Oceanside is a beach city in the

North County North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second-most populous region in the county (after San Diego), with an estimated population of 869,322. North County is well known for its affluence, especially ...

area of

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

, United States. The city had a population of 174,068 at the 2020 United States census, making it the most populous city in the

region of San Diego. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture. Oceanside's origins date to 1798, when the Spanish founded the village of San Luis Rey with the establishment of

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia Mission San Luis Rey de Francia () is a former Spanish mission in San Luis Rey, a neighborhood in Oceanside, California. This Mission lent its name to the Luiseño tribe of Mission Indians. At its prime, Mission San Luis Rey's structures an ...

Fermín de Lasuén Fermín or Fermin may refer to: * Fermin Fermin (also Firmin, from Latin language, Latin ''Firminus''; Spanish language, Spanish ''Fermín'') was a holy man and martyr, traditionally venerated as the co-patron saint of Navarre, Spain. He was born ...

. During the Spanish period, Mission San Luis Rey grew to be the largest of all the Californian missions, but following the Mexican secularization act of 1833 the mission and its community declined. Following the U.S. conquest of California, the former mission lands were developed into an oceanfront resort and the community's name gradually changed to Oceanside.

History

Originally inhabited by Native Americans, Oceanside was first settled by the

Luiseño The Luiseño or Payómkawichum are an Indigenous people of California who, at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century, inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging from the present-day southern part of ...

peoples, or the Payomkawichum. The city of Oceanside sits on the locality on the San Luis Rey River that the Luiseño called Tacayme, which contained the villages of Qée'ish (Keish) and 'ikáymay (Ikamal), in the San Luis Rey Mission area, Wiyóoya (Wiawio) at the mouth of the river, and Wi'áasamay (Wiasamai) and Waxáwmay (Wahaumai) at Guajome.

Spanish era

The first European explorers arrived in 1769. Spanish missionaries under Father

Junípero Serra Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer (; ; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784), popularly known simply as Junipero Serra, was a Spanish Roman Catholic, Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Francis ...

founded

on a former site of a

Indian village on the banks of the San Luis Rey River called Keish according to the Portolà expedition who visited in the 1769. In the early 19th century, the introduction of farming and grazing changed the landscape of what would become Oceanside.

Mexican era

Following the Mexican secularization act of 1833, the Californian missions were nationalized, transferring their ownership from the

Franciscan Order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

of the Catholic Church to the Mexican Government. A mission administrator was appointed to each mission to oversee the process of secularization, the removal of the priests, and the selling or granting of the mission lands to private citizens. At Mission San Luis Rey, Padre Antonio Peyrí had presided over the mission for 34 years when soldiers forced his removal in late 1833. Captain Pablo de la Portillà was appointed as administrator of San Luis Rey. Following the departure of Padre Peyrí, relations between the

s and the new civilian administration hugely deteriorated, resulting in their famed refusal to work for Captain Portillà in 1835.

American era

View of Oceanside at the turn of the century

In the late 1850s, Andrew Jackson Myers, an emigrant from Illinois, lived in

San Joaquin County San Joaquin County ( ; , meaning " St. Joachim"), officially the County of San Joaquin, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 779,233. The county seat is Stockton. San Jo ...

, but he returned in the late 1880s and lived in San Luis Rey. In 1882 Myers moved on the land that was the original townsite for Oceanside. A patent for the land was issued in 1883 by the federal government. It was incorporated on July 3, 1888. The city hall as of the early 21st century stands on the former Myers homestead. The town post office contains an oil-on-canvas mural, ''Air Mail'', painted in 1937 by Elsie Seeds. Federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

through the

Section of Painting and Sculpture Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section s ...

, later called the

Section of Fine Arts Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

, of the Treasury Department. Oceanside continues to be known as a vacation home market. In the 2010s, several mid-rise and high-rise housing and lodging projects were completed in the downtown area, with more to come. In 2021, two large

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...

resorts were completed, bringing more tourists to the city.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , comprising 2.23%, is water. Traveling north on

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

, Oceanside is the last city before Orange County. As the crow flies, it is roughly the same distance from Aliso Viejo as it is to

downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven d ...

. Together with

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

and

Vista Vista may refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) a medical records system of the United States ...

, it forms a tri-city area.

Climate

Oceanside experiences a mild

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''BSk'') that is significantly tempered by maritime winds and the cool currents off the shoreline. The average high temperatures range from , while the average low temperatures range from .

