use "La Jolla" in their names despite being geographically located in theUniversity Cityneighborhood of San Diego, which includes areas east of Interstate 5.

La Jolla's offshore waters are known to be home to an endless array of marine wildlife, includingsea lions,harbor seals,whales—such as migratorygray,humpbackandblue whales—harbor porpoises,dolphins(including, at times, hundreds ofcommon dolphins, as well asrough-toothed,bottlenose,Pacific white-sidedandRisso's dolphins, andorcas),green sea turtles, countlessfish(such asgaribaldi,sculpinand more), many migratory and resident sea andshorebirds,^[43]and many differentsharks, ranging from diminutive, clam-eatingdogfishandleopard sharksto the formidablegreat white shark. Many of the marine animals live within and/or depend on the extensive offshorekelp forest, wherescuba diversoften venture to explore and encounter interesting species.^[44]The kelp forests are also home to an extensive number ofinvertebratespecies, fromsea urchins,abalone,sea starsandlimpetstoking crabandgiant octopus.

Oftentimes, tourists can seeCalifornia sea lionsand harbor seals hauled-out on the rocks, basking in the sun; however, as many local divers and swimmers can attest, pinnipeds are not always a goodomen, as their presence usually lures bigger, predatory sharks—namely the great whites.^[45][46]During the winter, theseapex predatorsbreed, hunting the plentiful seals around the kelp forest, and sometimes, coming even closer toshore.^[47]Piers,caves, andbuoysare areas that surfers avoid for these reasons, as sharks patrol these locations to ambush pinnipeds diving back into the water. However, with very few exceptions, the majority of shark encounters are uneventful and not aggressive, and, many times, great white sharks may come within mere feet of surfers or swimmers yet remain completely unnoticed; it is often only with drone footage that such close encounters are even observed.^[48][49]

La Jolla is an area of mixed geology, including sandy beaches and rocky shorelines. The area is occasionally susceptible to flooding and ocean storms, as occurred in January and December 2010.^[50]

Mount Soledadis covered with the narrow roads that follow its contours and hundreds of homes overlooking the ocean on its slopes. It is the home of the large concreteMount Soledad Easter Crossbuilt in 1954, later designated a Korean War Memorial, that became the center of a controversy over the display of religious symbols on government property.

The most compelling geographical highlight of La Jolla is its ocean front, with alternating rugged and sandy coastline that serves as habitat for many wild seal congregations. There are manybeaches, accessible from thecliffsall throughout the coast of La Jolla. Locals and surfers will walk barefoot down to the beachfront, occasionally usingropesandplanksto safely cross otherwise impassable, steep passageways down the cliff-face.^[51]There are many notable tourist locations includingBlacks Beach,Torrey Pines Glider Port,Sunset Cliffs,La Jolla Shores,La Jolla Cove, and more. Blacks Beach, commonly known for being one of the onlynudist beachesin the area, is one of the most popular lesser known surfer spots throughout the year.^[52]The Torrey Pines Glider Port is another a staple of the La Jolla cliffs, as boats coming in from sea are sure to see manyglidersscattered throughout the air.^[53]Sunset Cliffs is a location popular amongst locals and tourists alike, known for views of the sunset off to the horizon past the cliffs andcavesbelow.^[54]La Jolla Shores, not to be mistaken with La Jolla Cove, is located right next to theUCSDScripps pier^[55]and is close to many small shops,homes, andrestaurants.^[56]La Jolla Cove, the staple of La Jolla, is the most popular tourist destination^[57]in La Jolla, featuring manysnorkelers,^[58]swimmers, and wildlife (most notably the La Jolla seals).^[59][60]During some parts of the year, people will find the shallow ends of the beach filled with harmlessLeopard Sharks, as they come closer to shore to breed.^[61]All of the popular beaches and coastal access points, listed from north to south, include:

According to United States Census Bureau figures, theethnic/racial makeupof La Jolla is 82.5% White, 0.8% Black, 0.2% American Indian, 11.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.0% any other race, and 3.1% two or more races. Latinos, who may be of any race, form 7.2% of La Jolla's population. There is also a sizable Persian population in La Jolla.^[63]

La Jolla had the highest home prices in the nation in 2008^[64]and 2009,^[65]according to a survey byColdwell Banker. The survey compares the cost of a standardized four-bedroom home in communities across the country. The average price for such a home in La Jolla was reported as US$1.842 million in 2008 and US$2.125 million in 2009.

