Ocean Beach

Isaiah Colmenero
History:

Western San Diego

From Picnic Beach in 1542 to Ocean Beach now, this neighborhood has always been
subjected to boring names. But the history behind these appellations isnt.
Ocean Beach, or should I say Picnic Beach, used to be the main resource of food to the
Native American people who once set up camp on the sands we stand on today. They Hunted and
gathered foods such as shellfish, mussels, clams, lobsters, abalone and a great variety of fish.
Although they came to this beach quite often they never found it suitable to live there because
there was no fresh water near the beach, making it nearly uninhabitable.
About 150 years after this land was discovered it became a huge attraction to the
civilized and wealthy people of America, especially californians.
Soon after people discovered that Ocean Beach was gaining more popularity as well as
population, an Ocean-Beachean named Herbert P. Snow decided to build the very first
Amusement park in San Diego named Wonderland".
Wonderland was an 8-acre Amusement park that featured the largest roller coaster on the
West Coast, called the Blue Streak Racer, as well as a carousel, and carnival games. A menagerie
featuring "lions, bears, leopards, wolves, mountain lions, a hyena, and 56 varieties of monkeys.
Construction for all of this began in 1909 and finished four years later in July 14, 1913, costing
$300,000 (which was a massive amount of money back then). On the opening day, the park itself
attracted more than 20,000 people, the admission was 5 cents per person. The 5 cents would have
given you unlimited access to the dance hall, bowling alley, roller skating rink, and the giant
water slide that led into a huge pool of water.
Not surprisingly the park went out of business January 1915 due to a significant absence
in attendance after the Panama California Explosion happened that same year and the park
quickly went bankrupt. Soon after the park closed it went into foreclosure and was sold at an
auction months later. In January 1916, various storms came in and destroyed the roller coaster,
as well as flooded the rest of the area, which caused the leftovers of what used to be Ocean
Beachs main attraction, to be demolished.
After the Amusement park had finally shut down, the animals that were once part of the
attraction became the very beginning the San Diego Zoo!
To this day the only remains of Wonderland is a bar & grill in Ocean Beach that is named
Wonderland after the great amusement park that once stood in the neighborhood.
Demographics:
As you can see on this graph that shows the Distribution of Residents ages that there are more
males in their 20s and early 30s more than any other gender/age. Which isnt completely
surprising, Ocean beach has always drawn a younger crowd, during the day the neighborhood
can have a very calming go with the flow vibe, but at night it can be very lively and loud.