Encinitas (Spanish for “Small Oaks”) is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Take a look below for 20 interesting and awesome facts about Encinitas, California, United States.

1. Located within Southern California, it is approximately 25 miles (40 km) north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about 95 miles (153 km) south of Los Angeles.

2. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census.

3. The first people to settle in Encinitas were the Kumeyaay. Gaspar de Portolá, governor of Baja California, visited the area in 1769 during the Portolá expedition and met residents from the nearby Kumeyaay village of Jeyal or Heyal, near the San Elijo Lagoon.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Encinitas is a Spanish name meaning “little oaks”.

7. The town of Old Encinitas formed in 1881 by Jabez Pitcher.

8. 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.

9. The communities retain their identities and distinctive flavors.

10. Encinitas lies on rugged coastal terrace. The city is bisected by a low-lying coastal ridge that separates New and Old Encinitas.

11. In the north of the city, the coast rises in elevation and the land is raised up in the form of many coastal bluffs.

12. These cliffs are subject to collapsing on the narrow beach.

13. The city is bounded by Batiquitos Lagoon to the north and San Elijo Lagoon to the south.

14. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.0 square miles (52 km2). 18.8 square miles (49 km2) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) of it (5.89%) is water. The city’s elevation ranges between sea level and 402 feet (123 m) above sea level.

15. Encinitas Ballet. Encinitas Ballet is a classical ballet studio in Encinitas. It was established in 2008 by Sayat Asatryan, former principal dancer of the Kremlin Ballet Theatre, and Olga Tchekachova, former soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet II.

16. In 2011 Mark Patterson and Robert Nichols illegally installed a 10 by 10 feet (3 m × 3 m) mosaic of a surfing Virgin de Guadalupe on the north concrete support wall of the train bridge on Encinitas Boulevard, leading to a battle over whether it should be removed or preserved. It was named “the Surfing Madonna” by the media and public.

17. The Lux Art Institute, San Dieguito Heritage Museum, and Encinitas Historical Society are located in Encinitas. Other points of interest include the San Diego Botanic Garden, Self-Realization Fellowship temple and Hermitage, as well as the gardens which are routinely open to the public, the historic La Paloma Theater, Moonlight Beach, and one of California’s classic downtown areas along historic Coast Highway 101.

18. Surfing is a popular activity in Encinitas, particularly at Swami’s, which is rated in the top 5 surf locations in the world, and is mentioned in a verse of The Beach Boys’ song “Surfin’ U.S.A.” A bronze statue “Humanity” was installed at J Street Overview in 2018. Sculptress is Maidy Morhous. Donors are Sue & Jay Vicory.

19. Manchester Reserve is great for nature walk and light hiking.

20. The Magic Carpet Ride, or more affectionately known by Encinitas locals as the Cardiff Kook, is a 16 ft bronze statue located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, in the city of Encinitas. The San Diego Architectural Foundation, in its annual “Orchids & Onions” awards for the best and worst architecture of the year, awarded the Kook an Onion in 2007.