Mission Beach spans nearly two miles of oceanfront built on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay. The community is divided into South Mission, a peninsula, and North Mission.

Mission Beach is the most densely developed residential community in San Diego and has the smallest lots in the city, but many of the structures in the community have been redeveloped into two-story homes.

Attractions near Mission Beach include SeaWorld in Mission Bay Park and the historic amusement park Belmont Park in South Mission Beach. Belmont Park was originally built as the Mission Beach Amusement Center in 1925 to stimulate real estate sales.

Mission Beach is a hub of outdoor activity and beachgoers can be seen sunbathing, playing horseshoes, surfing, biking, skating, tossing frisbee, among others. Many beachgoers are local college and university students, but both tourists and permanent residents of the beach and other areas are also frequent visitors.

Residents of Ocean Beach (also known as O.B.) often refer to themselves as OBceans, pronounced "oh-BEE-shun".

The business thoroughfare is Newport Avenue, featuring antique stores, restaurants, coffee houses, bike and surf shops. The Ocean Beach Municipal Pier, built in 1966, is the longest concrete pier on the West Coast, measuring 1,971 feet.

While a few chain businesses moved into Ocean Beach in the 1990s and early 2000s, the economy of Ocean Beach is still dominated by small, independent businesses. Today, the personality of Ocean Beach is shifting and the area boasts some of the best real estate values for San Diego coastal living.