Carlsbad, with its population of approximately 135,000, is one of the leading destination cities of Southern California. The city boasts near perfect climate, spectacular landscape, lush parks, and sunny white beaches. This beautiful "village by the sea" offers a high quality of life, top community services, world-class resorts and excellent schools, in a thriving economic center. Almost too good to be true!
Location
Carlsbad is a suburban city located on the scenic Pacific Coast in northern San Diego County and part of the San Diego-Carlsbad metro area. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by the city of Oceanside, on the east by the city of San Marcos, and on the south by the city of Encinitas. The northern area of the city is considered a part of Tri-City, consisting of northern Carlsbad, southern Oceanside and western Vista.
Carlsbad is located approximately 25.8 miles north of San Diego, 85 miles south of Los Angeles, and 388 miles from San Jose.
Geography
Carlsbad has a terrain that includes pristine white beaches, rolling hills, and green parks, and sits at an elevation of 50 feet. Carlsbad covers a total area of 40.8 square miles --- 37.4 square miles of which is land and 3.4 square miles of water. Carlsbad is uniquely characterized by its surrounding water. It has the Pacific Ocean to its west, the Buena Vista Lagoon on the north, separating it from Oceanside, and the Batiquitos Lagoon on the south, separating it from Encinitas. The Aqua Hedionda Lagoon sits in the middle of Carlsbad.
Buena Vista Lagoon, 260 acres in size, was formed by glaciers 20,000 years ago, gouging out canyons 20 to 40 feet deep. Today, the lagoon is only 1 to 6 feet deep, over 3 to 5 feet of mud. Batiquitos Lagoon, 600 acres in size, consists of 1/3 mud flats and salt marsh. The remainder of the lagoon is shallow water or dry, barren salt flats.
In the middle of Carlsbad lies Agua Hedionda, a saltwater lagoon, which was originally a salt marsh. It was dredged in the 1950s, and now includes mud flats, salt and fresh water marsh, and deep water.
Jobs
Carlsbad has a strong and diverse business community, which has become an economic hub for San Diego County. The city's award winning growth management plan has made it a prime location for both new and expanding businesses.
Its business center covers 2,500 acres in the central corridor of the city, housing business parks with light manufacturing, research and development, communications and corporate headquarters, along with other types of high technology and biotechnology industries
Major employers in Carlsbad are the city government, auto malls, Legoland, and golf equipment manufacturers. Known as the "Golf Manufacturing Capitol of the World", Carlsbad is home to major golf club manufacturers such as Titleist, Callaway, Taylor Made, and Cobra Golf. Carlsbad Car Country is one of the premiere auto malls in Southern California and is the second largest employer in Carlsbad. ViaSat, Isis Pharmaceuticals, and Beckman Coulter are other firms established in the city. With its magnificent resorts and numerous tourist attractions, Carlsbad has a thriving resort and tourism industry.
An additional important industry in Carlsbad is agriculture, with its prolific fields of strawberries and tomatoes. The spectacular flower fields on Palomar Airport Road bring thousands of visitors each year. The average household income in Carlsbad is $72,802 and the average time to travel to work in the city is 28.7 minutes.
Housing
A city with varied and unique personalities, Carlsbad offers a wide variety of housing options ranging from starter condos to luxurious estates.
Real estate in Carlsbad is in high demand and rather expensive due to the city’s prime location and booming residential growth. Its residential area has new as well as older homes on rolling hills, with the beach just 3 miles away. Prices for single-family homes in Carlsbad start in the high $500,000’s and condominiums start in the high $200,000’s.
Homes can range in price from $425,000 to $8,250,000, with an average selling price of $891,507. Many of these residences are being built in master planned communities with a full range of amenities.
Old Carlsbad is a quaint beach village with renovated Victorian buildings and small resort hotels. North Carlsbad has older homes, and a number of tourist attractions. South Carlsbad offers mostly newer homes in master-planned communities.
One of the most popular of South Carlsbad’s communities is Aviara, a magnificent 1,000 acre resort community nestled in the hills, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Batiquitos Lagoon. Aviara is noted for its miles of sidewalks and tree-lined streets. At the heart of Aviara community is the five-star Four Seasons Aviara Resort, with its spa and world-class golf course. This 18-hole, Arnold Palmer course winds through the Aviara neighborhoods offering views of the stunning Aviara homes.
