About La Jolla, California:

La Jolla in Spanish means "The Jewel". It is the Jewel of America's finest city, San Diego. La Jolla is located 15 minutes from downtown San Diego.La Jolla residents and business owners often refer to the "village" or "town" of La Jolla. The official postal address for La Jolla's 92037 zip code is "La Jolla", not "San Diego". Every other community within the City of San Diego uses "San Diego". This distinctive treatment of La Jolla sometimes confuses visitors and even many locals into believing that La Jolla is actually a separate incorporated city.La Jolla has several community groups which work to unify the voice of the community. Among these groups is the non-profit La Jolla Town Council organization which represents the interests of the La Jolla businesses that belong to the Council.

Landscape
With its palm-lined streets, large estate homes, and Mediterranean climate and atmosphere, La Jolla is reminiscent of a southern European village with touches of Beverly Hills along the upscale retail shops on Prospect Street. Much of La Jolla's natural charm stems from the presence of the ocean and Mount Soledad. Narrow curvy roads follow the contours of Soledad and hundreds of homes overlooking the ocean are nestled on the slopes. The sandy beaches, dotting the coastline extend from the south to the north, are Windansea Beach, La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Beach and Tennis property, La Jolla Shores, Scripps, and Black's Beach (leading up to Torrey Pines State Reserve).


Education
The University of California, San Diego (including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the San Diego Supercomputer Center) is the center of higher education in La Jolla. National University is also headquartered in La Jolla. Among the several research institutes near UCSD and in the nearby Torrey Pines Science Park are The Scripps Research Institute, the Burnham Institute (formerly called the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation) and the Salk Institute. The town's prep schools are La Jolla Country Day School, The Bishop's School, and The Preuss School UCSD. The public high school, La Jolla High School, is in the San Diego City Schools district. It is home to several famous alumni, including Gregory Peck and Raquel Welch.


Literary La Jolla

CoveTheodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was a resident of La Jolla at the time of his death in 1991. Unlike many celebrities, his address and phone number used to be listed in the local phone book. In fact, the main library at the University of California, San Diego, is dedicated to him. Raymond Chandler, an early influential noir novelist, moved to La Jolla late in his career. He died there 13 years later, but not before delivering a bleak aphorism about then-stuffy La Jolla, "A nice place -- for old people and their parents."

The title article in Tom Wolfe's The Pump House Gang is about a group of surfers from Windansea Beach in La Jolla who "attended the Watts riots as if it were the Rose Bowl game in Pasadena."

Novelist Anne Rice moved from New Orleans to La Jolla in 2005.


Attractions and activities
La Jolla is also the location of Torrey Pines Golf Course, made famous by the PGA TOUR Buick Invitational held there each February (in 2005, the competition was held in January). Down the steep cliffs from the Salk Institute and the Torrey Pines Golf Course is the famous de facto nude beach, Black's Beach.

Walking along the beach at all times (but especially at sunset) is popular recreation. Those ambling along may be able to glimpse the "Green Flash."

Downtown La Jolla is noted for its jewelry stores, up market restaurants and hotels. Prospect Street and Girard Avenue also have several famous boutiques and restaurants (including local favorites, such as the Girard Gourmet and Harry's Coffee Shop). Notable for its architectural and historical presence is the La Valencia Hotel, which used to welcome movie stars on retreat from Hollywood during the silent film era.


In recent years, harbor seals have taken over the Children's Beach, a quaint man-made cove near downtown. The seals are protected animals under federal law, so removing them has become a difficult and controversial issue. As of now, the beach is open; the rope is down. However, harassment of the animals is prohibited; swimming is allowed but not recommended.

Skimboarding and Surfing are very popular at many of La Jolla's world-famous beaches including Windansea and the People's Wall.

The USS La Jolla, a nuclear submarine, is named in its honor.


Origin and pronunciation
The area was known as La Jolla Park at least as early as 1886. The origin of the name is obscure. It is pronounced "Lah HOY-Ya," not "Lah Ho-Ya" as it should be in Spanish. Some say it is a corruption of ahoy, called out by sailors seeking the attention of people on the shore. The people of La Jolla claim it is a misspelling of La Joya, meaning "The Jewel" in Spanish. Perhaps the most-likely, although least-glamorous, theory is that La Jolla is a corruption of the Native American word "Woholle," meaning "hole in the mountain," referring to the caves in the north-facing cliffs next to La Jolla Cove Park. Most of these have since either collapsed due to ongoing erosion, or have been intentionally destroyed by local authorities to prevent the drownings that were once frequent occurrences.