Encinitas is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. Located in Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a population of 62,007, up from 59,518 at the 2010 census.
History
Gaspar de Portolá, governor of Baja California, met the indigenous Kumeyaay people when he visited the area in 1769 on the Portolá expedition and he met residents from the nearby Kumeyaay village of Jeyal (or Heyal), near the San Elijo Lagoon. Portolá named the valley Los Encinos for the oak forest along El Camino Real, where there was also a village that was likely known as Hakutl in New Encinitas.
After Mexican Independence, land was granted to Andrés Ybarra in 1842 to build Rancho Las Encinitas in what is now Olivenhain and New Encinitas, from which Encinitas got its namesake. Encinitas is a Spanish name meaning "little oaks".
The town of Old Encinitas was formed in 1881 by Jabez Pitcher.
The city was incorporated by 69.3% of the voters in 1986 from the communities of historic Encinitas, New Encinitas (Village Park, etc.), Leucadia, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and Olivenhain.
Geography
thumb|Aerial view of [[San Elijo Lagoon]]
Encinitas lies on a rugged coastal terrace. The city is bisected by a low-lying coastal ridge that separates New and Old Encinitas. In the north of the city, the coast rises in elevation and the land is raised up in the form of many coastal bluffs, which are subject to collapsing on the narrow beach. The city is bounded by Batiquitos Lagoon to the north and San Elijo Lagoon to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and of which (5.47%) is water. The city's elevation ranges between sea level and above sea level.
Communities
Encinitas can be divided into various neighborhoods. Old Encinitas is a small beachside area featuring a mix of businesses and housing styles. Sitting along Coast Highway 101 (Historic US 101), the Encinitas welcome arch, the famous surf break Swamis, and the early 20th-century La Paloma Theatre are located here. Old Encinitas is divided from New Encinitas by a low coastal ridge.
Olivenhain is a semi-rural region in eastern Encinitas, composed of mostly single-family homes, a 4-H Club, and several private equestrian facilities. German immigrants established the Olivenhain Colony in the late 19th century under the Homestead Act of 1862. Olivenhain connects to Rancho Santa Fe via Encinitas Boulevard.
Leucadia is a coastal community of the city, featuring tree-lined streets and boulevards, art galleries, unusual stores, and restaurants, along with single-family homes and beaches such as Beacons and Grandview.
Cardiff-by-the-Sea is the southernmost oceanfront community, which features streets named after British cities and classical composers, the Lux Art Institute, and the San Elijo Campus of Mira Costa College.
Climate
Encinitas has a very mild, Mediterranean climate. Average daily high temperature is . Temperatures below and above are rare. Average rainfall is about per year. The wet season lasts during the winter and spring, when temperatures are usually cool. Average daytime temperatures hit 65 °F in winter and spring, when rain and marine layer (fog, known locally as May Gray/June Gloom) are common. Nighttime lows range from 45 to 55 °F. The dry season lasts from summer through fall, with average daytime temperatures ranging from 75 to 85 °F, and nighttime lows being from the upper 50s–60s°F. Ocean water temperatures average 60 °F in winter, 64 °F in spring, 70 °F in summer, and 66 °F in fall. In winter, strong Pacific storms can bring heavy rain. During the winter of 2015–2016, the area saw rounds of severe thunderstorms.