Planned residential communities are also being developed in East Carlsbad, such as Bressi Ranch, La Costa Greens and La Costa Glen. Prices for these luxury homes start in the $800,000 range. They offer a full range of amenities as well as extensive trails for biking and hiking, clubhouses, and olympic-size swimming pools.
In nearby Oceanside are Ocean Hills Retirement community and El Camino Country Club. Ocean Hills provides an excellent clubhouse, organized activities, a par 55 golf course and other recreational activities, not to mention one of San Diego's largest sand beaches nearby. The patio-style homes range in price from $250,000 to $400,000.
El Camino is a private country club, very popular with many retirees. It offers golf and a tennis club as well. The homes here range from $260,000 to $400,000.
Brief History
Carlsbad’s known history begins with the Luiseno Indians who camped on the coastal lagoon shores for centuries, founding the village of Palamai. In 1769 the Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola and Father Juan Crespi arrived. They named the lagoon Agua Hedionda, meaning, "stinking water", as apparently, it was upwind from an old fishing camp.
Mission San Luis Rey was founded about 10 miles north of the lagoon and when the missions were secularized in 1833, the Carlsbad land was claimed by Juan Maria Romouldo Marron. Living in San Diego, he ran cattle on the property, and when he died, Rancho Agua Hedionda passed into American hands.
In the 1880’s, Carlsbad became a whistle stop on the new California Southern Railroad. A former sea captain living there, named John Frazier, dug a fresh-water well. He offered his water at the train station and eventually the whistlestop became known as Frazier's Station. Frazier dug a second well that produced mineral water. A test done on the water found it to be chemically similar to one of the most famous spas in Europe located in Karlsbad (Karlovy), Czechoslovakia.
After three years, Frazier sold his well to a German-born merchant, Gerhard Schutte. He founded the California Land and Mineral Water Company, built a hotel and began a major marketing campaign to attract visitors. The town experienced significant growth of homes and residences. With irrigation, the region’s agriculture also thrived. However, the Depression came, and the tourist industry faded. Agriculture has continued to be a stable industry in Carlsbad, which is still famous for its flowers.
The City of Carlsbad was formed in 1952.
Recreation
Carlsbad has over 7 miles of beach and coastline, and more than 150 acres of developed parkland, offering recreational opportunities all year round. The beaches and excellent weather combine to make sunbathing, BBQs, and surfing very popular. There is an extensive system of natural open space and hiking trails, to complement Carlsbad's fantastic sport and recreational facilities. Old Carlsbad, with its miles of wide sandy beaches and ocean-front boardwalk, is enjoyed by walkers, runners, and bicyclists. Carlsbad has many parks and playgrounds offering exceptional community recreation programs.
Carlsbad has a number of natural resources, including three picturesque coastal lagoons. These tranquil waters each have distinctive ecosystems and offer a safe haven for many birds and other wildlife, some of which are endangered species. Buena Vista and Batiquitos Lagoons are major way stations for migrating birds, and as such they are ideal for nature walks and bird watching. Agua Hedionda lagoon has facilities for water sports such as boating and skiing.
Several resorts offer golf and tennis. Carlsbad is one of Southern California’s best golf destinations, with courses for every type of golfer, and perfect year-round weather. One of the top golf facilities is the Aviara Golf Course, designed by Arnold Palmer. A City of Carlsbad municipal golf course is currently being constructed near the airport.
Special Attractions/Events
Carlsbad attractions include the flamboyant flower fields and the Carlsbad Village Art and Antique Mall. The spectacular Carlsbad Flower Fields are made up of nearly fifty acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers grown on Carlsbad Ranch. Blooming for approximately six to eight weeks each year, from early March through early May, they are a sight not to be missed!
Carlsbad has one of the best summer concert series in San Diego, drawing tens of thousands to the renowned Carlsbad street fairs twice a year.
Carlsbad Village Faire is the largest one-day street fair in America. It attracts over 80,000 visitors twice a year with an international food center, antiques, 900 arts and crafts booths, a Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast, a large amusement ride area, and a certified Farmer's Market. The faire runs the first Sunday of May and November.
Carlsbad hosts several triathlons and marathons each year, including the San Diego Marathon, the Davis Cup, and the Tournament of Champions.
