Point Loma, San Diego
Point Loma | |
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Coordinates: 32°40′12″N 117°14′31″W / 32.67000°N 117.24194°W | |
Country | United States of America |
State | California |
County | San Diego |
City | San Diego |
ZIP Code | 92106 and 92107 |
Point Loma (Spanish: Punta de la Loma, meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: Amat Kunyily, meaning "Black Earth")[1] is a seaside community within the city of San Diego, California, United States. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town, and the north by the San Diego River. Together with the Silver Strand / Coronado peninsula, the Point Loma peninsula defines San Diego Bay and separates it from the Pacific Ocean. The term "Point Loma" is used to describe both the neighborhood and the peninsula.
Point Loma has an estimated population of 47,981 (including Ocean Beach), according to the 2010 Census.[2][3] The Peninsula Planning Area, which includes most of Point Loma, comprises approximately 4,400 acres (1,800 ha).[4]
Point Loma is historically important as the landing place of the first European expedition to come ashore in present-day California. Point Loma houses two major military bases, a national cemetery, a national monument, and a university, in addition to residential and commercial areas.
History
Loma is the Spanish word for hill. The original Spanish name of the peninsula was La Punta de la Loma de San Diego, translated as Hill Point of San Diego. This was later anglicized to Point Loma.[5] The original Kumeyaay name was 'Amat Kunyily' meaning "black earth".[6][1]
There were no permanent indigenous settlements on Point Loma because of a lack of fresh water.
Point Loma was discovered by Europeans on September 28, 1542, when
More than 200 years were to pass before a permanent European settlement was established in San Diego in 1769.
Ballast Point got its name from the practice of ships discarding their
The longtime association of San Diego with the U.S. military began in Point Loma. The southern portion of the Point Loma peninsula was set aside for military purposes as early as 1852. Over the next several decades the
Following the death in 1891 of Helena Blavatsky, its founder, Katherine Tingley moved the headquarters of the Theosophical Society to "Lomaland", a hilltop campus in Point Loma overlooking the ocean.[17] The facility with its unusual architecture and even more unusual lifestyles became an important source of music and culture for residents of San Diego between 1900 and 1920.[17] Producing most of its own food,[18] the Society also experimented widely with planting trees and crops such as eucalyptus and avocado, giving that formerly barren part of Point Loma its current heavily wooded character.[17] The Lomaland site is now the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University.[19]
During the 1920s there was a dirt airstrip known as Dutch Flats in what is now the
Due to the prevailing sea-breezes and long north–south ridge, Point Loma was a well-known gliding site during 1929–1935.
Landmarks
The best known landmark in Point Loma is the
In addition to the lighthouse, there are five other sites in Point Loma listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Cabrillo National Monument, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Historic District, Naval Training Center San Diego, and Rosecroft.[26]
Point Loma is recognized as a National Landmark of Soaring of the National Soaring Museum because of the many record flights that took place along the promontory. Two plaques honoring these accomplishments are near the entrance to the Cabrillo National Monument.[22]
Geography
Geology
On the west side of the peninsula there are sandstone cliffs along the ocean, called the Sunset Cliffs. Geologically these cliffs are known as the Point Loma Formation. They contain fossils, including dinosaur fossils, from the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 million years ago. The formation represents one of the few sites containing dinosaur fossils in the state of California. Overlying the Point Loma Formation is another Late Cretaceous deposit called the Cabrillo Formation, which crops out in various areas of Point Loma.[27][28]
The top of the peninsula is fairly flat, reaches an elevation of 422 ft (129 m),
The cliffs on the ocean side of the peninsula are sheer and are undergoing constant erosion due to wave action. On the east side the land slopes into San Diego Bay more gradually, so that homes and developments go right to the water's edge. At the northern end of the peninsula the cliffs and hills become lower, disappearing entirely in Ocean Beach and the Midway area, where the San Diego River flows.[4]
Much of the Midway area is former marshland which has been filled in for development.[31] In fact, the San Diego River used to flow through the Midway area into San Diego Bay, isolating Point Loma from San Diego. Because of fears that San Diego Bay might silt up, the river was diverted to its present course north of Point Loma by a levee built in 1877.[32] Parts of Liberty Station and Point Loma Village are also fill land, reclaimed from sand spits and wetlands surrounding the Bay. The only remnant of the formerly extensive wetlands in Point Loma, aside from the riverbed itself, is a city-owned nature preserve called Famosa Slough, which branches off from the river near its mouth.[33]
Neighborhoods
There are several distinct neighborhoods in the Point Loma peninsula.
