06/06/2026
Encinitas has a way of hiding its history in plain sight.
Beneath today’s surf culture, cafés, and coastal neighborhoods are traces of very different eras: a silent film actor who invested in early town lots, a historic movie palace still operating downtown and a homestead community a bit inland. This cliffside spiritual retreat gave a surf break its name, and flower fields that once helped define the region’s economy.
Most of it is still there — if you know where to look.
📝: Debbie L. Sklar
📸: Street view of Highway 101 in Encinitas looking south from D Street in about 1928. (Photo and caption info courtesy of the San Diego History Center)
Read about Encinitas' interesting past: https://timesofsandiego.com/arts/2026/06/04/encinitas-film-money-temple-flower-empire/