• La Jolla Farms — This northern La Jolla neighborhood is just west of UCSD. It includes theTorrey Pines Gliderport, theSalk Institute, and a group of expensive homes on the cliffs aboveBlack's Beach(one of which is theAudrey Geisel University House).
• La Jolla Shores— The residential area and theScripps Institution of Oceanographycampus along La Jolla Shores Beach and east up the hillside. Also includes a small business district of shops and restaurants along Avenida de la Playa.
• La Jolla Heights — The homes on the hills overlooking La Jolla Shores. No businesses.
• Hidden Valley — Lower portion ofMount Soledadon the northern slopes. No businesses.
• Country Club — Lower Mt. Soledad on the northwest side, including the La Jolla Country Club golf course.
• Village — Also called Village of La Jolla (not to be confused with La Jolla Village) the "downtown" business district area, including most of La Jolla's shops and restaurants, and the immediately surrounding higher density and single family residential areas.
• Beach-Barber Tract — The coastal section fromWindansea Beachto the Village. A few shops and restaurants along La Jolla Boulevard.
• Lower Hermosa — Coastal strip south of Beach-Barber Tract. No businesses.
• Bird Rock— Southern coastal La Jolla, and the very lowest slopes of Mt. Soledad in the area. Notable for shops and restaurants along La Jolla Boulevard, five traffic roundabouts on La Jolla Boulevard, coastal bluffs, and surfing areas just two blocks off the main drag.
• Muirlands — Relatively large area on western middle slope of Mt. Soledad. No businesses.
• La Jolla Mesa — A strip on the lower southern side of Mt. Soledad, borderingPacific Beach. No businesses.
• La Jolla Alta — A master-planned development east of La Jolla Mesa. No businesses.
• Soledad South — Southeastern slopes of Mt. Soledad, all the way up to the top, east of La Jolla Alta.
• Muirlands West — The small neighborhood between Muirlands to the south, and Country Club to the north. No businesses.
• Upper Hermosa — Southwestern La Jolla, north of Bird Rock and east of La Jolla Blvd.
• La Jolla Village— Not to be confused with the Village (of La Jolla). In northeast La Jolla, east of La Jolla Heights, west ofI-5and south of UCSD. The neighborhood's namesake is theLa Jolla Village Squareshopping and residential mall, which includes La Jolla's only remaining movie theater.

The La Jolla Community Planning Association^[66]advises the city council, Planning Commission, City Planning Department as well as other governmental agency as appropriate in the initial preparation, adoption of, implementation of, or amendment to the General or Community Plan as it pertains to the La Jolla area as well as review specific development proposals.^[67]The nonprofit La Jolla Town Council^[68]represents the interests of La Jolla businesses and residents that belong to the council. The Bird Rock Community Council^[69]serves the Bird Rock neighborhood, while the La Jolla Shores Association^[70]serves the La Jolla Shores neighborhood. La Jolla Village Merchants Association, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed in February 2011 to manage the La Jolla Village Business Improvement District for the City of San Diego.^[71]

Community organizations include Independent La Jolla,^[72]a membership-based citizens group seeking to secede from the city of San Diego. Service clubs in La Jolla includeKiwanis,Rotary,La Jolla Woman's Club^[73]and the Social Service League of La Jolla,^[74]to name a few.

La Jolla is a subsidiary location for Chicago-based Linking Efforts Against Drugs (LEAD), a national drug-prevention organization recognized nationally for its success in reducing substance use and abuse among teens.

La Jolla is the home of InspirED, a community-focused EdTech company that supports schools in supporting their students' mental health through therapeutic services, educational opportunities, and technology.

La Jolla is the location ofTorrey Pines Golf Course, the site each January or February of aPGA Tourevent formerly known as the Buick Invitational and since 2010, called theFarmers Insurance Open.^[75]Torrey Pines also hosted the2008and2021 U.S. Open.^[76]Nearby is the de factonude beach,Black's Beach, and theTorrey Pines Gliderport.^[77]

Downtown La Jolla is noted for jewelry stores, boutiques, upmarket restaurants and hotels. Prospect Street and Girard Avenue are also shopping and dining districts.^[78]The Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1941, is located just above the waterfront in what was originally the 1915 residence of philanthropistEllen Browning Scripps. The museum has a permanent collection with more than 3,500 post-1950 American and European works, including paintings, works on paper, sculptures, photographic art, design objects and video works.^[79]The museum was renamedMuseum of Contemporary Art San Diegoin 1990 to recognize its regional significance.

