POPULATION 61,593
MEDIAN HOME PRICE $889,000
HOMETOWN HERO Professional surfer Rob Machado, whose annual surf contests are both kid- and enviro-friendl.
THE LIVING: Bordered on two sides by egret-and-heron-filled lagoons, this once sleepy surfers' enclave in San Diego's North County has quietly been cultivating its public spaces. A community-wide initiative is adding millions of cubic yards of sand to the area's eroding beaches, and smart community projects are still, despite the state's overall woes, in the works: Blueprints for a 44-acre park in the Cardiff-by-the-Sea neighborhood feature a skate park, a dog run, and a couple of pools. And the best part? The mom-and-pop-shop-filled downtown has something rare in Southern California: a commuter train that will whisk you into downtown San Diego in just 30 minutes.
THE SURFING: While good surf strings almost the entire San Diego coast, you'll never battle traffic to catch the swell here: Even the most inland houses are only a four-minute drive to the water. Swami's, the much-hyped point break underneath the gold-domed self-realization temple, is as consistently good and long as advertised, but Encinitas is also home to a handful of beginner- and paddleboard-friendly reef breaks like Cardiff Reef and Pipes. Of course, surfers aren't the only ones enjoying the warm (no wetsuits needed half the year) water: The greater San Diego area is a triathlon hot spot, and that buoy off Moonlight Beach marks a turnaround point for the swim-cap-clad crowd.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Once a slummy enclave of slack-jawed surfers, Leucadia, a.k.a. "Funky Leucadia," sits cliffside above Beacon's, a lesser-known reef break. The houses are a little older, but you can find homes in the $600K range a few blocks from the beach.
Comments
Really nice of you to say such nice things about good ol' Encinitas, but telling people about Leucadia and Beacon's? Unforgivable! That's supposed to be kept a secret.
Flag ThisNo wetsuits half the year isn't accurate (unless you have very thick skin). No rubber at all is usually just July thru Sept at the very best. This year we still are in wetsuits in August.
Flag ThisBut, aside from my other comment, Encinitas is an amazing place to live. Very pricey, but worth it.
Flag ThisI've been coming to Encinitas since I was a tan blonde haired teenage girl!!! I fell in love with it then, and my husband and I love to stay at Carlsbad State beach and take a trip into Moonlight Beach, which was my old hangout. We love PANNNIKIN, A LITTLE MOORE CAFE, and all the other local hangouts......I want some of my ashes sprinkled over moonlight beach someday : ) I COULD HAVE TOLD ANYONE THAT ENCINITAS WAS THE BEST SURF TOWN IN SO CALIF!!!!
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