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Shops and restaurants on Ventura Street in Mission Beach, San Diego
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Mission Beach

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...your mission: catch a wave

If you want to live in Mission Beach, you need to pick your side of the 2-mile intercoastal beach.

Sun worshipers, swimmers and surfers hit the ocean side, while jet skiers, wind surfers, and sailors opt for the bay side. A cement “boardwalk” runs along the beach with a yellow lane painted down the center to accomodate pedestrians, runners, cyclists and bladers.

Historic Belmont Park, a beachfront amusement park, provides family fun with its restored 1925 rollercoaster, antique reproduction carousel and obligatory Wild West photos. And on Ventura Street, near the lifeguard station, you’ll find a beachy blend of surf shops, boutiques and restaurants. Of course, college students are drawn here like moths to a flame.

There’s a great variety of housing for rent and purchase, including upscale, pastel-colored homes and condos, as well as old-style cottages and beach bungalows. Serious shoppers head just a block from the beach to Mission Boulevard…how convenient!

Whether you're bay- or ocean-side, wrap up your days strolling the boardwalk, watching the sunsets, and inhaling the delicious scent of beach fires. It’s the quintessential laid-back SoCal beach experience.

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Known for:

Surfer beach town

Main drag:

Ventura Street

Mission Beach blogs and events

That's My Monster-Boy

Big brown eyes and rodent-killing teeth....thank heavens for the neighbors!

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Apartments in Mission Beach