Connected to Point Loma Village by a causeway is Shelter Island, which is actually not an island but a former sandbank in San Diego Bay. Shelter Island was developed in the 1950s after it was built up into dry land using material dredged from the bay.[36] It is under the control of the Port of San Diego and contains hotels, restaurants, marinas, and public parkland.
The bayside residential area called
Roseville, named for San Diego pioneer Louis Rose,[37] encompasses the oldest settled part of the peninsula. Roseville was originally a separate town but later was absorbed into San Diego.[38] Many Portuguese fishermen and fishing boat owners settled there more than 100 years ago. Some people refer to the area as "Tunaville" because of its association with the tuna-fishing fleet. The hilly area above Roseville is known as Fleetridge, named for its developer David Fleet, a son of Reuben H. Fleet.[39]
The bayside hills between Rosecrans Street and Chatsworth Boulevard north of Nimitz Boulevard are known as
The northwest corner of the peninsula, where the San Diego River flows into the ocean, is a separate community known as Ocean Beach.[4] The southern one-third of the Point Loma Peninsula is entirely federal land, including Naval Base Point Loma, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, and Cabrillo National Monument.
Fauna
The area contains multiple species of wildlife, both in the federal lands at the southern end of the peninsula (managed in part as an ecological reserve) and in the developed suburban areas.[41] Mammals include raccoons, skunks, possums, bats, rabbits, California ground squirrels, gray foxes, and occasional coyotes.[42] More than 300 species of birds have been observed in Point Loma, which lies on the Pacific Flyway migration route.[43]
Economy
The main economic engines of Point Loma are military facilities, neighborhood-serving retail, and marine recreation, particularly yachting and deep-sea fishing.[4]
Tourism
Marine activities are mostly located on the Bay (eastern) side of the peninsula, where there are three
Tourists and locals visit the cliffs on the western side of the peninsula for views of the ocean and the sunset - hence the name, Sunset Cliffs. The cliffs are unstable and can be dangerous; a woman died in a fall from the cliffs in December 2008,[45] and other falls have resulted in injuries.[46][47]
The Point Loma area has a number of hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. Located in the Voltaire business district, near Ocean Beach, is the Point Loma Youth Hostel, frequented by travelers from around the world.
Military
Point Loma is home to several major military installations including the US Navy's
Naval Base Point Loma, at the southern end of Rosecrans Street in the
The
Culture
Annual events
The Day at the Docks festival each April highlights Point Loma's sport fishing industry.[53]
The Festa do Espirito Santo, or Feast of the Holy Spirit, is a religious festival put on by Point Loma's large Portuguese community. It has been staged annually since 1910 and is San Diego's oldest ethnic tradition.[54]
The Cabrillo Festival each October is a weekend-long commemoration of the landing of
From June through September, nationally known musicians and comedians perform at an outdoor concert venue on Shelter Island.[56]
A free outdoor concert series features local musicians on five Friday evenings in a local park each summer.[57]
Every year since 1952, the St. Nicholas Home Tour has been held on the first Saturday in December. The tour typically includes 4 - 6 significant homes decorated for the holidays, and is accompanied by tea, cookies, and caroling.[58] All but one of the tours has been hosted by All Souls' Episcopal Church.[59] This is said to be the oldest home tour west of the Mississippi River.[60]
Point Loma is noted for neighborhood Christmas decorations. Several blocks of Garrison Street near Chatsworth are particularly well known for elaborate decorations.
