Cardiff-by-the-Sea, usually referred to as Cardiff, is a beach community in the incorporated city of Encinitas in San Diego County, California. The Pacific Ocean is to the west of Cardiff-by-the-Sea, the rest of incorporated Encinitas is to the east and north, and a beach and lagoon to the south.

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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 spots, Pipes and Seaside Reef, are famous for their smooth and consistent wave shape. When the tide is low, a flat rock reef is revealed that extends 50 yards from shore. Exploring these tide pools is a popular activity for visitors of Cardiff.

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The first inhabitants were the Native Kumeyaay Indians, referred to as the Diegueño by the Spanish. In 1769 the Spanish started colonizing this area with the construction of the Spanish Missions. The First Settlement was by the MacKinnon family in 1875. In 1909 this farming community began to be developed when Boston developer J. Frank Cullen purchased land from the MacKinnons. For $30 a lot, one could buy land and build new homes. Frank Cullen's wife, a native of Cardiff, Wales, persuaded him to name the community "Cardiff-by-the Sea", as well as many streets, such as "Birmingham", "Oxford", "Chesterfield" and "Manchester", despite heavy Spanish influence in the area. In 1986, "Cardiff" joined with the nearby communities of Leucadia, Olivenhain, and Encinitas to form the incorporated city of Encinitas.

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The Cardiff Composer District includes twelve streets named for musicians. It was developed by music publisher turned film producer turned real estate developer Victor Kremer (producer).

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Notable People:

• Mark Allen, former professional triathlete

• Scott Eastwood, actor

• Lili Simmons, actress

• Jon Foreman, singer/guitarist for Switchfoot

• Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, professional skateboarder

• Chalmers Johnson, historian and author of the Blowback trilogy

• Jonathan Jones, singer for the bands Waking Ashland and We Shot the Moon

• Frances Lee, silent film actress (deceased 2000)

• Rob Machado, professional surfer

• Kirk McCaskill, retired major league baseball pitcher

• Emily Ratajkowski, actress

• Lukas Gage, actor

• Marion Ross, actress

• Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine

• Bob Haro, former freestyle BMX rider turned artist and business executive. He is the founder of Haro Bikes and was one of the most important early innovators of BMX freestyle.

• John Humphreys, doubles badminton champion

• Guenter Seidel, 3 time Olympic Bronze Medalist Dressage

• Andrew Raquel Financial Analyst/BJJ Whitebelt/Average-to-occSlightly-above-Average Surfer (depending on the day).

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Sources: Wikipedia