The city of Carlsbad is a thriving coastal community with a population of approximately 109,000. There you will find nearly seven miles of beautiful beaches. If that’s not enough, Carlsbad also has LEGOLAND California, three lagoons, hiking trails and world-class resorts.
The city was incorporated in 1952. But its name goes back to the 1880s when a spring was found on John Frazier’s homestead. This spring allegedly had mineral water like that in the spa town of Karlsbad, Bohemia.
Although Carlsbad has many neighborhoods, its four zip codes divide the city into quadrants.
The northwest section, zip code 92008, contains the historic Carlsbad Village and Barrio areas.
The northeast section, 92010, contains mostly single family homes and the new Sage Creek High School.
The southwest section, 92011, includes the master planned, resort community of Aviara and the Aviara Golf Club and Resort.
The southeast portion of the city, zip code 92009, is commonly referred to as La Costa. La Costa is home to the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. La Costa Resort is a destination resort known for hosting professional golf and tennis tournaments. The neighborhoods surrounding the resort consist of single family homes, luxury homes and condominiums.
Carlsbad residents are served by four highly ranked school districts. The Carlsbad Unified School District (CUSD) serves the majority of Carlsbad residents. CUSD is comprised of nine elementary schools that feed into three middle schools, and two high schools. Many of the Carlsbad schools have been recognized as Distinguished Schools at the federal and state levels.
The Encinitas Union School District, San Dieguito Union High School District, and San Marcos Unified School District also serve Carlsbad residents.
Please contact the schools directly to confirm attendance boundaries. This website only provides general information and should not be relied upon to determine attendance boundaries.
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Carlsbad is located 35 miles north of downtown San Diego and the San Diego International Airport. You can get to downtown San Diego or to the airport via Interstate 5. And if you’re going farther, Interstate 5 will take you from Mexico to Canada. State Route 78 starts just north of Carlsbad, in Oceanside, and offers an east-west route to Interstate 15 and beyond.
There are several mass transit options in and near the city. The Coaster, a commuter rail that runs from downtown San Diego to Oceanside, has two stations in Carlsbad for easy access. North County Transit District provides bus and shuttle service in and around Carlsbad. Additionally, Oceanside offers an east-west Sprinter commuter rail and Amtrak or Metro trains to Los Angeles and beyond. You can also fly to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from Carlsbad using McClellan–Palomar Airport. Palomar Airport is a single-runway public airport owned by the County of San Diego. This makes it easy for business and leisure travelers to skip long commutes and airport congestion. But they still have access to one of the largest airports in the U.S. for national and international flights.
Carlsbad offers a diverse business sector much of which is located near Palomar Airport. The City of Carlsbad lists its 20 largest employers as:- ViaSat, Inc. – communications
- Thermo Fisher Scientific – biotechnology
- LEGOLAND California – family theme park
- Callaway Golf – golf equipment
- Carlsbad Unified School District – government
- Omni La Costa Resort & Spa – resort
- TaylorMade – Adidas Golf – golf equipment
- SGN Nutrition – nutrition
- Gemological Institute of America – training/laboratory
- City of Carlsbad – government
- OptrumRx – biotechnology
- Genoptix, Inc. – biotechnology
- Park Hyatt Aviara – resort
- Zimmer Dental – biotechnology
- Nordson Corporation – precision manufacturing
- Legend3D – visual effects
- Costco Wholesale Corporation – retail
- Continuing Life Communities – retirement
- ISIS Pharmaceuticals – biotechnology
- Great Call/Jitterbug – communications
Carlsbad is the home of LEGOLAND California, a theme park based on the Lego toy brand. LEGOLAND recently added the SEA LIFE Aquarium where children can learn about the ocean and its creatures. Nearby you can enjoy the Museum of Making Music and The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch. You can also take a tour of the Gemological Institute of America’s Museum. Several miles to the east, learn about local history at beautiful Leo Carillo Ranch Historic Park. Carlsbad Village hosts the Carlsbad Annual Music Festival, an annual street fair, and offers unique shopping and dining experiences.
Carlsbad Village isn’t the only place you’ll find shopping. In fact, there are several regional shopping centers and many local community shopping centers with easy access to neighborhoods. Or if you’re looking for bargains and known brands, try Carlsbad Premium Outlets. Head over to The Forum for upscale shopping and a variety of dining experiences. Carlsbad’s mall, The Shoppes at Carlsbad is undergoing a multi-phase renovation. Plans are being made to create a mixed-used neighborhood with housing, shopping and dining. Additionally, it will connect to Carlsbad Village and nearby employers.
Carlsbad has many opportunities for outdoor recreation. In addition to the seven miles of coastline, you can enjoy the water at Agua Hedionda lagoon. The lagoon offers swimming, fishing, sailing, water skiing, wake boarding, windsurfing or jet skiing. Plus Carlsbad has two pools that are open during the summer. They offer recreational use, swimming and water safety instruction, and competitive swimming. There are even year-round Masters Swimming workouts for adults. If that’s not exciting enough, the nearby city of Vista has The Wave Waterpark. The Wave includes slides, waves, a competition pool and a rainforest for little ones.
If you’d prefer to stay dry, there are 31 parks in Carlsbad. Carlsbad parks has soccer, baseball and football fields. Plus, there are courts for basketball, volleyball, and tennis. On top of that, there are tot lots, picnic tables, barbecues, horseshoe pits and shuffleboard. There are even dog and skate parks.
For golfers, Carlsbad has you covered with five 18-hole golf courses in the city. In addition, there are many others throughout North County. With our mild weather, you can play golf year-round.
Carlsbad has 45 miles of hiking trails throughout the city, along lagoons and the beach. These are great for hiking, running, dog walking and biking. The city offers sports leagues, dance, fitness, martial arts for children and adults. Plus, there’s a broad list of activities, classes and services for seniors.
If all that swimming, running and biking sounds good, then Carlsbad has an annual triathlon in July just for you!