Arts and entertainment
Both Top Gun movies were shot at the New Point Loma Lighthouse and the sequel at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.[63]
A shipyard set in Patuxent, Maryland for The Hunt for Red October was filmed at Naval Base Point Loma.[64]
Civic organizations
Civic organizations include the Point Loma Association, a nonprofit group dedicated to beautification and civic improvement,[65] and the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.[66] Service clubs include Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimists, Lions, the Point Loma Assembly,[67] and the Thursday Club.[68]
Parks and libraries
Point Loma contains a few small neighborhood parks and the Cabrillo Recreation Center. There is large waterfront park at
The James Edgar and Jean Jessop Hervey Public Library opened in 2003, replacing a much smaller public library. The new library, built by Conwell Shonkwiler & Associates, was partly funded by a donation via the San Diego Foundation from the Hervey family, who had close ties to the area. Jean Jessop Hervey in particular used to visit the old Point Loma Library every Tuesday to read with her children. The library, located at 3701 Voltaire Street, is over 25,000 square feet and holds over 80,000 books. It includes a kitchen area, a community meeting room, and outdoor sitting patios. The lower floor is the largest children's library in the City of San Diego, featuring a simulated ship, reading desks shaped like surfboards, an art space and a Story Time Zone. In connecting to the place of Point Loma, the library's architectural style features a nautical theme. There is even an operating periscope, salvaged from a U.S. Navy submarine, through which visitors can see the surrounding neighborhood.[71] The floor in the entry lobby features a terrazzo map of the Point Loma Peninsula. The library holds scheduled events such as story time for children, Thursday after school movies, and arts and crafts demonstrations.[72]
Government
The Point Loma community is part of the city of
Some portions of the Point Loma peninsula are not under the jurisdiction of the city, including the federal and military lands as well as the bayside tidelands governed by the Port of San Diego. Approximately 60% of the Point Loma community is included in the Coastal Zone and is subject to regulation by the California Coastal Commission.[4]
The Peninsula Community Planning Board is an advisory board which makes recommendations to the city on planning, land use, and similar matters for the Point Loma area.[76] There are separate planning boards for Ocean Beach and the Midway area.
Education
Point Loma has several public, charter, and
Post-secondary education is offered at Point Loma Nazarene University, a Christian liberal arts college whose ocean-view campus was once the home of the Theosophical Society.[19] The Peninsula also has a branch campus of the San Diego Community College District.
Infrastructure
Interstate 8 freeway follows the northern edge of the Point Loma peninsula, paralleling the San Diego River, and terminates a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Rosecrans Street is the north–south avenue that serves the bay side of Point Loma, while Sunset Cliffs Boulevard is the north–south avenue on the ocean side; the two streets run parallel to each other and to Catalina Boulevard on the crest of the hill. The former California State Route 209 followed Rosecrans and Catalina to the southern end of the Point. Sports Arena Boulevard, West Point Loma Boulevard, Harbor Drive and Nimitz Boulevard are other major traffic pipelines in Point Loma.[4]
Most streets in the coastal sections, both bay and ocean, are laid out in a rough grid pattern, with the oceanside blocks larger than the bayside. The grid breaks down in the hilly center, particularly west of Chatsworth Boulevard and east of Catalina and Nimitz Boulevard, where streets have more terrain-following, curvy patterns. Some streets are broken into multiple disconnected sections by intervening canyons or hills. The presence of hills and canyons, together with the restraints imposed by a long narrow peninsula, result in "circuitous routing of traffic and a great deal of out-of-direction travel."[4]
Notable people
- Charlotte Johnson Baker, 1855–1937, first woman physician in San Diego, first female president of the San Diego County Medical Society
- Fred Baker (physician), 1854–1938, physician, civic activist, member and president of the City Council, founder of Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Belle Benchley, 1882–1973, director of the San Diego Zoo for 25 years; for most of that time she was the only female zoo director in the world
- Dennis Conner, 1942- , yacht racer
- Richard Henry Dana Jr., 1815–1882, author who wrote about early 19th century San Diego
- Kevin Faulconer, 1967- , Mayor of San Diego
- Reuben H. Fleet, 1887–1975, founder of Convair
- Randy Gardner, 1947- , Record holder for longest scientifically documented time without sleep
- Jack O. Gross, 1905–1985, KFMB-TV founder
- Justin Halpern, 1980- , author of the best selling book Sh*t My Dad Says
- Ed Harris, 1946- , member of the San Diego City Council
- Frankie Laine, 1913–2007, singer
- Daniël de Lange, 1841–1918), Dutch composer ad Theosophist
- Bob Mendoza, professional baseball player and coach, San Diego Hall of Champions inductee
- Maureen O'Connor, 1946- , first female Mayor of San Diego
- Jack in the Boxfast food chain
- Conrad Prebys, 1933–2016, developer and philanthropist
- Alfred D. Robinson, 1866-1942 and Marion James Robinson, 1873–1919, builders of Rosecroft
- Louis Rose, 1807–1888, early developer, founder of Roseville
- T. Claude Ryan, 1898–1982, aviation pioneer, founder of Ryan Aeronautical
- A. G. Spalding sports equipment company
- Theosophist, founder of Lomaland
- Judith M. Tyberg, 1902–1980, yogi, Sanskrit scholar, orientalist, theosophist, founder of East-West Cultural Center, Los Angeles.
