La Jolla is California's Riviera and visitors often remark how similar it is to the French Riviera. With its over 13 miles of rugged coastline, sandy beaches, intimate coves, surrounding mountains, La Jolla is truly, what the name means in Spanish,..."the jewel" of San Diego! La Jolla is located 15 minutes from downtown San Diego, America’s finest city.

La Jolla was vacant land when it was incorporated into the City of San Diego. Settlers began arriving in the 1880s when Frank Terrill Botsford began subdividing the land.  The original lots sold for approximately $1.25 an acre.  When the railroad came through in the 1890s, the area began to develop as a resort.  Its ocean front location and incredible ocean views were an instant hit with tourists and residents.

La Jolla is home to some of the finest cultural centers in the United States, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the La Jolla Community Theater (founded by Gregory Peck). La Jolla is also the home to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the Contemporary Museum of Art, the La Jolla Playhouse and the Birch Aquarium. Artists and writers settled in the area and Jonas Salk located his Salk Institute here as well. Today there are numerous bio-tech and high tech firms that call the area home.