If you know anything about Encinitas, Ca.?

Question

Please tell me anything you know about the area, ANYTHING.

Answer 1

Well, what kind of stuff do you want to know. I lived there for 22 years.

You can PM me, and ask me questions.

I do know it is a very nice place to live. I miss living there!

Answer 2

It's a small beach community for surfers & tourists. Lots of good eaterys, great beaches, all the San Diego weather without the traffic. Close to the 5 freeway (or through San Marcos to the 15. Seaworls, Lego Land, La Jolla (whale watching) and Torrey Pines State Park are close. Nice funky little motels, train service - what's not to like? If u haven't been, go definitely!

Answer 3

I've lived in Encinitas for about the last 9 years. Encinitas is about 30 miles north of downtown San Diego, is in San Diego County but is it's own city. It's a beach town that retains a lot of the quaint flavor of the traditional California beach community, but is less exclusive than other Southern California beach communities.

Besides Encinitas proper, it also includes Leucadia, Cardiff (the two beach towns which are north and south of Encinitas proper) and Olivenhain, which is inland of Encinitas proper, and is for fairly wealthy people, lots of whom own horses, as lot sizes are big there, and there are riding trails. Encinitas is adjacent to many high income areas (Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe and Carlsbad).

Encinitas has it's own city government. Shopping is good; lots of stores for just about everything. Downtown Encinitas on Coast Highway has lots of nice restaurants and stores. Moonlight Beach is probably the best overall beach, as it has restrooms, outdoor showers, a snack bar and place to rent beach equipment, play equipment for kids, and fire rings, benches, and sand volleyball courts. Not to mention pretty decent parking for a beach area. There are a number of less sandy beaches which are well known surf spots. Surfing, biking and running are popular sports here. Hiking and birdwatching are fun to do at the local lagoons (San Elijo and Bataquitos Lagoons). There are lots of sports and recreation things offered by the Encinitas City Parks and Rec Dept. There are several local festivals during the year, including a celebration of old "woody" style surf wagons, a Christmas parade, and Taste of Encinitas events where for a fee you can go from one restaurant to another on Coast Hwy sampling food.

There is a small but very nice campus of a junior college here (the San Elijo campus of Mira Costa College). For high school, most kids go to either San Dieguito High or La Costa Canyon...both good schools. La Costa Canyon is bigger, the more traditional type of programming. San Dieguito is a school of choice, known for being non-traditional, allowing a lot of personal freedom over curriculum choice, not into traditional high school stuff (no football team, but has had #1 surf team in the nation).

There's an outlet mall (Carlsbad Company Stores), a Costco and an REI in adjacent Carlsbad, as well as many auto dealerships. Legoland is also in adjacent Carlsbad.

Encinitas has a nice botanical garden (Quail Gardens). Another nice attraction is the Self Realization Temple's Meditation Gardens, which are open to the public, perched on the edge of a cliff with a dramatic ocean view and beautifully manicured gardens...a restful and beautiful spot. It has a "one plex" movie theatre, the La Paloma, that's over 70 years old which has unique architecture, and is right next to train tracks, which shows both first run and art films.

There's a train stop in Encinitas for the Coaster, which makes stops along the coast and goes to downtown San Diego.

Encinitas is pretty much developed-out but does have dedicated open space and some hiking trails.

This is a pretty desirable place to live; only drawbacks are high cost of housing and the likely long communte to work. I work in the downtown San Diego area and it takes me about 40 minutes each way for the drive, but to me it's worth it because it's so nice here. Many times, especially walking in the Coast Highway/beach areas, I feel like I'm on vacation instead of in my own home community. And as others have said, the weather is about as good as it could be expected to be anywhere.

Answer 4

Fantastic! I lived in Carlsbad for years, its a few miles N. of Encinitas, used to go to our favorite restaurant there, best weather on the planet year round.

Answer 5

its outside of San Diego its a hot spot for fun, the weather is usually gorgeous and theres just all kinds of nationalities and culture out there, they party pretty good but its around big cities, around that vicinity is about 2 million people around that county, SOCAL is huge, but im from MIDKAL so its all good!

Answer 6

It is close to the ocean.