Editing Pacific Beach, San Diego (section)

==History==
Before European contact, the area was settled by the Kumeyaay people, who built a large village then known as ''Hamo,'' or ''Jamo,'' on the banks of Rose Creek at the entrance of Rose Canyon.

As with many California cities, the history of San Diego's development can be traced back to the completion of a cross-country railroad in 1885.<ref name=":0" /> The town developed during the boom years between 1886 and 1888 by [[David C. Reed|D. C. Reed]], A. G. Gassen, Charles W. Pauley, R. A. Thomas, and O. S. Hubbell. It was Hubbell who "cleared away the grainfields, pitched a tent, mapped out the lots, hired an auctioneer and started to work".<ref name="sandiegohistory.org" /> A railway connected Pacific Beach with downtown San Diego starting in 1889, and was extended to La Jolla in 1894.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Crystal Pier.jpg|thumb|left|Crystal Pier, originally constructed in 1927]]

Early landmarks and attractions in Pacific Beach included an [[asbestos]] factory (established in 1888), a race track, and the San Diego College of Letters (1887–1891), none of which survive today.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fetzer |first=Leland |date=2005 |title=San Diego County Place Names A to Z |location=San Diego |publisher=Sunbelt Publications |page=108 |quote=In 1869, the site of the district's first race track, Agricultural Park ... promoters founded Pacific Beach Subdivision in 1887. Here they erected the San Diego College of Letters ... When it failed, its buildings became the Hotel Balboa.}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> At the turn of the century, lemon growing and packing dominated the local economy.<ref name=":0" /> In 1910, the [[Army and Navy Academy|San Diego Army and Navy Academy]], a preparatory school, was established in an old College building; in 1922 a public high school followed and a junior high in 1930. Crystal Pier construction in the 1920s shut down, and reopened in 1936.<ref name=":0" /> In 1927, Crystal Pier opened; the Roxy Movie theater opened in 1943 to cater to a population that grew five times during World War II.<ref name=":0" /> The postwar period saw the establishment of many hotels: the Bahia (1953), the Catamaran (1959), and Vacation Village (1965).<ref name=":0" /> High-rise construction in nearby Mission Bay led to the establishment of a 30-foot height limitation for buildings in 1972, an ordinance still in effect.<ref name=":0" /> Prominent boardwalk Ocean Avenue was closed in 1982 and became a park.<ref name=":0" />

In 1902, lots sold for between $350–700 for oceanfront property. By 1950, the population of Pacific Beach reached 30,000 and the average home sold for $12,000.<ref name="auto">[http://www.welovepb.com/pbhistory.htm Pacific Beach and Mission Bay Visitor Center] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130105211554/http://www.welovepb.com/pbhistory.htm |date=2013-01-05 }}</ref> Nonetheless, a small number of farms remained. Today, homes can sell for millions of dollars.

Homelessness remains another pressing issue, Caryn Blanton highlighted, "There is no shelter and there is no housing right now. So what are we going to do as a community". According to the 2024 ''point-in-time count'', in 2023 a 3% rise in homelessness affected the country with limited support. These challenges affect the community of Pacific Beach and its identity, as well as its adaptation to modern times. Long-term residents of Pacific Beach worry about the future, relating to drastic development plans and stress over the importance of homelessness.[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2023/10/26/homelessness-concerns-raised-during-pacific-beach-town-council-meeting/]

In 1945, over 1,900 residents petitioned to remove the name of William Payne from the middle school because they did not believe that a black teacher deserved to be there. At the time, only two black families owned property in the neighborhood. In 2021, following a [[List of name changes due to the George Floyd protests|wave of name changes]] in the wake of the [[murder of George Floyd]], [[San Diego Unified School District|San Diego Unified School Board]] voted to rename a joint-use field at the middle school after Payne and his wife Fannie.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taketa|first=Kristen|date=2021-03-10|title=San Diego Unified changes name of Junipero Serra High School, removes conquistador mascot|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/story/2021-03-09/san-diego-unified-changes-name-of-junipero-serra-high-school-conquistador-mascot-after-students-said-they-were|access-date=2021-03-10|website=San Diego Union-Tribune|language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[United States Navy]] operated an anti-aircraft training center at Pacific Beach during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/USN-Act/CA.html|title=U.S. Naval Activities World War II by State|publisher=Patrick Clancey|access-date=2012-03-19}}</ref> During the 1960s, development continued to increase with the city's investment in Mission Bay Park, including the developments of the Islandia, Vacation Village and Hilton Hotels. In 1964, [[SeaWorld San Diego|SeaWorld]] opened south of Pacific Beach.

The original name of this feature was "Bay Point" and today one may still find a USGS bench mark and associated RM (DC1025, DC1026 respectively) with that name there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/datasheet.prl |title=NGS Datasheet Datasheet Page |access-date=2015-03-10 |archive-date=2014-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106055628/http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/datasheet.prl |url-status=dead }}</ref>  The "Bay Point Formation" is the name of a local rock strata first found and described there.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/jpaleontol/article-abstract/33/4/685/79229/the-bay-point-formation-at-its-type-locality-calif|title=The Bay Point Formation at its type locality (Calif), (Part) 1 of Pleistocene molluscan notes|first=James William|last=Valentine|date=1 July 1959|journal=Journal of Paleontology|volume=33|issue=4|pages=685–688|access-date=15 April 2018|via=jpaleontol.geoscienceworld.org}}</ref>