Encinitas was officially founded in 1881 when Jabez Pitcher filed a claim along the railroad tracks where the Civic Center stands today. Leucadia began in 1870 when a group of English spiritualists settled a few miles north of the railroad. Cardiff began in 1875 when the McKinnon family homesteaded on the North shore of the San Elijo Lagoon. Each community retains its unique characteristics as neighborhoods of Encinitas.

 

The area is famous for its six miles of beaches--Swami's is well-known for its waves, the Boneyard at 4th and D welcomes those who want to sunbathe in the buff and Moonlight Beach is a neighborly place to share a walk with a friend. Two lagoons bracket the city--Batiquitos Lagoon forms the northern boundary and San Elijo marks the southern edge.

 

Encinitas was once the "Flower Capital of the World," and is where the famous poinsettias developed by the Ecke family were introduced in 1923. Quail Botanical Garden claims to be the largest bamboo collection in the U.S. There are many antique stores and unique stores along historic highway 101 as well as modern up-to-date shopping areas inland.