Carlsbad City Library is an amazing 64,000 square-foot facility, housing a performing arts center and art gallery. It is the center of Carlsbad's community activity.
Carlsbad Village, downtown, is a popular area for shopping, with its delightful boardwalk, boutiques and antique shops. At the Carlsbad Premium Outlets you can find quality factory-outlet stores, restaurants and art galleries. The Forum in South Carlsbad is a 265,000 square-foot specialty retail center featuring all the popular "name brand" clothing stores. Plaza Camino Real, on Carlsbad’s north boundary, is a huge regional shopping mall with all the major department stores and a variety of specialty shops.
Legoland California is the only park of its type in the nation. Nicknamed the "Land of Creativity", it is delightful for children of all ages, with exciting roller coasters, an animation theatre and lively music. It has recently expanded to include a new ride and an interactive sports center, providing a variety of unique cuisines, lush landscape and spotless walkways as you transit from one adventure to the next.
Interesting Facts
Carlsbad is the birthplace of Tony Hawk, professional skateboarder; Brian Simo, Nextel Cup series NASCAR driver; Derek Stockalper , college basketball player for the Cal Poly Mustangs; and Eric Osmundson, a college basketball player for the Pennsylvania Quakers. Carlsbad is also the hometown of Shawn White. One of Carlsbad’s famous residents is Gary Hardwick, who holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s "Fastest Skateboarder".
Carlsbad is the filming location for the FOX series Point Pleasant.
The community of Carlsbad was named after a Bohemian spa. Carlsbad's natural spring water has a chemical makeup that is very similar to springs located in Karlsbad, Germany. In 1886, that fact inspired early residents to name their new town, Carlsbad.
The city was also formerly known as Frazier's Station.
The original mineral well is now occupied by the Alt Karlsbad Hanse House Museum.
Fortune Magazine voted Carlsbad as one of 5 best places to retire.
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 has many condominums and single family homes, and the age of the housing units vary--some units are quite established while others, particularly in Calavera Hills, are currently under construction.
• Calavera Hills is one of many of Carlsbad's planned communities located around the intersection of College Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive (the community is bordered on the north by the Oceanside-Carlsbad city boundary). Calavera Hills is subdivided into neighborhoods, each of which is maintained by a homeowners association. Some, especially condominium developments, feature community pools. Calavera Hills Middle school is located in the area.
Much of the community, especially around Calavera Lake, is designated open space. Numerous trails exist near Calavera Lake for public use. Because of strong opposition to the partial draining of the lake, the city is currently considering other alternatives for the removal of concrete object that protrudes from the lake's surface, which some consider to be an eyesore in an otherwise picturesque area.
Calavera Hills Newest Developments:
Mystic Point, Ravina, Montara, Summerhouse
Mystic Point:
This community sits in the heart of Calavera Hills. Minutes to beaches, theatres, and freeways. This single family attached community includes a trio of floor plans to choose from with attached garages.
Builder: Brookfield homes
Starting price of homes: $400,000
Total homes to be built: 252
Square Footage: 1363-1535
Bedrooms: 2-2.5
Ravina:
Ravina offers four floor plans with one and two stories homes with California Craftsman, Spanish, Early Californian, Monterey and Santa Barbara style architecture. Community amenities include pool area, tot lots, and lots of open space.
Builder: McMillin homes
Starting price of homes: $700,000
Total homes to be built: 115
Square Footage: 1,643 to 2,876
Bedrooms: 3-5
Montara:
Montara at Calavera Hills in Carlsbad offers four floor plans for 102 single family new homes with one and two stories with California Craftsman and Spanish Revival style architecture in mind.
Builder: McMillin Homes
Starting price of homes: $600,000
Total homes to be built: 102
Square Footage: 1,658 to 2,888
Bedrooms: 3-6
Summerhouse:
Summerhouse is made up of elegant residences with numerous upgrades and amenities. This single family detached community is surrounded by natural beauty and open space.
Builder: Brookfield homes
Starting price of homes: $600,000
Total homes to be built: 115
Square Footage: 1678-2776
Bedrooms:
Tanglewood, Robertson Ranch (1100 potential home sites) and The Summit (North and South), Sunnycreek (80 Apartment units) Developments are also part of the Northeast Quadrant. Please email me (link here) for more information on these communities.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
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