For the sprawling and cosmopolitan city that Encinitas has developed into, it has more humble roots as a part of California’s history. The city as we know it today began as virtually blank spot on the map, consisting of no more than a few colonies and farms. The area was very barren, arid, and therefore uninhabitable. The opportunity for growth came when Hodges dam was completed in the early 1920’s, providing water to the area by transporting through a long stretch of pipes running from the dam out into the Pacific, which Encinitans today now know better as Cottonwood Creek.
From that point on the area flourished as a farming community, and many farmers and flower growers began to settle in the region and produce their goods, including Albert Ecke, who settled in 1906 and whose ranch was instrumental in the growth of poinsettias in the region started by his son, Paul Ecke, Sr. (1895-1991), making Encinitas known worldwide as “the flower capital of the world.”
The well-known Ecke Ranch has made Encinitas world famous for the growing of Poinsettias.
Paul Ecke, Sr. as he tends to his many flowers in 1988.
Not only was farming instrumental in Encinitas’s growth, but transportation led to the commercialization of the city as we know it today. In 1881, the California Southern Railroad Company built the Encinitas train station as a place where trains could stop to refuel their engines using the water flowing from Cottonwood Creek. From there, downtown Encinitas developed into a thriving commercial center of the developing city. In 1916, the Pacific Coast Highway, then known as First Street, consisted of a car garage, a saloon, a general store, and the Encinitas Hotel, which was built in 1883 as a lodging for people traveling on the railroad.
Downtown Encinitas today, which runs along the Pacific Coast Highway, is estetically similar to it's appearance in the past.
In the 1930’s, Encinitas became a religious retreat as well as a commercial and farming society. In 1937, Paramahansa Yogananda settled in Encinitas traveling from his home in Mukunda Lal Gosh, India. He established the Self-Realization Fellowship, a 17-acre religious retreat that attracted many religious figures and people to the city.
A portrait of a young Yogananda, ca. 1920.The Self-Realization Fellowship of Encinitas as it stands today. Notice the famous 'Surf X-ing' sign in the front.
He was known as a yogi and professed his religion to many of the people in Encinitas, which in turn made the new
The Self-Realization Fellowship of Encinitas as it stands today. Notice the famous 'Surf X-ing' sign in front.
religion very popular. Today, the Self-Realization Fellowship is still a popular retreat as well as a well-known landmark with many gardens and beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.
From humble farming town to thriving commercial center to religious destination, Encinitas is a town of rich history and diverse culture, which has made it a popular and well-known community of Southern California. The rich mix of the art, music, medical, agriculture, and surf cultures have made Encinitas become the city that it is today.
