The history of Encinitas includes the communities of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia and Olivenhain as they are intertwined. They all shared a common need of water, the influence of the railroad and their main export, flowers.
This small community in San Diego's North County Coast is considered by many to be an “Unspoiled and Unchanged reminder of the era of Hwy 101”. Downtown harkens back to the quiet, unspoiled, un-crowded beach towns that existed prior to World War II. It still has the feel of earlier times and has retained its beach, art, and Hwy 101 culture.
The district has stories to tell about its past and they are intertwined with its natural resources and its buildings. The earliest structures date back to the 1880s, but the most prolific decade of construction was the 1920s, after water became available from Lake Hodges Dam and ushered in new prosperity. The ebullient optimism of that period faded abruptly in October of 1929 when the stock market crashed. It would be years before the economy rebounded. But in those hard times neighbor helped neighbor and the community as a whole drew closer
Today, Coast Hwy 101 brings people here who venture off the main path, the I-5 Freeway. Walk, bike, or drive around Historic Downtown Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia and Olivenhain, and rediscover an unspoiled and unchanged reminder of the era of Hwy 101.
This small community in San Diego's North County Coast is considered by many to be an “Unspoiled and Unchanged reminder of the era of Hwy 101”. Downtown harkens back to the quiet, unspoiled, un-crowded beach towns that existed prior to World War II. It still has the feel of earlier times and has retained its beach, art, and Hwy 101 culture.