Beaches and ocean access includeWindansea Beach,La Jolla Shores,La Jolla CoveandChildren's Pool Beach. For many years, La Jolla has been the host of a rough water swim at La Jolla Cove.^[80]

In 2011, the La Jolla Community Foundation commissioned various artists to contribute to the scenery of the town, through variousmurals. Some of the artists that are featured in the series areJohn Baldessari,Julian Opie, andKim MacConnel. There are 11 murals in the series, all of which will be on display for two years.^[81]

The La Jolla Fencing Academy opened in 2017 on Villa La Jolla Drive.^[82][83][84]Among its coaches is two-timeworld junior saber champion, and 2023 US saber champion,Konstantin Lokhanov.^[85][86]

TheLa Jolla Concours d'Eleganceauto show is hosted atLa Jolla Coveannually.^[87]

TheSan Diego Trolleylight rail system has four stops on theBlue Linelocated in the La Jolla neighborhood:

• Nobel Drive, which serves theLa Jolla Village Squareshopping center in theLa Jolla Villageneighborhood.
• VA Medical Center, which serves theVeteran Affairshospital of the same name next to UC San Diego.
• UC San Diego Central Campus, located in the center ofthe university of the same name.
• UC San Diego Health La Jolla, located nearScripps Memorial Health La Jolla, theJacobs Medical Center, theMoores Cancer Center, and the UC San Diego East Campus (contains theUC San Diego HealthLa Jolla campus of hospitals & medical facilities, and thePreuss School).

These four stations were opened on November 21, 2021, when the Blue Line was extended nine stops north fromOld Town Transit Centerto serve areas such as La Jolla Village, UC San Diego, andUniversity City.

TheUniversity of California San Diegois the center of higher education in La Jolla. The campus' name was briefly UC La Jolla during the planning stage of the university's development. UCSD includes theScripps Institution of Oceanographyand theSan Diego Supercomputer Center.

National Universityis also headquartered in La Jolla, with several academic campuses located throughout the county and the state. Among the several research institutes near UCSD and in the nearby Torrey Pines Science Park areScripps Research Institute, theSanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute(formerly called the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation),La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology(LJI), and theSalk Institute for Biological Studies.

La Jolla is served by theSan Diego Unified School District. Public schools includeLa Jolla High School, La Jolla Elementary,^[88]Muirlands Middle School,^[89]Torrey Pines Elementary,^[90]and Bird Rock Elementary,^[91]as well asPreuss School, a publiccharter school. The community'sprep schoolsareThe Bishop's School, The Children's School,^[92]Delphi Academy, Stella Maris Academy,^[93]The Gillispie School, and the Evans School.La Jolla Country Day Schoolis located in the nearby community ofUniversity City.

• La Jolla (under the fictionalized name "Esmerelda") is the setting forRaymond Chandler's finalPhilip Marlowenovel,Playback, published in 1958. Chandler lived in La Jolla for the previous decade. La Jolla'sHotel del Charrobecomes "Rancho Descansado" in the novel. A number of landmarks described can still be found today.^[95][96]
• La Jolla was home to the comic book publisherWildStorm Productions, from its founding byJim Leein 1993, until its closing in 2012 whenDC Comics, which had purchased the publisher as an imprint in 1998, absorbed the company and moved the office to Burbank, California.^{[97][98][99][100]}
• La Jolla is the base for theSundt Memorial Foundation, a national organization aimed at discouraging youth from getting involved in drugs.
• La Jolla is also a subsidiary location for Chicago-basedLinking Efforts Against Drugs (LEAD), a national drug-prevention organization recognized nationally for its success in reducing substance use and abuse among teens.
• La Jolla is the home of InspirED, an EdTech company that supports schools in supporting their students' mental health through therapeutic services, educational opportunities, and technology.
• La Jolla is mentioned in theBeach Boys'1963 songSurfin' U.S.A.and inThe Network's 2003 songSpike.
• "La Jolla" is the name of a song onWilbur Soot's 2020 albumYour City Gave Me Asthma.^[101]

• Laboratory scenes for the movieThe Cell(2000) were filmed atThe Neurosciences Institutein La Jolla.^[102]
• La Jolla is one of the backdrops in the movieTraffic(2000).^[103]
• Scenes for the movieThe Samuel Project(2018) were filmed in La Jolla.^[104]
• The movieHemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea(2023) is set inRiverside County, California, but some scenes were filmed at the director's home in La Jolla.^[105]

• La Jolla is the setting for the 2011 season ofThe Real World: San Diego, the twenty-sixth season of the long-runningMTVreality television series.^[106][107]
• TheNetflixsitcomGrace and Frankieis set in La Jolla, although filming takes place in other parts of California.^[108]
• Disney+'sBig Shottakes place in La Jolla.

La Jolla has been the home to many notable people, including prominent scientists, business people, artists, writers, surfers and performers.

• List of San Diego Historical Landmarks in La Jolla
• Birch Aquarium
• La Jolla Historical Society

• Langdon, Margaret (1970).A grammar of Diegueno: the Mesa Grande dialect. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Schaelchlin, Patricia (1988).La Jolla: The Story of a Community 1897-1987. La Jolla: Friends of the La Jolla Library.

• La Jolla Town Council
• Local history timeline

32°50′24″N117°16′37″W / 32.84000°N 117.27694°W /32.84000; -117.27694