Carlsbad

Carlsbad, CA

Carlsbad

North County San Diego section of Southern California. Carlsbad was incorporated in 1952, in large part to generate sufficient funding to connect with the water pipeline running through San Diego County, but also to avoid being annexed by Oceanside. It is one of the highest-income places in the United States.

The city has drafted ordinances protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, becoming one of the first municipalities in the State of California to do so. The city has also pledged to protect a specified amount of land within the city limits from development of any kind and spends significant funds to restore habitats destroyed by newer development projects.

 

Carlsbad is located between the major cities of San Diego and Los Angeles. Its coastal location, scenic beauty, low population density, thriving commercial sector, abundance of upscale housing, and high performing school districts have made Carlsbad one of the most expensive housing markets in the United States. Land in Carlsbad is a premium; as such, real estate commands prices high even by Southern California standards, with median home prices in the $1 millions in 2007.

History

Carlsbad’s history begins with the Luiseño people who located one of their villages, Palamai, near what is today Agua Hedionda Lagoon. In the 1880s a former sailor named John Frazier dug a well in the area. He began offering his water at the train station and soon the whistle-stop became known as Frazier’s Station. A test done on a second fresh-water well found the water to be chemically similar to one of the most famous spas in Europe, at Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), Czech Republic.

To take advantage of the find, the Carlsbad Land and Mineral Water Company was formed by a German-born merchant from the Midwest named Gerhard Schutte together with Samuel Church Smith, D.D.Wadsworth and Henry Nelson. The naming of the town followed soon after, along with a major marketing campaign to attract visitors. The area experienced a period of growth, with homes and businesses sprouting up in the 1880s. Agricultural development of citrus fruits, avocados and olives soon changed the landscape. By the end of 1887, land prices fell throughout San Diego County. However,the community survived on the back of its fertile agricultural lands.

The site of John Frazier’s original well can still be found at Alt Karlsbad, a replica of a German Hanseatic house, located on Carlsbad Boulevard.

The world’s first skateboard park, Carlsbad Skatepark, was built here in March 1976. It was located on the grounds of Carlsbad Raceway and was designed and built by inventors Jack Graham and John O’Malley.

Schools

School Districts

• Carlsbad Unified School District
• Encinitas Union School District-for Elementary schools in South Carlsbad

Public High

• Carlsbad High School
• La Costa Canyon High School
  • LCC Music

Public Intermediate

• Calavera Hills Middle School
• Valley Middle School
• Aviara Oaks Middle School

Public Interlevel

• Carlsbad Seaside Academy (Independent Study)

Public Elementary

• Aviara Oaks Elementary School
• Buena Vista Elementary School
• Calavera Hills Elementary School
• Carlsbad Seaside Academy (K-6 Alternative Education)
• Hope Elementary School
• Jefferson Elementary School
• Kelly Elementary School
• Magnolia Elementary School
• Pacific Rim Elementary School
• Poinsettia Elemenraty School
• El Camino Creek Elementary School
• La Costa Heights Elementary School
• Mission Estancia Elementary School
• Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School

Private Schools

• Army and Navy Academy: Military Prep
• Pacific Ridge School
• St. Patrick School
• Montessori Arts and Sciences School
• Beautiful Saviour Lutheran Elementary School
• The Academy by the Sea: Camp Pacific
• Palisades Point Christian Academy 

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