Carlsbad, California

City of Carlsbad
—  City  —

Seal
Location of Carlsbad within San Diego County, California.
Coordinates:
Country United States
State California
County San Diego
Government
 - Mayor Claude "Bud" Lewis
Area
 - Total 40.8 sq mi (105.6 km2)
 - Land 37.4 sq mi (97.0 km2)
 - Water 3.4 sq mi (8.7 km2)
Elevation 52 ft (16 m)
Population (Jan. 2010)[1]
 - Total 106,804
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
 - Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code 92008, 92009, 92010, 92011
Area code(s) 760, 442 (overlaid)
FIPS code 06-11194
GNIS feature ID 1660437
Website carlsbadca.gov

Carlsbad is a coastal resort city lying along the Pacific Ocean in the North County San Diego section of Southern California. The 2009 population was estimated by the California Department of Finance to be 104,652.[2] Carlsbad was incorporated in 1952, in large part to generate sufficient funding to connect with the water pipeline running through San Diego County, but also to avoid being annexed by Oceanside. The city is mainly known for shopping, tourism, a booming high-tech industry, and resort living.

The city has drafted ordinances protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, becoming one of the first municipalities in the State of California to do so. The city has also pledged to protect a specified amount of land within the city limits from development of any kind and spends significant funds to restore habitats destroyed by newer development projects.

Carlsbad is located 87 miles (140 km) south of Los Angeles and 35 miles (56 km) north of downtown San Diego. High property values, above average median family incomes, and high education levels have made Carlsbad one of the wealthiest communities in California and in the United States. A low population density, coastal location, thriving commercial sector, and an award-winning school district all contribute to the high standard of living in the area. It is one of the highest income places in the United States.

Contents

History

Statue of John Frazier

Carlsbad's history begins with the Luiseño people who located one of their villages, Palamai, near what is today Agua Hedionda Lagoon. In the 1880s a former sailor named John 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 found the water to be chemically similar to one of the most famous spas in Europe, at Carlsbad in Austria-Hungary (now in the Czech Republic).

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 throughout San 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 at Alt Karlsbad, a replica of a German Hanseatic house, located on Carlsbad Boulevard.

The world's first skateboard park, Carlsbad Skatepark, was built here in March 1976. It was located on the grounds of Carlsbad Raceway and was designed and built by inventors Jack Graham and John O'Malley.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.8 square miles (105.6 km²) of which, 37.4 square miles (97.0 km²) are land and 3.4 square miles (8.7 km²) are (8.24%) water, the majority of which is contained within three lagoons and one lake.

The northern area of the city is considered to be part of the tri-city area, which consists of northern Carlsbad, southern Oceanside and western Vista.

Most of the current city area, including many of its boasted attractions, has been annexed from neighboring unincorporated areas since the 1970s.

Carlsbad neighborhoods

Nighttime in Carlsbad's northeast and northwest quadrants

Northwest quadrant

The northwestern quadrant is Carlsbad's oldest region. The quadrant is located north of Palomar Airport Road and west of El Camino Real and is concentric with the ZIP code 92008. Though there are some newer developments, the area features many more established single family homes, and in some cases, apartments and condominiums. The fact that many areas in this quadrant existed many years ago is apparent by the fact that some streets (notably Highland Drive) lack sidewalks and/or street lighting.

Hosp Grove, a grove of trees relatively untouched by development and now designated by the city for recreational use, is located in the northwest quadrant, along with the Buena Vista and Agua Hedionda Lagoons. The Buena Vista Lagoon is one of three the subject of controversy. The Concerned Citizens of Carlsbad is currently floating a Petition to stop the city council from rezoning the fields into new homes and a state of the art City Hall complex. San Diego Union Tribune article

Regular events in the village sponsored by the Carlsbad Village Association [2] include a farmers market held every Saturday and Wednesday from 1-5pm, an Annual Art Street Faire ~ "Art in the Village" the second Sunday in August from 9am - 5pm, Thursdays on the Coast Art Walk, an ongoing event with opening night receptions on the last Thursday of each month, Flavors of the Village Restaurant Week, and Carlsbad Village Clothes Show draw many people from throughout the region to downtown Carlsbad. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce hosts a bi-annual street fair, called the Carlsbad Village Street Faire, on the first Sunday in May and November. The Village Street Faire is the largest single day street faire in North America with almost 1,000 vendors and well over 100,000 people in attendance.

