Carlsbad is a beach city in theNorth County area ofSan Diego County, California, United States. The city is 35 miles (56 km) north of downtownSan Diego and 87 miles (140 km) south of downtownLos Angeles. As of the2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746.[7] Carlsbad is a popular tourist destination and home to many businesses in the golf industry.[8][9]
Carlsbad's history began with theLuiseño people (the Spanish name given to them because of their proximity toMission San Luis Rey), as well as someKumeyaay in the La Costa area. Nearly every reliable fresh water creek had at least one native village, including one called Palamai.[10] The site is located just south of today'sBuena Vista Lagoon.[10]
Statue of John Frazier
The first European land exploration ofAlta California, the SpanishPortolá expedition of 1769, met native villagers while camped on Buena Vista Creek.[11] Another Luiseño villages within today's city of Carlsbad was a village at the mouth of the San Marcos Creek that theKumeyaay called 'Ajopunquile'. A Kumeyaay village that was visited by Portolá was Hakutl, in the Rancho Ponderosa area.[12]
In the 1880s, a former sailor namedJohn A. Frazier dug a well in the area. He began offering his water at the train station and soon the whistle-stop became known as Frazier's Station. A test done on a second fresh-water well discovered the water to be chemically similar to that found in some of the most renowned spas in the world, and the town was named after the famed spa in theBohemian town of Karlsbad (nowKarlovy Vary,Czech Republic).[13]
To take advantage of the find, the Carlsbad Land and Mineral Water Company was formed by a German-born merchant from the Midwest named Gerhard Schutte together with Samuel Church Smith, D. D. Wadsworth and Henry Nelson. The naming of the town followed soon after, along with a major marketing campaign to attract visitors. The area experienced a period of growth, with homes and businesses sprouting up in the 1880s. Agricultural development of citrus fruits, avocados and olives soon changed the landscape. By the end of 1887, land prices fell throughoutSan Diego County. However, the community survived on the back of its fertile agricultural lands.
The site of John Frazier's original well can still be found atAlt Karlsbad, a replica of a GermanHanseatic house, located on Carlsbad Boulevard.
In 1952, Carlsbad was incorporated to avoid annexation by its neighbor,Oceanside.[14]
The single-runway Palomar Airport opened in 1959 afterCounty of San Diego officials decided to replace the Del Mar Airport.[15] The airport was annexed to the City of Carlsbad in 1978 and renamedMcClellan-Palomar Airport in 1982 after a local civic leader, Gerald McClellan.
The first modernskateboard park, Carlsbad Skatepark, was built in March 1976.[16] It was located on the grounds of Carlsbad Raceway and was designed and built by inventors Jack Graham and John O'Malley. The skatepark was closed in 1979,[17] leavingDel Mar Skate Ranch, approximately 20 minutes away, as the nearest skatepark for residents such asTony Hawk.[18] The site of the original Carlsbad Skatepark andCarlsbad Raceway was demolished in 2005 and is now an industrial park.[16][19] However, two skateparks have since been developed.[citation needed]
In March 1999,Legoland California was opened. It was the first Legoland theme park outside of Europe and is currently operated byMerlin Entertainments.[20] Merlin Entertainments owns 70 percent of the shares, and the remaining 30 percent is owned by the LEGO group andKirkbi A/S.[21]
Carlsbad is home to the nation's largest desalination plant.[22] Construction of theCarlsbad Desalination Plant atEncina Power Station was completed in December 2015.[23] Encina Power Station was demolished, despite efforts to preserve it as a historical landmark.[24]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.1 square miles (101 km2) of which 37.7 square miles (98 km2) are land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) are (3.55%) water, the majority of which is contained within threelagoons and one lake.
The northern area of the city is part of a tri-city area consisting of northern Oceanside, southernCarlsbad and westernVista.
