Cardiff-by-the-Sea, usually referred to as Cardiff, is a beach community located between Encinitas

Encinitas, California

Encinitas is a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego in North County and about south of Los Angeles. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 59,518, up from 58,014 at the 2000 census. Encinitas is...

 and Solana Beach in San Diego County, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 is to the west of Cardiff, Encinitas on its east and north, and a beach and lagoon on its south. With a population of under 12,000, Cardiff-by-the-Sea operates as part of the city of Encinitas, but has its own ZIP code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 (92007), unlike the other communities that comprise parts of Encinitas: Leucadia and Olivenhain.

In 1911, this former farming community began to develop Cardiff, when developer J. Frank Cullen broke ground to build new homes. It is reported by the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of commerce

A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

 that it was Frank Cullen's wife, a native of Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, who persuaded him to name the community, "Cardiff". Many streets in Cardiff bear names this English-born landowner grew up with in his native UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The names of, "Birmingham", "Oxford", "Chesterfield" and "Manchester" are major streets in this city.

According to the 2010 Census, Cardiff-by-the-Sea is 71% white, 21% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 1% African-American and 4% Other

Cardiff is also home to a few well-known surf spots, such as Swami's and Cardiff Reef.

Cardiff School District

Cardiff also has a school district consisting of two schools:

• Cardiff Elementary (K-3)
• Ada Harris Elementary (3-6)

Cardiff Reef

Cardiff Reef ("The Reef") is a popular surf spot in Cardiff that produces waves both professional and novice surfers enjoy year round. Surfing at The Reef has progressed from just a few surfers in the 1950s to become one of the most popular surfing spots in San Diego County. Cardiff Reef and nearby surf spot, Pipes, are famous for their smooth and consistent wave shape.

When the tide is low, a beautiful flat rock reef is revealed that extends 50 yards from shore. Exploring these tide pools is a popular activity for visitors of Cardiff.

Notable residents

• Mark Allen
  Mark Allen (triathlete)
  Mark Allen is the six-time Ironman Triathon World Champion. He graduated from UC San Diego,where he was an All-American swimmer, with a degree in biology....
  
  , former professional triathlete
• Jon Foreman
  Jon Foreman
  Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
  
  , singer/guitarist for Switchfoot
  Switchfoot
  Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
  
  
• Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, professional skateboarder
• Chalmers Johnson
  Chalmers Johnson
  Chalmers Ashby Johnson was an American author and professor emeritus of the University of California, San Diego. He served in the Korean War, was a consultant for the CIA from 1967–1973, and chaired the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley from 1967 to 1972...
  
  , historian and author of the Blowback trilogy (deceased)
• Jonathan Jones
  Jonathan Jones (musician)
  Jonathan Jones is the lead singer, pianist, song writer and co-founder of the alternative rock bands Waking Ashland and We Shot the Moon.-Personal life:Jonathan lives in Cardiff, CA...
  
  , Singer for the bands Waking Ashland
  Waking Ashland
  Waking Ashland was an American rock band from San Diego, California. Formed in 2003, they were signed to Tooth and Nail and Immortal Records. In all the group released two EPs and two full-length albums before their disestablishment in 2007...
  
   and We Shot the Moon
  We Shot the Moon
  We Shot the Moon, formerly known as The Honor Roll, is a band from San Diego, California featuring Jonathan Jones the singer of Waking Ashland, and originally, Dan Koch, and Joe Greenetz both from the band Sherwood.- History :...
  
  
• Frances Lee
  Frances Lee
  Frances Lee was an American film actress during Hollywoods silent film era, and well into the sound film era of the 1930s.-Dancing career:Frances Lee was born as Merna Tibbetts in Eagle Grove, Iowa...
  
  , silent film actress (deceased)
• Rob Machado
  Rob Machado
  Robert Edward Machado is an American professional surfer from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a community in Encinitas , California....
  
  , professional surfer
• Marion Ross
  Marion Ross
  Marion Ross is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on the television series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.-Early life:...
  
  , actress

External links

• CardiffByTheSea.org - Information center and chamber of commerce.
• Cardiff By The Sea Weather - Cardiff By The Sea Weather
• U.S. Census Bureau Fact Sheet for Cardiff-by-the-Sea