ENCINITAS

Encinitas is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately 25 miles north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about 95 miles south of Los Angeles.

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Encinitas has a very mild, Mediterranean climate. Average daily high temperature is 72 °F (22 °C). Temperatures below 40 °F (4 °C) and above 85 °F (29 °C) are rare. Average rainfall is about 10 inches (250 mm) per year. The wet season lasts during the winter and spring, when temperatures are usually cool. Average daytime temperatures hit 65 °F in winter and spring, when rain and marine layer (fog) are common (May Gray/June Gloom). Nighttime lows range from 45 to 55 °F. The dry season lasts from summer through fall, with average daytime temperatures ranging from 75 to 85 °F, and nighttime lows being from the upper 50s–60s°F. Ocean water temperatures average 60 °F in winter, 64 °F in spring, 70 °F in summer, and 66 °F in fall. In winter, strong Pacific storms can bring heavy rain. During the winter of 2015–2016, the area saw rounds of severe thunderstorms.

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Arts and Culture

Encinitas Ballet. Encinitas Ballet is a classical ballet studio in Encinitas. It was established in 2008 by Sayat Asatryan, former principal dancer of the Kremlin Ballet Theatre, and Olga Tchekachova, former soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet II.

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Regular Events

• April Street Fair: annual two-day street fair, held every April in downtown Encinitas

• Encinitas Bazaar Marketplace: a colorful, outdoor shopping experience

• Deep Pit BBQ: held the end of May at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum

• Encinitas Environment Day: held on the 2nd Sunday of June- environmentally-themed games and entertainment for families.

• Lima Bean Faire and Battle of the Beans Cook-off: held each September at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum, 450 Quail Gardens Drive

• Fall Festival: annual one-day street fair, held each November in downtown Encinitas

• OktoberFest: held on the last Sunday in September to coincide with the Oktoberfest celebrations in Germany.

• Classic Car Cruise Nights: classic cars line Coast Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas on the 3rd Thursday of each month, May–September

• The Wavecrest Woodie Meet: takes place once a year on the third Saturday of September at Moonlight State Beach. It is the largest rally of wooden-bodied vehicles in the world and it is free to the public and to participants.

• Wellness Week: annual week-long program of events and special offers designed to help people learn about and experience ways to improve their well-being

• Salute to Education: Encinitas Chamber of Commerce Salute to Education event that is held each year in June honoring local teachers and students for their outstanding efforts during the current school year. This event is hosted each year by Rancho Santa Fe Security Systems.

• Switchfoot Bro-Am: annual free surf competition and outdoor music festival usually held in early July at Moonlight State Beach, home of the world's only Surf Jousting competition, along with several other competitive surfing events. All proceeds from the event go to local charities. 

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Surfing Madonna

In 2011 Mark Patterson and Robert Nichols illegally installed a 10 by 10 feet (3 m × 3 m) mosaic of a surfing Virgin de Guadalupe on the north concrete support wall of the train bridge on Encinitas Boulevard, leading to a battle over whether it should be removed or preserved. It was named "the Surfing Madonna" by the media and public.

Museums and other points of interest

The Lux Art Institute, San Dieguito Heritage Museum, and Encinitas Historical Society are located in Encinitas. Other points of interest include the San Diego Botanic Garden, Self-Realization Fellowship temple and Hermitage, as well as the gardens which are routinely open to the public, the historic La Paloma Theater, Moonlight Beach, and one of California's classic downtown areas along historic Coast Highway 101. Surfing is a popular activity in Encinitas, particularly at Swami's, which is rated in the top 5 surf locations in the world, and is mentioned in a verse of The Beach Boys' song "Surfin' U.S.A." A bronze statue "Humanity" was installed at J Street Overview in 2018. Sculptress is Maidy Morhous. Donors are Sue & Jay Vicory. Manchester Reserve is great for nature walk and light hiking. 

Cardiff Kook - Magic Carpet Ride

The Magic Carpet Ride, or more affectionately known by Encinitas locals as the Cardiff Kook, is a 16 ft bronze statue located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, in the city of Encinitas. The San Diego Architectural Foundation, in its annual "Orchids & Onions" awards for the best and worst architecture of the year, awarded the Kook an Onion in 2007. The nickname comes from a derogatory surfer slang term for a "wannabe" surfer, as surfers in the area realized that the statue's form whilst "surfing" was far from correct. However, the Kook has become a local favorite in the city and has many wonderful traditions associated with it. At various times during the year, the Kook is "vandalized" and dressed up (wearing a lucha libre mask, being eaten by a paper-mache shark, wearing a full Uncle Sam costume for Independence Day, used by local high school students to ask each other to school dances) bringing local flair and tourists constantly to the statue.

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Notable People:

• Guy Beahm, video game streamer and Internet personality known as "Dr DisRespect"

• Cindy Lee Berryhill, American singer-songwriter and wife of the late Paul Williams

• Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers

• Diana Serra Cary, Child Star Known as Baby Peggy

• Michael Chang, professional tennis player

• Claire Chase, classical flautist

• Harold Cohen, Pioneer of Computer-Generated Art

• Tom Dempsey, Record-Setting NFL Kicker

• Richard Dreyfuss, American actor

• Robert Ellsworth, Lawmaker, Nixon Aide, Obama supporter

• John Fairchild, professional basketball player

• Manny Farber, film critic

• Mary Fleener, underground comics artist

• Tim Foreman, bassist for Switchfoot

• Lukas Gage, actor

• Rune Glifberg, Danish professional skateboarder

• Tony Hawk, professional skateboarder

• Kit Horn, pioneer surfer

• Mel Hutchins, B.Y.U. All-American and N.B.A. All-Star

• Bobbi Jordan, actress

• Allan Kaprow, American painter, assemblagist and a pioneer in establishing the concepts of performance art

• Cloris Leachman American actress and comedienne

• Hugh Martin, Broadway and film composer, Meet Me in St. Louis

• Jerry Mathers, American actor

• Jack McDowell, baseball player and musician

• Mike McGill, professional skateboarder. inventor of the McTwist

• Jeremy McGrath, Supercross racer

• Mark McMorris, professional Canadian snowboarder (two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist)

• Mickey Moniak (born 1998), baseball player

• Patti Page, American pop singer and occasional actress

• Emily Ratajkowski, model and actress

• Ravi Shankar, acclaimed sitarist

• Staciana Stitts, 2000 Olympic gold medalist

• Jack Tempchin American musician and singer-songwriter

• Patricia Canning Todd, tennis champion, refused to play on side court

• Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam

• Joe Walsh, American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter

• Irene Ware, actress - (last place of residence)

• Ryn Weaver, singer and songwriter

• Paul Williams, journalist, author, creator/publisher of first US magazine of rock

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Sources: Wikipedia