The ocean-side cliffs fronting wide white-sand beaches and mild climate attract vacationers year-round.[25]
Types of households in Carlsbad city, California in 2015–2019. 56.6% was Married-couple households, 5.1% was cohabiting couple households, 13.6% male householder no spouse, 24.7% female householder no spouse.[26]
Carlsbad has a semi-aridMediterranean climate (Koppen classificationBSk) and averages 263 sunny days per year. Winters are mild with periodic rain. Frost is rare along the coast, but sometimes occurs in inland valleys in December and January. Summer is almost rain free, but overcast and cool with fog off the Pacific. While most days have mild and pleasant temperatures, hot drySanta Ana winds bring high temperatures on a few days each year, mostly in the fall.
Climate data for Carlsbad, California (McClellan–Palomar Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1998–present
The northwest quadrant of Carlsbad (ZIP code 92008) includes the downtown "Village", "The Barrio", and "Olde Carlsbad." It was the first part of Carlsbad to be settled. Homes range from 1950s cottages and bungalows, 1960s ranch style houses, to elegant mansions on hills overlooking the ocean. It is also home to Hosp Grove Park, a grove of eucalyptus trees relatively untouched by development and now designated by the city for recreational use, in addition to the Buena Vista and Agua Hedionda Lagoons. It is located west ofEl Camino Real and north ofPalomar Airport Road.
"The Barrio" area is near downtown Carlsbad bordered by Carlsbad Village Drive to the north, Tamarack Avenue to the south, Interstate 5 to the east and the railroad tracks to the west. It was settled byLatinos in the early 20th century.[30] It is the site of the Centro de Aprendizaje, a Spanish division of theCarlsbad City Library.[31]
This quadrant (ZIP code 92010) is located east of El Camino Real and north of Palomar Airport Road and consists mostly of single-family homes, with larger lots found in the older area known as Chestnut Hills and the newer developments around Calavera Hills.
The Northeast quadrant also contains the Lake Calavera Nature Preserve, a 110-acre space containing a 513-foot extinct volcano known asMount Calavera. The preserve — notable for its small lake, wide dam, and mountain — was officially set aside in the 1990s as the surrounding land was being developed. The preserve is bordered on three sides by suburban single-family homes, and on one side by small farms and rural compounds. In 2012, Sage Creek High School was developed in the southwest corner of the preserve amid some controversy. Nature experts challenged the decision to construct the school on the preserve, but Carlsbad High School was reaching its capacity and there were few undeveloped areas that had sufficient space for an additional high school. Despite missing one of its original corners, the preserve still offers miles of hiking trails with ocean views.[32]
Calavera Lake and Mount Calavera on the eastern boundary of Carlsbad
The southeast quadrant (ZIP code 92009) is located east of El Camino Real and south of Palomar Airport Road and features several newer expensivemaster-planned communities set among hillsides, golf courses, Alga Norte Community Park and permanent open spaces. It includes Bressi Ranch and the La Costa neighborhoods of Rancho La Costa, La Costa Ridge, La Costa Oaks, La Costa Greens, La Costa Valley, and Rancho Carillo. In 1965, La Costa gave its name to the Gold Medal Golf Resort, La Costa Resort and Spa, now known asOmni La Costa Resort & Spa.[33] Residents here are served by theCarlsbad Unified School District,San Marcos Unified School District and theEncinitas Union School District.
This quadrant (ZIP code 92011) extends along the Pacific Ocean to the south of the center of Carlsbad. It includes theAviara neighborhood, which is home to thePark Hyatt Aviara Resort. It is located west of El Camino Real and south of Palomar Airport Road.
Carlsbad city, California – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.2% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.3% were institutionalized.[55]
There were 44,775 households, out of which 31.6% included children under the age of 18, 55.9% were married-couple households, 5.6% werecohabiting couple households, 24.4% had a female householder with no partner present, and 14.2% had a male householder with no partner present. 23.3% of households were one person, and 11.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.55.[55] There were 31,086families (69.4% of all households).[56]
The age distribution was 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% aged 18 to 24, 23.0% aged 25 to 44, 29.0% aged 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 43.5years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males.[55]
There were 47,734 housing units at an average density of 1,263.7 units per square mile (487.9 units/km2), of which 44,775 (93.8%) were occupied. Of these, 64.9% were owner-occupied, and 35.1% were occupied by renters.[55]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $139,326, and theper capita income was $70,896. About 4.8% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line.[57] Of the population 25 years and over, 96.1% graduated from high school and 61.4% held a bachelor's degree or higher.[58]
The Census reported that 104,413 people (99.1% of the population) lived in households, 459 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 456 (0.4%) were institutionalized.
