La Jolla - Seth Howard It has never been determined where the name "La Jolla" came from, but what can be determined is the meaning of the name, "The Jewel". Located on the Pacific Ocean, La Jolla, is known for its glorious beaches, great restaurants, great shopping and its cleanliness. The first inhabitants of La Jolla were probably Native Americans, who settled along the shoreline of La Jolla over 2500 years ago. It is still unclear what happened to the Native American settlement and their remains are few and far between. But archaeologists have found many artifacts including, utensils made of stone and other archaic tools. La Jolla officially became part of San Diego County in 1850, but there were no permanent residents until around 1870. Times have changed quite a bit since the days that the two brothers, Samuel and Daniel Sizer each bought a piece of land for $1.25 per acre, now valued at a million times that. Early La Jolla settler, Frank Terrill Botsford arrived in 1886 and also purchased a piece of land, but he is noted as "The Father of La Jolla", because Frank was the first to actually develop the property.

Just before the beginning of the 20th century, La Jolla extended its railroad, which greatly increased the areas ability to grow. It was at this time that real estate developers began to take an interest in the coastal region and began building resorts and developing properties. The first result was the La Jolla Park Hotel which opened in 1893 and had over eighty rooms available for visitors. The hotel was not very successful and burned down a few years later. The first homes developed in La Jolla were along Girard Avenue and Prospect Street. One of La Jolla's biggest contributors was Ellen Browning Scripps, who's gifts include such La Jolla landmarks as the Scripps Institue of Oceanography and the Ellen Browning Scripps Park. Beaches of La Jolla Black's Beach La Jolla Cove La Jolla Shores Children's Pool Scripps WindanSea Modern day La Jolla has over 40,000 residents spread throughout its neighborhoods (La Jolla Heights, Hidden Valley, Country Club, Village of La Jolla, Beach-Barber Tract, Lower Hermosa, Upper Hermosa, Bird Rock, Muirlands, La Jolla Mesa, La Jolla Alta, Soledad South, Bird Rock, Windansea, The Village of La Jolla , La Jolla Shores, La Jolla Farms, Torrey Pines, Mount Soledad and La Jolla Village). The real estate in La Jolla is some of the most valued in the country, with a vast array of million dollar-plus homes & condos. More information can be found on the real estate blog. Education La Jolla High School (Public) The higher standards of living in La Jolla are matched by it educational facilities. Prep schools include, La Jolla Country Day School, La Jolla High School, The Preuss School USCD and The Bishop's School. It is also home to the University of California, San Diego, which includes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, also UCSD is the Scripps Research Institute and the Salk Institute. Ratt guitarists Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini attended high school in La Jolla.