Ocean Beach, San Diego
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Ocean Beach (also known as O.B.) is a beachfront neighborhood of San Diego, California.
It is located south of Mission Bay and Mission Beach and west of downtown on the Pacific Ocean at the western terminus of Interstate 8.
Ocean Beach houses two schools (Ocean Beach Elementary and Sacred Heart Academy), multiple churches, and a public library. The main street of business is Newport Avenue, with the eastern blocks dominated by a large number of antique stores. Notable local organizations include the Ocean Beach Town Council, the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association, and the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach. Major local events include the Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cookoff in late June, the Ocean Beach Christmas Parade in early December, and the Ocean Beach Kite Festival on the first Saturday of March.
The Ocean Beach Pier, built in 1966, is the longest on the West Coast of the United States, measuring 1971 feet.
The northern end of OB's waterfront is known as Dog Beach, alongside the emptying San Diego River. It has been set aside specifically for leash-free pets and their owners.
Recently, there has been a controversial movement within the community to close Newport Avenue to vehicle traffic from Bacon Street to the beach. The move would promote more walking, biking, and skateboarding and reinforce West Newport as the community center. Opponents to the idea are some local businesses who cater to patrons outside of Ocean Beach. These patrons would find it more difficult to locate parking.
History
Ocean Beach was given its name by developers Billy Carlson and Frank Higgins in 1887. They opened a real estate firm Carlson & Higgins and proceeded to develop Ocean Beach.
They developed the Cliff House Hotel and subdivided the area into lots. The development did not do well because it was 2 1/2 hours from downtown San Diego by carriage. They rented a locomotive, but by that time, in 1888, the boom ended and the development put on hold. Higgins' partner committed suicide and the Cliff House burned from a fallen chandelier in 1898. Carlson sold the Ocean Beach development to an Eastern financier and its development would wait another 20 years when permanent rail service arrived.
Earlier names for Ocean Beach include Mussel Beach, Mussel Beds, Medanos (Spanish for 'dunes'), Palmer's Place/Ranch, and Palmiro's. Many locals refer to Ocean Beach simply as OB.
The northern end of Ocean Beach was once dominated in the early 20th century by the Wonderland Amusement Park. Eventually Wonderland was razed and turned into a mostly residential neighborhood.
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Economy
Newport Ave. is the main commercial street in Ocean Beach.
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