Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Encinitas, California Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cardiff-by-the-Sea Cardiff
Beach community of Encinitas
Sunset, Cardiff Beach
Country	United States
State	California
County	San Diego
City	Encinitas
Founded	1911
Elevation	79 ft (24 m)
Population (2007)
• Total	11,537
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code	92007
Area codes	442/760
GNIS feature ID	1656451

Cardiff-by-the-Sea, often just called Cardiff, is a cool beach town in Encinitas. It's located in San Diego County, California. The Pacific Ocean is to its west. Other parts of Encinitas are to the east and north. To the south, you'll find a beach and a lagoon. Cardiff has less than 12,000 people. It's part of Encinitas but has its own ZIP Code (92007). Cardiff is famous for its surf spots, like Swami's and Cardiff Reef.

History of Cardiff-by-the-Sea
Cardiff School District
Cardiff Reef Surfing Spot
People in Cardiff-by-the-Sea
Notable Residents
Images for kids
See also

History of Cardiff-by-the-Sea

The first people known to live here were the Indigenous Kumeyaay tribe. The Spanish called them the Diegueño. In 1769, the Spanish began to settle this area. They built Spanish Missions.

The first modern settlement was started by the MacKinnon family in 1875. In 1909, a developer from Boston named J. Frank Cullen bought land from the MacKinnons. He started to build up this farming community. You could buy a piece of land for just $30 to build a new home.

Frank Cullen's wife, Esther, was from Cardiff, Wales. She convinced him to name the community "Cardiff-by-the-Sea." She also suggested naming many streets after other cities in Britain. These included "Birmingham," "Oxford," "Chesterfield," and "Manchester." This was done even though the area had a lot of Spanish influence.

In 1986, Cardiff joined with nearby towns. These were Leucadia, Olivenhain, and Encinitas. Together, they formed the city of Encinitas.

The Cardiff Composer District has twelve streets named after musicians. This area was developed by Victor Kremer. He was a music publisher who became a film producer and then a real estate developer.

Between the 1920s and 1950s, Cardiff grew a lot. Many new homes and buildings were built. People came to Cardiff looking for a friendly community. They wanted a place to raise families, start businesses, and live near the ocean. In 1985, the Seaside Market, a local family-owned store, opened. It has been an important part of the community ever since.

Cardiff School District

Cardiff has its own school district. It includes two schools for younger students:

[Cardiff Elementary] (Kindergarten to 3rd grade)
[Ada Harris Elementary] (3rd to 6th grade)

Cardiff Reef Surfing Spot

Cardiff Reef, also known as "The Reef," is a very popular place to surf in Cardiff. It has waves that both professional and new surfers enjoy all year. In the 1950s, only a few people surfed at The Reef. Now, it is one of the most popular surfing spots in San Diego County. Cardiff Reef and other nearby surf spots, like Pipes and Seaside Reef, are known for their smooth and steady waves.

When the ocean tide is low, a flat rock reef appears. It stretches about 50 yards from the shore. Exploring these tide pools, which are small pools of water left behind by the tide, is a fun activity for visitors to Cardiff.

People in Cardiff-by-the-Sea

According to the 2010 Census, most people in Cardiff-by-the-Sea are white (72%). About 20% are Hispanic, 3% are Asian, and 1% are African-American. The remaining 4% are from other backgrounds.