Mission Beach History

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San Diego beach towns have a lot of character. Many have had developed communities for almost a century, while others are still quite young. The town of Mission Beach, though not as old as others, has been around for over half a century, and is currently one of the most popular beach spots in San Diego.

On the peninsula that extends south from Pacific Beach, Mission Beach hangs between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay, just a few miles from the northern coast of Ocean Beach. It is also sometimes referred to as a sandbar since it is mostly made up of sand. There was once a small wooden bridge connecting OB and South Mission, but it was demolished in 1951.

While the surrounding towns of Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach were somewhat developed at the turn of the century, Mission Beach was light years behind because of the difficult foundation sand makes. In 1914, John D. Spreckels offered small lots for sale at nominal prices in hopes to grow his real estate market. For this reason, Mission Beach is the most densely developed community in all of San Diego, with as many as 36 homes per acre.

Despite the sales of these small lots, there were not many residential buildings built initially, and even those that did pop up were merely small Summer cottages, which are now mission beach vacation rentals. It was not until the 30's and 40's that the majority of the residential buildings were finally built.

In 1925, the Mission Beach Amusement Center, which is now known as Belmont Park, opened with a variety of games, rides and attractions. Spreckels hoped to attract more people to Mission Beach, and encourage the use of his electric railway. The original park had the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, as well as a saltwater version of the still-standing Mission Beach Plunge. There are currently a dozen or so rides and attractions and Belmont Park, but these are the only two from the original park.

Mission Beach has a short, but vibrant history. It is now densely populated by surfers, beachgoers and bar-hoppers during the summer months, and since it also has the best San Diego beach rentals, it is also a hub for tourists year-round.