Point Loma, San Diego, California

Point Loma is a seaside neighborhood of San Diego, California. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, the east by the San Diego Bay and Old Town and the north by the San Diego River. Along with the Coronado peninsula, Point Loma separates San Diego Bay from the Pacific Ocean.

Point Loma has an estimated population of 45,887 (including Ocean Beach), according to the 2000 Census Bureau [http://profilewarehouse.sandag.org/] .

Layout

Point Loma is home to the western terminus of Interstate 8, which travels along the Northern end of the peninsula. Rosecrans is the North/South avenue that serves the bayside of Point Loma, while Sunset Cliffs Boulevard is the North/South ocean-side avenue (both streets run parallel to each other in a northeast to southwest route). Sports Arena Boulevard, West Point Loma Boulevard and Nimitz Boulevard are other major traffic pipelines in Point Loma.

Much of the coastal sections, both bay and ocean, are laid out in a grid pattern, with the oceanside blocks larger than the bayside. The grid breaks down as both sides approach the hilly center, which is mainly evident west of Chatsworth Boulevard and east of Catalina and Nimitz Boulevard, where streets have more loopy, curvy patterns.

History

Point Loma was first discovered by Europeans on September 28, 1542 when Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, departing from Mexico, led an expedition to explore the west coast of what is now the United States. Cabrillo described San Diego Bay as “a very good enclosed port,” and historians believe he probably docked his flagship on Point Loma’s east shore, likely at Ballast Point. Fort Guijarros was constructed there in 1797.cite news | url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/FtRosecrans.html | title=Historic California Posts - Fort Rosecrans (Including Castillo de Guijarros and Point Loma Military Reservation) | work=MilitaryMuseum.org | publisher=The California State Military Museum | author=Ruhlen, George | accessdate=2008-03-02]

Landmarks

Perhaps the best known landmark in Point Loma is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, an icon occasionally used to represent the entire city of San Diego. Perched atop the southern point that creates the entrance of the bay with Coronado, the small, two story lighthouse was completed in 1854 and first lit on November 15,1855. At 422 feet above sea level at the entrance of the bay, the seemingly good location for a lighthouse soon proved poor, as low clouds and fog often obscured the beam to ocean-going vessels. On March 23, 1891 the lighthouse ceased to be used for its original purpose, as a new lighthouse was built nearer sea level on the same southern point. The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is now partially open to the public and has been refurbished to its historic 1880’s interior.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is located within the Cabrillo National Monument, named after Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator sailing in the service of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to see San Diego Bay.

Commercial and Military

Point Loma is also home to the San Diego Sports Arena, Point Loma Nazarene University, the US Navy's SPAWAR program, as well as many hotels, unique local businesses, and the former US Navy Recruit Training Command / Naval Training Center, or RTC/NTC San Diego, and has some of the most expensive residential real estate on the West Coast. Also included in the business district, near Ocean Beach, is the [http://www.sandiegohostels.org/ptloma.shtmlPoint Loma Youth Hostel] , frequented by travelers from around the world. [http://realtravel.com/san_diego-california-travel-guide-d17676-1.2312828.html]

Recruit Training Command, San Diego served as training grounds for new Naval recruits. [http://www.militarymuseum.org/NTCSanDiego.html Naval Training Center, San Diego] gave the sailors career training. October 1996 these schools were moved to Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. The site of the Point Loma facility is no longer a Navy base. Instead, it is now Liberty Station [http://www.libertystation.com/] , a 361-acre mixed-use redevelopment project that includes residential, office, retail, educational [http://www.hightechhigh.org] and civic, arts and cultural districts [http://ntcpromenade.org] . Liberty Station, developed by the City of San Diego and The Corky McMillin companies [http://www.mcmillin.com] . It also includes a 9-hole golf course [http://www.sailhogolf.com] , a 46-acre waterfront park and a 100-acre historic district on the National Register of Historic Places [http://www.libertystation.com/historicntc.html] . Naval Base Point Loma, at the end of Rosecrans Boulevard and still in operation, is the home of Submarine Squadron 11, several Nuclear Fast Attack Submarines, and historic Fort Rosecrans, a former US Army Coastal Gunnery Facility of the First World War era. Fort Rosecrans includes the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and the USS Bennington Monument.

References

ee also

* National Landmark of Soaring

External links

* [http://www.ePointLoma.com ePointLoma.com] - local information and businesses
* [http://www.cnrsw.navy.mil/subase2/history/history.htm Naval Base Point Loma History]
* [http://www.sandiego.org/article_set/Visitors/8/120 Point Loma Neighborhood Guide]