The descriptive name was given when the first hotel was built in the 1890s. A plat was filed May 26, 1904. The railroad station was named Pacific from 1905 until 1925 when it was changed to Pacific Beach.

During WWII, the Navy opened an anti-aircraft gunnery school here, but presently uses the property on the bluff overlooking the ocean as a recreation center for military personnel. The architectural forms and layout of the neighborhood is easily recognizable as military housing.