Mission Beach

Community was once a tough sell with small lots, now brimming with residents and tourists

History: One of the last of San Diego’s beach communities to be developed, Mission Beach got started in 1914, when a syndicate headed by John D. Spreckels and real estate magnate George L. Barney filed subdivision plans. This sandbar wedged between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay was a hard sell, with narrow lots going for as little as $450.

A concrete sea wall was built in the early 1920s, and in 1925 Spreckels built the Mission Beach Amusement Center.

The centerpiece of what we now know as Belmont Park was the 2,600-foot-long Giant Dipper roller coaster, which was built in less than two months for the giant sum of $150,000. The boardwalk remains one of the most colorful scenes in town, and the community has become one of San Diego’s most densely populated neighborhoods.

How it got its name: “Mission” came from Mission San Diego de Alcalá. “Beach” speaks for itself. In fact, all the streets in Mission Beach are named after either a California Mission, or a beach!

Did you know? The raucous Over The Line game, a scaled-down form of beach softball that goes great with drinking, was invented in Mission Beach. The tournament is now held on Fiesta Island, but the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club is still in charge.

Things to do: Scream your way through a ride on the Giant Dipper, still terrifying after all these years. Hit the boardwalk for walking, ice cream eating and a glimpse of the iconic “Slomo” rollerblading his way (slowly, of course!) down the boardwalk. And SeaWorld is just a hop and a skip away.