Demographics

2020

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was . The racial makeup of Oceanside was 109,020 (65.2%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 7,873 (4.7%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1,385 (0.8%) Native American, 11,081 (6.6%) Asian (3.4% Filipino, 0.7%

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, 0.7%

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

, 0.6% Chinese, 0.4%

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

, 0.2% Indian), 2,144 (1.3%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 25,886 (15.5%) from other races, and 9,697 (5.8%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 59,947 persons (35.9%). The Census reported that 166,150 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 802 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 134 (0.1%) were institutionalized. There were 59,238 households, out of which 20,486 (34.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 30,201 (51.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 6,947 (11.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 3,111 (5.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,504 (5.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 472 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. Of the households 14,117 (23.8%) were made up of individuals, and 6,161 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80. There were 40,259

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(68.0% of all households); the average family size was 3.32. The population was spread out, with 39,817 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 19,028 people (11.4%) aged 18 to 24, 45,797 people (27.4%) aged 25 to 44, 40,943 people (24.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 21,501 people (12.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. There were 64,435 housing units at an average density of , of which 34,986 (59.1%) were owner-occupied, and 24,252 (40.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%. Of the population 97,645 people (58.4%) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 68,505 people (41.0%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 161,029 people, 56,488 households, and 39,259 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 59,581 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 66.4%

, 6.3%

, 5.5% Asian, 1.2%

, 0.4% Native American or Alaskan Native, 0.1% from another race alone, and 3.2% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race was 30.2%. In 2000, there were 56,488 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. Of all households 22.7% were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.33. The age distribution of Oceanside in 2000 was as follows: 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,301, and the median income for a family was $52,232. Males had a median income of $34,772 versus $27,962 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,329. About 8.2% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

According to the city's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

*The Oceanside Pier, first built in 1888 (and now in its sixth incarnation), is one of the longest wooden piers on the western

coastline, at . * Oceanside Museum of Art is located in the cultural district section of downtown Oceanside. *The historic district of Mount Ecclesia, home to the Rosicrucian Fellowship, is noted for its singular architecture and the preservation of nature grounds and gardens, offering a unique meditative walking experience. *Oceanside is one of the 14 designated cultural districts in California. This designation by the California Arts Council acknowledges the city's vibrant arts scene and its commitment to cultural enrichment. The Oceanside Cultural District encompasses a walkable area in the downtown center, boasting a concentration of museums and theaters, like the histori
Star Theatre
*The California Surf Museum is located in downtown Oceanside. *Oceanside is home to the World's Largest Women's Surf Competition, the Supergirl Pro Jam event, which has been held yearly since 2007. * Each Thursday evening, downtown Oceanside hosts the Sunset Market, a gathering of local vendors, hot food and live entertainment. * Founded in 2006, the Frontwave Credit Union O'side Turkey Trot hosts approximately 9,000 runners and walkers from 46 states and 8 countries. The O'Side Turkey Trot has been voted one of the top trots in the country several times. * Since 2006, Oceanside has played host to the official start of the annual bicycle race,

Race Across America The Race Across America, or RAAM, is an ultra-distance road cycling race held across the United States that started in 1982 as the Great American Bike Race. RAAM is one of the longest annual endurance events in the world. All entrants must prov ...

, which is usually held during the second week of June. It is considered the world's toughest sporting event by many experts. * Oceanside has hosted the Beach Soccer Championships since 2007. The festival is the largest on the west coast and takes place the third weekend in May. The event has a PRO side to the event called The Beach Soccer USA Cup and it is considered to host the toughest competition of its kind in the United States. * The Oceanside International Film Festival was founded in 2009 by the Oceanside Cultural Arts Foundation. * The famous house in the film ''

Top Gun ''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired ...

'', commonly called the ''Top Gun'' House, where

Kelly McGillis Kelly Ann McGillis (born July 9, 1957) is an American actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in ''Witness'' (1985), for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in ''Top Gun'' (1986); ''Made in Heaven' ...

and

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

shot a romantic scene. In 2019 the house was moved from its original site and extensively restored; it now is a popular tourist attraction * Oceanside is home to a harbor which contains a lighthouse, several shops and restaurants, the Oceanside Sign, and hundreds of boats. * The TV series '' Animal Kingdom'', based on the 2010 film of the same name, is set and filmed in Oceanside. * The 2023 Disney animated TV series '' Hailey's On It!'' is set on Oceanside. * Frontwave Arena, a 7,500 seat multi-use arena opened in 2024.

