Ocean Beach San Diego, CA

The community began when two men sold lots during a mussel roast on the beach in 1887. Development began around the early 1900s, with an amusement park on Abbot Street by 1913, along with skating rinks, dance halls and a merry-go-round on Newport Avenue, attracting tourists and turning the area into a resort town. Construction slowed during the Great Depression, but picked up again by the 1950s, paired with a population explosion. Around the 1960s, hippies began to move into the area, putting them at odds with the older residents. Relations cooled in the '70s as those same hippies established free schools, co-ops and businesses in the area. Today, Ocean Beach remains a mixture of old traditions and new-age lifestyle, where anyone can feel welcomed. Notable Ocean Beach residents include artist and cartoonist Michael Dormer, author Andy Rathbone, musician John Reis and MLB pitcher David Wells. Ocean Beach does not have any museums, but the Women’s Museum of California sits in nearby Liberty Station. A few neighborhoods over, Old Town has several museums, including Whaley House Museum, Wells Fargo History Museum and Junipero Serra Museum. Ocean Beach does not have much of an arts scene, except for the beach-side musicians that you hear as you stroll along the seaside. The closest performance theaters lie in Old Town, and Loma Portal has a dance academy. Ocean Beach hosts a few festivals and events each year, including the Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-off Festival and the Ocean Beach Music and Art Festival. The Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-off Festival, a free summer event, features multiple stages with live music, an art mural, beach side entertainment and a chili completion. The Ocean Beach Music and Art Festival, pays homage to the cultural and historic value of Ocean Beach with six performance stages, several food vendors, multiple beer gardens and an art display.

Ocean Beach fare features French, Indian, Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine, alongside American favorites like burgers and deli sandwiches. Nightlife options are plentiful, with a mixture of clubs, bars, lounges and pubs scattered along the beach. Restaurants are clustered in the northwestern corner of the neighborhood, off of Abbot Street, Bacon Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. With tender beef bourguignon, pistachio salmon and Brussel sprouts that customers rave about, you know you are in for a treat at BO Beau Kitchen + Bar. Sip on a Treaty of Paris drink made with gin and grapes while you enjoy the romantic ambiance. BO does not take reservations, so plan ahead especially if you have a large party. At Sundara, you can eat in, eat out or have your food delivered to your beach hotel, allowing you to dine on chicken tikka masala and garlic naan bread as you watch the waves roll in. The menu is small and the flavors spicy, but the kitchen will gladly make your food mild if you request. Plus, Wednesdays get you $10 off a bottle of wine. OB Warehouse mixes an eclectic global cuisine and vintage decor to create the ultimate casual hangout spot in the Ocean Beach area. The main lounge features a large ceiling fan to keep patrons cool during hot, summer days and a projector on the back patio to enjoy movies on warm, summer nights. They offer happy-hour specials from their large selection of wines and cocktails, alongside popular treats such as roasted baby beet salad, royal Goan shrimp and seasonal bread pudding. With the Valley View Casino Center in neighboring Midway, Ocean Beach residents are never far from a popular concert or event. For something a little closer to the neighborhood, Winston’s Beach Club off of Bacon Street offers live music, a dance floor and open mic nights. A little farther south near Shelter Island, at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, patrons can enjoy the musical styling of local and regional artists against a backdrop of rolling waves and the beautiful San Diego sunset. Nightlife entertainment in Ocean Beach includes the Olive Tree Tasting Room, where you can sample a variety of wines.

What Ocean Beach lacks in public transportation, the neighborhood makes up for in walkability and safety for bike riders. As San Diego’s 23rd most walkable neighborhood and a beach community, most errands can be accomplished on foot, especially on the west side. Bike lanes can be found along Ebers Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Bus routes 35 and 923 run through the neighborhood and remain the only mass transit option, but residents can easily call a cab, book a ride through Uber or participate in ride shares through RelayRides. Four public parking lots serve the area, including one on Voltaire Street, one adjacent to the north entrance to the beach, one on Santa Monica Avenue and one on Newport Avenue adjacent to the Ocean Beach Pier. You can also park on the street along Newport Avenue. I-8 begins on the northeastern side of the neighborhood and intersects with I-5 around Old Town, making both highways easily accessible to residents.

Ocean Beach has two parks, Collier Neighborhood Park and Ocean Beach Park. Collier, a park on a hill located at Soto Street, features a patch of urban green with no real amenities, aside from picnic tables and a view of the community garden. It also has no public bathroom, so go before you go. Although not a designated off-leash area, residents let their pets roam free. The area also has a dog beach located in the far northwestern corner of the neighborhood. Ocean Beach Park, located on Ebers Street, has a small playground designed for 2 to 5 year olds and a few infant swings.

The cost of living in Ocean Beach hovers just over $50,000 a year, nearly $25,000 lower than the city average. Food, entertainment and most other costs remain comparable between the two areas, but housing costs dip a little lower in Ocean Beach. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs $2,000 a month, slightly lower than the rest of San Diego at nearly $2,300 a month.

The major area of commerce in Ocean Beach lies along Newport Avenue from Abbot Street to Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, including both high-end and high-value specialty shops and boutiques that cater to the surfer-beachcomber lifestyle. Miss Match, a women’s clothing boutique located off of Newport Avenue and Cable Street, carries mostly dresses. You may also find a few beach-worthy blouses, handbags and other accessories. Thrift Trader, located at Newport Avenue and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, specializes in buying and selling used clothing, music and movies. You can find the perfect hippie-chic outfit to lounge in on the beach. The Black Bead, located at Newport Avenue and Bacon Street, has a wide selection of beads and stones for craft and jewelry projects. You can dig through a bucket of half-price bead stands to find the perfect beads on the cheap. The Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market features local, organically grown produce. A co-op managed by the local community, you’ll find a small restaurant on the second floor and a play area to entertain the kids. The Olive Tree Marketplace sells prepared foods and liquor as well as some bread, milk, produce and meat. They even have a selection of firewood for your next beach bonfire. The neighborhood hosts the Ocean Beach Farmers Market, located on Newport Avenue between Bacon Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. The market runs for a few hours on Wednesday evenings.