Carlsbad, California

Carlsbad is an affluent seaside resort city occupying a 7-mile (11 km) stretch of Pacific coastline in northern San Diego County, California. The city is 87 miles (140 km) south of Los Angeles and 35 miles (56 km) north of downtown San Diego and is part of the San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Referred to as "The Village by the Sea" by locals, the city is a tourist destination. The city's estimated 2014 population was 112,299.

History

Carlsbad's history begins with the Luiseño people (the Spanish name given to them because of their proximity to Mission San Luis Rey). Nearly every reliable fresh water creek had at least one native village, including one called Palamai. The site is located just south of today's Agua Hedionda Lagoon.

The first European land exploration of Alta California, the Spanish Portolà expedition of 1769, met native villagers while camped on Buena Vista Creek. During the Mexican period, in 1842, the southern portion of Carlsbad, was granted as Rancho Agua Hedionda to Juan María Marrón.