Government

The city operates under the council-manager form of government. The city council consists of four members elected from districts and one mayor elected at large. The current council is composed of: Esther Sanchez (mayor), Jimmy Figueroa (District 3), Peter Weiss(District 4), Eric Joyce (Deputy Mayor)(District 1), and Rick Robinson(District 2). The current

city treasurer The municipal treasurer is a position of responsibility for a municipality according to the locally prevailing laws. The treasurer of a public agency is elected city clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...

is Zeb Navarro. The City of Oceanside is a full-service city. It provides police and fire safety, water and sewer services. The city has a municipal airport, a small craft harbor, one of the longest wooden piers in the west, golf courses, swimming pools, numerous parks, community centers, and extensive palm-lined beaches.

Oceanside Public Library Oceanside Public Library is a public library system serving Oceanside, California. Founded in 1904, it has four locations in the city, with the main one at the civic center. The city also operates bookmobiles and smaller mini-libraries. Histor ...

is the city's public library system, with the main branch located in the civic center.

State and federal representation

In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Oceanside is in , and in . In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Oceanside is in .

Education

Most of Oceanside is in the Oceanside Unified School District, while some portions are in the Carlsbad Unified School District, the Bonsall Union School District, and the Vista Unified School District,.
Text list
/ref> Some residents with Oceanside postal addresses that are outside of the city limits in the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District and the Fallbrook Union High School District. The Oceanside Unified School District provides instrumental music programs in grades 4–12. The Oceanside Unified School District has two comprehensive high schools, El Camino High School off Rancho Del Oro and

Oceanside High School Oceanside High School is an American public secondary school located in Oceanside, California. It is part of the Oceanside Unified School District (OUSD). OUSD on-post properties of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton are assigned to this high sc ...

off Mission Avenue. High school students are also served by Ocean Shores Continuation High School and Clair Burgener Academy. OUSD has 24 schools plus three charter schools, including the School of Business and Technology, and two brand new schools, Louise Foussat Elementary School and Cesar Chavez Middle School, that opened in the Fall of 2007. Cesar Chavez Middle School, which is on the corner of Frazee and Oleander, will be built on , house 11 buildings totaling , and will serve 1,000 6th–8th grade students. The other school, Louise Foussat Elementary School, located on Pala Road, is built on of land with 35 classrooms totaling and can accommodate 800 students. A free, independent public charter school, Scholarship Prep, is a new TK-8th grade school which was authorized to open in August 2017 and is sited at the historic San Luis Rey Mission. It offers a full educational experience for Oceanside students.

Transportation

Rail and air

The

Oceanside Transit Center Oceanside Transit Center is a major railway interchange in Oceanside, California, serving both intercity and suburban/commuter services. The station is used by Amtrak on the route of its ''Pacific Surfliner'' service between San Diego and San ...

is a major railway interchange for long distance and commuter rail services.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Pacific Surfliner The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is Amtrak's third-busiest service (exceeded in ridership only ...

'' provides service to

San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

via

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Metrolink's

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

service connects Oceanside to many parts of

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...

, while Coaster commuter rail serves northern and central

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

. The Sprinter

hybrid rail Hybrid rail, also known as diesel light rail transit (DLRT), is a mode of Passenger train, passenger rail service unique to North America that uses lightweight Multiple unit, multiple unit trains—typically Diesel multiple unit, diesel multiple u ...

service connects Oceanside to Escondido. Oceanside Municipal Airport (OCN) is mainly used as a general aviation field. The nearest international airport is

San Diego International Airport San Diego International Airport is the primary international airport serving San Diego and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. The airport is located northwest of downtown San Diego. It is the busiest single- ...

, connected to Oceanside via Amtrak and Coaster rail services.

Interstate and highways

(I-5) travels through Oceanside, connecting to

California State Route 76 State Route 76 (SR 76) is a state highway long in the U.S. state of California. It is a much used east–west route in the North County region of San Diego County, California, San Diego County that begins in Oceanside, California, Ocean ...

(SR 76) and

California State Route 78 State Route 78 (SR 78) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Oceanside, California, Oceanside east to Blythe, California, Blythe, traversing nearly the entire width of the state. Its western terminus is at Inter ...

(SR 78) within the city.

Notable people

Sister cities

* Ensenada, Mexico *

Kisarazu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 136,023 in 63,431 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kisarazu is loca ...

, Japan * Fuji, Japan *

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( or ; Samoan language, Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County on Tutuila ...

, American Samoa

References

External links

*
Oceanside Historical Society
{{authority control Cities in San Diego County, California North County (San Diego County) Populated coastal places in California San Diego metropolitan area Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1888 1888 establishments in California Seaside resorts in California