Oceanside

Oceanside: The Name Says It All

Legend has it that Oceanside really named itself. In the 1800’s, when most people were living on the ranches in the warmer inland areas, they would say they were going to the “ocean side”. The two words were eventually merged into "Oceanside" and a new city was born.

Now in its sixth incarnation (built in 1987), the Oceanside Pier is the longest wooden pier on the western United States coastline at 1,954 feet. The pier is a popular fishing spot, and surfing is also very popular on both the North and South sides of the pier.  At the foot of the pier is the Junior Seau Pier Amphitheatre, which hosts concerts and events throughout the year. The Junior Seau Beach Community Center, also known as the Beach Recreation Center, is a 17,000 square feet facility located near the pier that includes a gymnasium, meeting room, stage, and kitchen. Both the amphitheater and the community center were renamed posthumously in 2012 in honor of former San Diego Charger linebacker and hometown football hero Junior Seau, who grew up in Oceanside.

Remember the house the Kelly McGillis’s character “Charlie” lived in in the movie “Top Gun”? It’s in Oceanside just south of the pier! Aside from its “role” in the movie, the Graves House is important architecturally as the last oceanfront Folk Victorian cottage in San Diego County. It is now a retro pie shop on the grounds of the Mission Pacific Hotel.

The California Surf Museum is located just two blocks east of the pier, and is dedicated to archiving and displaying surfboards, surf art, memorabilia, surfing equipment, photographs, magazines, videos, and more. There is a lot to see in Oceanside!