Encinitas is a North County coastal town about 25 miles north of San Diego, sandwiched between Carlsbad to the north, Solana Beach to the south, the ocean (west, of course), and Rancho Santa Fe to the east. Incorporated in 1986, Encinitas has a reputation as a flower capital (especially poinsettias), and a cruise around town will show you why this is so.

While many nurseries have disappeared, or are in the process of disappearing in order to make way for housing, you will still find a good number of them scattered about. Rightly so, Encinitas is also the home of the Quail Botanical Gardens, a feast for the eyes if you are a plant lover. Sunshine Gardens is right down the street and has a far-reaching reputation for the quality of its flowers and plants (and now houses a wonderful bakery called Elizabethan Desserts - read about it at Flowers and Dessert in One Place in Encinitas).

Encinitas consists of several areas from which it was originally incorporated - Encinitas (which includes the downtown area) and sometimes referred to as Old Encinitas, Leucadia (the older, funky, surfing part of town to the north), Olivenhain (to the east bordering on Ranch Santa Fe), Encinitas Ranch (a newer and large subdivision) and occasionally called New Encinitas, and Cardiff or more formally Cardiff-by-the-Sea (to the south bordering Solana Beach, with a separate zip code but without a separate town government).

Each area has a different feel, and housing can vary quite a bit both in style and price depending on what area you are in. The town covers about 20 square miles and as of the 2000 census had a population of 58,000.

Encinitas has a thriving downtown area, primarily south of Encinitas Boulevard along the Coastal Highway (Route 101) near the beaches. There is office space, along with numerous shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, galleries, and a wide range of services catering to residents, surfers, vacationers and others - just about everything you can imagine. The Coaster (train) also stops in Encinitas (the Amtrak trains do not - head south to Solana Beach or north to Oceanside to catch these).

Another major shopping area is to the east along El Camino Real, north of Encinitas Boulevard, with hundreds of retailers (with larger stores like Home Depot, Target, Office Max, TJMaxx, Circuit City, HomeGoods, among others), and other several distinct shopping centers (Encinitas Town Center for example).

There is a nice array of restaurants in Encinitas, ranging from the most casual to fairly upscale. The downtown area along the Coast Highway has around 50 eating places all total, offering a broad range of America, California, and ethnic styles (Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Jamaican, Italian, French). You will find the place to suit your budget and preferance. A favorite local hangout and one also popular with vacationers is Le Papagayo, in Leucadia. And the amenities of Carlsbad, including high-end dining at the Four Seasons Aviara and the La Costa Spa and Resort, are a short distance away. Or head south a mile or so to Cardiff and take in one of the many shore-front eateries on the costal route.

Encinitas Schools have an excellent reputation, a reason many residents have decided to reside here. Two school districts service the residents, along with some students from neighboring communities in the upper grades: San Dieguito Union School District and Encinitas Union School District.

Encinitas beaches are well-known by surfers and non-surfers alike. No matter what your favored beach activity, you will likely find a place here to suit your fancy. Swamis, at the far southern end, is probably the best known surfing beach in the area. It is located below the bluff where the Self-Realization Fellowship Temple and Ashram Centerbuilt back in 1937 - locals began calling the beach Swamis (it was originally named Noonans Beach) and the name stuck. [this beach was immortalized by the Beach Boys' famous hit, "Surfin' USA" - see video below].

Heading north you will come to Boneyard beach, D Street Beach, and then Moonlight Beach, perhaps the most family/activity friendly - it is popular with residents and vacationers, there are barbecue pits, picnic tables, beach volleyball areas, showers/changing rooms, a snack bar and plenty of parking, plus handicapped access to the beach itself. Other beaches as you head north include Stone Steps, Beacon's and Grandview (in Leucadia) below the bluffs; all are particularly popular with surfers and beach-goers alike.

Housing in Encinitas is fairly diverse - in style (cottage, contemporary, Tuscan, Spanish, Italian/Mediterranean, traditional, craftsman and so on), age, size and price. There are wonderful updated beach cottages (and those that are not so wonderful) and a couple of boats that are now living quarters on land, bluff-top homes along Neptune Avenue (the most expensive area on average) with fabulous ocean views, expansive tract homes in Encinitas Ranch, funky houses in Leucadia mixed in with some of the newest subdivisions in Encinitas, larger homes on huge lots with room for horses in Olivenhain, and numerous condos and town-homes. There are a good number of rental properties in the area for vacationers, as well as several mobile home parks and multiple apartment buildings. There are also several 55+ communities.

As of May 23, 2007, there were 197 detached homes for sale in Encinitas (excluding Cardiff), ranging in price from $599,000 to $7.995 million (homes along Neptune Avenue above the ocean are the most expensive, typically ranging in price from $2 million to as much as $9 million). Detached homes ranged in size from 1,322 SF to 7,000 SF and offered 2 - 5 bedrooms. In the last 6 months 11 detached homes have sold in Encinitas, ranging in price from $505,000 to $3.55 million with an average marketing time of 68 (average price was $1,061,673). 61 of these homes sold at over $1 million.

At the same time there were 72 active attached homes for sale in Encinitas (not including Cardiff), ranging in size from 630 SF to 2,660 SF, and priced from $245,000 up to $2.88 million (1 - 4 bedrooms). Sales of attached homes in Encinitas in the last 6 months totaled 74, priced from $242,500 to $1.83 million (average price of $666,770).

There are a good number of subdivisions in Encinitas, both gated and ungated, and some have been built in just the last couple of years or still under construction, especially in Leucadia. Village Park is a large neighborhood west of Encinitas Ranch offering a mix of housing (attached and detached homes , condos and apartments) and tending to be the least expensive area on average (e.g., High Country Villas, Summerhill).

Encinitas Ranch is a large community of newer tract homes, many with views of the distant ocean or the Encinitas Ranch golf course. Some other complexes include Pacifica, Nantucket (large detached homes being built), Sea Bluff (attached townhomes in Leucadia, some with direct ocean frontage in the $800,000s and $900,000s generally), West Hampton Cove, Cambria, Rancho Encinitas, Palomare Heights, Sage Canyon, Sheridan Estates, Nautilus Cove, and Sandalwood. A brand new subdivision is just being developed in Leucadia on Vulcan just east of the Coast Highway.

An appealing coastal town in North San Diego County, Encinitas may be just the place for you, with a range of homes for sale, excellent schools, beautiful beaches, a booming downtown, and terrific climate year-round.

Take a TOUR of ENCINITAS BELOW - turn up the sound and enjoy the music!