Northeast quadrant

The northeastern quadrant is located north of Palomar Airport Road and east of El Camino Real. With the exception of one shopping center, the area is almost exclusively residential. Because of the city's increasing population, the area was recently assigned the ZIP code 92010 by the U.S. Postal Service. The quadrant consists mostly of single family homes, with larger lots found in the older area known as Chestnut Hills. Newer homes are in Calavera Hills, and there is one big remaining residential area waiting to be built called Robertson Ranch.

Southeast quadrant

The southeast quadrant is located south of Palomar Airport Road and east of El Camino Real. It is the newest quadrant in Carlsbad with many planned communities. Notable communities in the southeast quadrant include Bressi Ranch, the Villages of La Costa, which includes La Costa Valley, La Costa Oaks North, La Costa Oaks South, La Costa Ridge, and La Costa Greens, and Rancho Carrillo. The ZIP code of the southeast quadrant is 92009.

La Costa

La Costa refers to both a residential community of Carlsbad and the world-class golf and tennis resort and spa at its center. The community is located primarily south of Alga Road, east of El Camino Real, north of Olivenhain Road. and west of the north-south portion of Rancho Santa Fe Boulevard. The La Costa Resort and Spa consists of two 18-hole golf courses, resort hotel and condominium units, 19 tennis courts, and related retail businesses. Dr. Deepak Chopra operates the Chopra Center located at the resort. La Costa the community is mostly residential, with shopping centers, upscale boutiques, and fine dining restaurants. Because of overlapping district lines, schools within the community may be located in one of four school districts. La Costa Canyon High School and San Dieguito Academy serve residents of Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, and other surrounding communities, along with the southernmost portion of Carlsbad. The popular San Elijo Middle School and San Marcos High School serve students on the north side of the golf course. Real estate in La Costa is priced well above the average for both California and San Diego County.

La Costa's development began in 1965, when Irv Roston and a partner of the Desert Inn hotel in Las Vegas purchased 3,500 acres (14 km²) of the scenic area. A golf course was developed and homes began to be sold. The 90-room Rancho La Costa Inn was built to accommodate the visitors. Then, the Spa was added and ultimately, another 2,000 acres (8 km²) were purchased as the Inn grew in size. Sports Shinko, a Japanese company, bought the Resort in 1987. After years of decline, it was purchased in 2001 by KSL Resorts, a California resort hotel group, who totally revamped the La Costa Resort, spending in excess of $140 million.

Each February since 1999, La Costa Resort and Spa has hosted the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, one of the World Golf Championships events. The 2006 edition of the event was the last at La Costa. The Acura Classic, a WTA professional women's tennis tournament, was held at La Costa for many years, until recently being sold back to the WTA.

Carlsbad's southwest quadrant

Southwest quadrant

The southwestern quadrant is located south of Palomar Airport Road and west of El Camino Real. The area is a mixture of business and residential communities. Because of the city's increasing population, the area was recently assigned the ZIP code 92011 by the U.S. Postal Service.

Aviara

Aviara is a resort community in the hills of southern Carlsbad, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Batiquitos Lagoon. The community has a total area of 1.6 miles² and is just north of Encinitas and west of La Costa. Just outside of Aviara at El Camino Real lies a movie theater, restaurants, jewelry boutiques, a branch of the Carlsbad City library, U.S. Post Office, and several salons. Aviara is located at .