- Joseph Wambaugh, 1937- , author
See also
Bibliography
- Engstrand, Iris (2005). San Diego: California's Cornerstone. Sunbelt. ISBN 0-932653-72-3.
- Baker, Gayle (2007). San Diego: Another HarborTown History. Pacific Books. ISBN 978-0-9710984-6-6.
References
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- ^ "2010 Census Population for ZIP Code 92107". Zip-codes.com. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "2010 Census Population for ZIP Code 92106". Zip-codes.com. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Peninsula Community Plan" (PDF). City of San Diego. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
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- ^ a b "Cabrillo NM: Shadows of the Past (Chapter 3)". www.npshistory.com. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
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- ^ Ruhlen, George. "Historic California Posts - Fort Rosecrans (Including Castillo de Guijarros and Point Loma Military Reservation)". MilitaryMuseum.org. The California State Military Museum. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ^ "Historic California Posts: Fort Rosecrans". California State Military Museum. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ University of San Diego: Military Bases in San Diego Archived April 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Naval Training Center, San Diego". California State Military Department. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ Ruhlen, George (October 1959). "Fort Rosecrans, California". The Journal of San Diego History. 5 (4).
- ^ a b c Harris, Iverson L. (Summer 1974). "Reminiscences of Lomaland: Madame Tingley and the Theosphical Institute in San Diego". The Journal of San Diego History. 20 (3). San Diego History Center.
- ^ Kirkley, Evelyn A. (Winter 1997). ""Starved and Treated Like Convicts": Images of Women in Point Loma Theosophy". The Journal of San Diego History. 43 (1). San Diego History Center.
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- ^ Friends of Famosa Slough website
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- ^ Stern, Norton B.; Kramer, William M. (Fall 1973). "The Rose of San Diego". Journal of San Diego History. 19 (4).
- ^ "REPORT NO. HRB-09-018" (PDF). Historical Resources Board. City of San Diego. March 13, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ Walsh, Patricia M. (2008). "It's time for a different kind of Pt. Loma pause". San Diego Community Newspaper Group. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ Lydy, Donald. "Point Loma Ecological Reserve" (PDF). SPAWAR. U.S. Navy. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- ^ "Mammals". Cabrillo National Monument. National Park Service. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
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- ^ Point Loma Youth Hostel website
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- ^ Day at the Docks website
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- ^ Concert Series website
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- ^ Gentile, Anthony. "'GRAND DAME' OF HOME TOURS". San Diego Community Newspaper Group. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
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- ^ Hamblin, Abby (May 25, 2022). "These are the 'Top Gun' filming locations in San Diego, including 'Top Gun: Maverick'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Filming Locations for The Hunt For Red October (1990), in Los Angeles; Washington State; North Carolina and Liverpool". The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ Point Loma Association
- ^ Peninsula Chamber
- ^ Point Loma Assembly
- ^ The Thursday Club
- ^ Sunset Cliffs Natural Park website Archived August 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ San Diego River Park Foundation
- ^ "San Diego's Best: Branch library". San Diego Magazine. June 2006. p. 106. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Library website Archived November 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Point Loma". City Council District 2. City of San Diego. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ "County of San Diego Gubernatorial General Election November 6, 2018 Official Results - (San Diego County Portion Only)" (PDF). Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ "Senator Toni Atkins". Senator Toni Atkins.
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- ^ "Point Loma Cluster website". San Diego Unified School District.
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(help) - ^ "High Tech High website". Retrieved January 30, 2013.
External links
- Point Loma & Ocean Beach travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Media related to Point Loma at Wikimedia Commons