The UCSD campus is located approximately 15 miles north of downtown San Diego in the sprawling and exclusive beach community of La Jolla, California (20 square miles). The community offers a wide variety of interests for visitors including dining, shopping, theater (movie houses and theatrical play houses), sight seeing, and swimming (Pacific Ocean). La Jolla has one of the best viewing vantage points of San Diego's majestic beaches and sky scrappers . In addition to being a major source for the worlds future Engineering professionals, UCSD shares the community with one of the worlds most renowned oceanographic institutes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). SIO is an academic/research facility as well a caretaker of the Stephen Birch Aquarium. The Aquarium contains some of the most fascinating creatures and specimens that flourish in our worlds oceans, is open to the public 364 days of the year, and is a great place to visit for children and adults alike. This town is no ordinary college town, it has academics, research, glamour, fun in the sun, and style.