Out of 39,964 households in 2011, there were 26,992 (67.5%) families, of which 12,345 (30.9%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 21,705 (54.3%) weremarried-couple families, 1,489 (3.7%) had a male householder with no wife present, and 3,798 (9.5%) had a female householder with no husband present. There were 12,972 (32.5%) nonfamily households, of which 10,198 (25.5%) were made up of a householder living alone and 3,299 (8.3%) were a householder living alone who was 65 years or over. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.10.
The population was spread out, with 25,366 people (24.1%) under the age of 18, 6,718 people (6.4%) aged 18 to 24, 28,073 people (26.7%) aged 25 to 44, 30,373 people (28.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,798 people (14.0%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
There were 44,673 housing units at an average density of 1,142.2 units per square mile (441.0 units/km2), of which 26,808 (64.8%) were owner-occupied, and 14,537 (35.2%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.6%. 69,855 people (66.3% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 34,558 people (32.8%) lived in rental housing units.
In 2011, the median household income was US$85,743 and the median family income was US$102,254, with 11.9% of households and 14.9% of families earning US$200,000 or more.[60] Males had a median income of US$80,590 versus US$54,159 for females. Theper capita income for the city was US$42,712. About 6.8% of families and 8.4% of the population reported income below thepoverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
In 2008, Carlsbad voters passed a measure to become acharter city (as opposed to thegeneral-law municipality they had been before), approving the proposed charter by 82% and officially becoming such that same year.[61][62]
Before the 2018 elections, city government was led by an elected mayor and four council members, elected at large; however, in July 2017, the city council voted to transition to district elections (except for the mayoral office, which remains an at-large position). Elections for Districts 1 and 3 were held in 2018, and in 2020, elections were held for the remaining Districts 2 and 4. As was the case before changing to district elections for the city council, city council members and the mayor are elected to 4-year terms.[63][64] See the official district maphereArchived November 5, 2017, at theWayback Machine(not to scale).
Carlsbad's current mayor is Keith Blackburn, who was elected in 2022.[65]
In May 2018, the Carlsbad city council voted 4–1 to back the federal government's lawsuit against California sanctuary state lawSB 54.[66][67]
The city has drafted ordinances protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, becoming one of the first municipalities in California to do so. The city has also pledged to protect about 40 percent of the city as permanent open space.
Carlsbad was a powerfullyRepublican stronghold during the 20th century, a classic bastion of suburban conservatism in Southern California. However, the GOP's edge in Carlsbad started to narrow in the 1990s and 2000s, with the city shifting Democratic. In 2008,Barack Obama, then theDemocratic nominee for President, carried the city with a plurality. In 2012,Mitt Romney, the GOP nominee, carried the city by a 9% margin. In 2016, the city flipped back to theDemocratic Party, voting for Hillary Clinton by a 10.4% margin overDonald Trump.Joe Biden expanded that margin to 17.6% over Trump in 2020.
Carlsbad city vote by party in presidential elections
Carlsbad's core industries include information technology, video game development, manufacturing, robotics, medical devices, life science, wireless technology,clean technology, action sports, tourism, design development and real estate. In 2013, Google named Carlsbad the digital capital of California with the strongest online business community.[86]
McClellan–Palomar Airport is located about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Carlsbad, and allows general aviation and limited commercial service to the city.
^Howell, Andy (1984)."Tony Hawk Interview".Sic Nature (3) – via Internet Archive.Howell: Where do you live? Hawk: Carlsbad, which is about 20 minutes from the skatepark (Del Mar).
^"Save The Carlsbad Raceway!".Save Carlsbad Raceway. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. RetrievedMay 30, 2015.
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