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1950 4,383
1960 9,253 111.1%
1970 14,944 61.5%
1980 35,490 137.5%
1990 63,126 77.9%
2000 78,247 24.0%
Est. 2007 95,439 22.0%

As of the census of 2000, there were 78,247 people, 31,521 households, and 20,898 families residing in the city.[3] The population density was 2,090.2 people per square mile (806.9/km²). There were 33,798 housing units at an average density of 902.8/sq mi (348.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.55% White, 0.96% African American, 0.42% Native American, 4.24% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 4.65% from other races, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.72% of the population.

There were 31,521 households out of which 30.7% contained children under the age of 18, 54.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of single individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The mean household size was 2.46 and the mean family size was 2.96.

23.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. Among those 18 and older, there were 92.8 males for every 100 females.

According to a 2007 Census estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $79,444, and the median income for a family was $100,932.[4] Males had a median income of $54,826 versus $39,415 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,863. About 3.4% of families and 5.9% of the population fell below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Current estimates

According to estimates made by the CBRE Demographic Report in 2005, an estimated average household income for Carlsbad neighborhoods (92008, 92009, 92011) were $106,459, $108,364, and $111,483, respectively.

Politics

In the state legislature Carlsbad is located in the 38th Senate District, represented by Republican Mark Wyland, and in the 74th Assembly District, represented by Republican Martin Garrick. Federally, Carlsbad is located in California's 50th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +3[5] and is represented by Republican Brian Bilbray.

Carlsbad voters in 2008 approved making Carlsbad a charter city. City government is led by an elected mayor and four council members, elected at large. Mayor Claude "Bud" Lewis has been mayor since 1986 and on the council since 1970. Carlsbad has no term limits. Other council members are Matt Hall, Mark Packard, Ann Kulchin and Julie Nygaard, a former councilwoman who was appointed last year to replace Norine Sigafoose, who resigned, for personal reasons, with 18 months left in her term. Nygaard was appointed with the promise that she would not seek re-election. In the fall of 2008 Kulchin announced she would seek an eighth four-year term. Also in the race, for Kulchin's seat and the open seat vacated by Nygaard, were publisher and veteran journalist Thomas K. Arnold, police sergeant Keith Blackburn and print shop owner, and planning commissioner, Farrah Douglas. They were joined by college student Evan Delaney Rodgers and retired Marine Glenn Bernard. Bernard has run for office in Carlsbad before. Aided by tremendous community support, Kulchin and Blackburn won. Blackburn set a new record for campaign expenditures, pouring nearly $100,000 into his successful campaign. Douglas finished third, and Arnold came in fourth. Glenn and Rodgers came in fifth and last, respectively. It should be noted that Rodgers vowed to spend less than $100 of her own money on the campaign and succeeded. Both Glenn and Rodgers vowed right from the start not to use plastic campaign signs for ecological reasons.

With Mayor Bud Lewis, who has been in office since 1986, stepping down at the completion of his latest four-year term in 2010, Carlsbad is set to get its first new Mayor in nearly a quarter of a century. Matt Hall, a longtime city councilman, is facing fellow city councilman; Keith Blackburn. Hall is making pension reform the core issue of his campaign. The council race for 2010 has two familiar candidates: planning commissioner Farrah Douglas, who ran in 2008 but narrowly lost, and incumbent councilman Mark Packard [6]. Two long shots, frequent council candidate William Jubb and education consultant Jon Wantz round out the Council candidates.

Economy

The GEO Group maintains its Western Regional Office in Carlsbad.[7] California Pacific Airlines, a planned airline, has its headquarters on the grounds of McClellan-Palomar Airport.[8]

Notable corporate headquarters

Schools

School Districts
Public High
Public Intermediate
Public Interlevel
Public Elementary
Private Schools

Public libraries

Sister cities

Carlsbad has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

Attractions

Notable former and current residents

Trivia

References

External links